“Washed Away” and Ansel Adams
Northwestern Military and Naval Academy, South Shore, Geneva Lake
November 29, 2023
April 6, 1997, was a wild day. The weather forecast stated winds were supposed to gust up to 70 miles per hour. I knew my sole mission that day was to venture down to the Geneva Lake shoreline with my camera bag slung over my shoulder.
When I arrived on north shore of the lake on the south side of Cedar Point Park subdivision in Williams Bay, my camera gear served not only to capture incredible scenes that presented themselves but to help anchor me to the ground. I swear the winds did roar across the lake from the west at speeds of 70 m.p.h., maybe higher.
As shown in the above photo, I never saw waves so high or whitecaps so prevalent in my 40 years of observing the lake to that point (and not since). That blessed body of water was rockin’ and rollin’! Further proof is the water spray that was whipped up – shown in white on the left side of the photograph.
No, I was not on the water when I made the photo. I stood next to a tree along the shore. I was fortunate to use an extra-long telephoto lens for my Leica M camera. The lens, which was approximately 300 mm, was loaned to me by Gerhardt Immega of Elkhorn, a wonderful fellow who also had a deep appreciation of Leica cameras and an extensive collection of them and their lenses. I was saddened by his death in 2022 at age 85. The longest lens I own is 135 mm, so I never could have captured the image as I did.
The building is the former Northwestern Military and Naval Academy (NMNA) on the south shore in Linn Township. The photo and title are symbolic because the building was empty, as the school was acquired in 1995 by St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. The merger of the two schools resulted in a combined name of St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy. The school continues in operation, known as St. John’s Northwestern Academies.
The NMNA building was razed in the late 1990s after the site was purchased by a residential development company. The subdivision of magnificent (and expensive!) single-family houses is known as South Shore Club.
NMNA originally was founded in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1888. The school moved to the lakeside setting in 1915.
As a popular culture note, scenes in the movie “Damien: Omen II” were filmed at NMNA. The movie was released in 1978. Learn more details about the film by doing a search.
Ansel Adams for Inspiration
This week I came across a public Facebook group titled Ansel Adams Inspired. Photographers who have been inspired by the work of the renowned Adams (1902-84) post their own photos. I count myself among black-and-white photographers who have been influenced by him, his images, and his teachings via books and articles. For decades I have been admiring his photographs, and I have found inspiration from them and from him as a person.
So has my long-time friend Jeff Gorecki, who lives in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. He resided many years in Walworth County, Wisconsin, and our paths would cross periodically. I was glad to see he also belongs to the group, so I know it is a good one because he has a good photographic eye, having produced many interesting images in his life.
I have had three exceptional moments related to Adams. One of the strangest occurred 10-plus years ago when I was playing a two-hands game of Scrabble by myself. (Maybe kinda odd, but I lived alone at the time, and words captivate me as much as photos. I also enjoy the challenge of the game.) At one point, I needed to draw five letters, and I drew (in order, no less!) A-N-S-E-L. I was flabbergasted!
In 2003, I embarked on a 12-day road trip out West. My itinerary was loosely based on the book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America by John Villani. One of my stops was a photo gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The gallery had a drawer of Adams prints, including some signed by him. I daresay I shook with excitement as I held them and reveled in their details. The price of one of the prints was $40,000!
I went in October 2000 to Calumet Photographic in Chicago for a daylong seminar featuring several speakers, one of whom was John Sexton from California. In 1979-84, he was an assistant and consultant to Adams. What amazed me during Sexton’s talk was his mention of his deep interest in drag racing, a sport about which I have been passionate since my youth. I wrote him a letter after the event to compliment him on his marvelous photography and to note our mutual interest in drag racing. Alas, he never responded to my letter, washing some of the stars from my eyes.
If you are interested in black-and-white photography and belong to Facebook, check out the Ansel Adams Inspired group. Many of the photos are stunning.
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