Anyone familiar with Mazon, IL area?

[jephoto]

Hi gang,
Anyone live in the area ?
I have a job there next week in the morning and I rarely get out into the countryside for early mornings. I live in Chicago, and most of my jobs are local.
I’d love to get some early morning sunrise shots of either pretty rolling farmland or I see that Mazon is 9 miles south of the Illinois River at Morris, IL.
Perhaps there is something pretty between Joliet and Morris that might be interesting to shoot at dawn or sunrise.
Are any of you familiar with the area? Because it would mean leaving my house around 5 AM to be somewhere interesting by sunrise so I don’t want to be just driving around looking for some thing.
And of course it’s weather dependent. Unfortunately on the 10 day forecast next Thursday when I’m going to be out there looks like there could be as much as 60% cloud cover at sunrise so this may be a moot point anyway…

 

[Dale D]

Hi gang,
Anyone live in the area ?
I have a job there next week in the morning and I rarely get out into the countryside for early mornings. I live in Chicago, and most of my jobs are local.
I’d love to get some early morning sunrise shots of either pretty rolling farmland or I see that Mazon is 9 miles south of the Illinois River at Morris, IL.
Perhaps there is something pretty between Joliet and Morris that might be interesting to shoot at dawn or sunrise.
Are any of you familiar with the area? Because it would mean leaving my house around 5 AM to be somewhere interesting by sunrise so I don’t want to be just driving around looking for some thing.
And of course it’s weather dependent. Unfortunately on the 10 day forecast next Thursday when I’m going to be out there looks like there could be as much as 60% cloud cover at sunrise so this may be a moot point anyway…

You can never go wrong with a sunrise anywhere. If you use Photo Pills you can plan it out in advance using a farm silo, etc.

Dale

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

A lot of times broken cloud cover will make the sunrise more interesting than a plain clear sky.

 

[jephoto]

You can never go wrong with a sunrise anywhere. If you use Photo Pills you can plan it out in advance using a farm silo, etc.

Dale

Ive got a great app for all that - TPE- The Photographers Ephemeris- What I need is some help on Where to go as I'm not familiar with the area and want to be there at sunrise. Can't plan out in advance until you know where you are going...
Suggestions welcome.

 

[jephoto]

A lot of times broken cloud cover will make the sunrise more interesting than a plain clear sky.

Absolutely. An empty sky is very stark and boring

 

[Dale D]

You can never go wrong with a sunrise anywhere. If you use Photo Pills you can plan it out in advance using a farm silo, etc.

Dale

There is a Macon,Illinois, half way between Springfield and Decatur in Southern Illinois. It is farm country.

 

[Dale D]

There is a Macon,Illinois, half way between Springfield and Decatur in Southern Illinois. It is farm country.

 

[jephoto]

There is a Macon,Illinois, half way between Springfield and Decatur in Southern Illinois. It is farm country.

Thanks. Someday hope to get around there.
I was asking about the area above- near Mazon- as I have a job there next week.
And I am coming from Chicago.
Just hoping I can find a cool place to shoot dawn & sunrise on the way to the job. And get breakfast.... Don't need to be on site for the job until 9:00

 

[Dale D]

Thanks. Someday hope to get around there.
I was asking about the area above- near Mazon- as I have a job there next week.
And I am coming from Chicago.
Just hoping I can find a cool place to shoot dawn & sunrise on the way to the job. And get breakfast.... Don't need to be on site for the job until 9:00

It if were me, I would go the night before but get there an hour before sundown. I would scout the area, and plan to do a nice sunrise over a farm building(s) with homestead, silo, etc. Get to the site an hour before sunrise because things alway take longer than you planned. Set up the tripod, do test shots, etc. (My home town before moving to Miami was Chicago-born and raised-north side).

Dale

 

[jephoto]

If it were more than a $400 job I'd consider it. Not worth a motel stay for this.
Again, was hoping that someone who lives down that way had a suggestion, I'd go early for the job. And scout around for next time.
This is a 3 hour job. Drive down, shoot, drive home. If I see something nice along the way, bonus.
Worth a shot.
But not worth THAT much effort or expense.

 

[Zonian]

There is a park/boat launch underneath the Hwy 47 bridge going across the river in Morris. I think the river runs pretty much east-west at that location there...might be good sunrise shots

 

[jephoto]

There is a park/boat launch underneath the Hwy 47 bridge going across the river in Morris. I think the river runs pretty much east-west at that location there...might be good sunrise shots

Cool. Thats the kind of info Im looking for...