Streaking Past the Avalon

The Avalon Theatre is alive, again, in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood.  This historic landmark theater was completely renovated and refitted to offer patrons a unique entertainment experience.  The traditional movie theater seating has been replaced by leather chairs with a table between them where movie goers can order and enjoy a meal – with their movie – prepared on site and served by the wait staff.

The Avalon is a distinctive example of the Mediterranean Revival architectural style. The lobby features Moorish arches, twisting Mediterranean columns, figures that resemble gargoyles and a statue of Athena, a Greek goddess — all from the original building.  It is the first Wisconsin theater built for movies with sound

I happened to be there (and created this image) on the night of their Grand Opening celebration in March of 2015.  The place was full of young professionals enjoying drinks in the lobby and touring the theater. I was hanging out with a photography friend from the area who took me to a few spots in Milwaukee to shoot some night scenes.  He, rightfully, thought this would be a promising location.

The photo, itself, is a long exposure (20 seconds).  The white and red lines were created by the lights from the vehicles that passed by while the camera shutter was open. Those spots in the upper left of the photo, I believe, are the result of dust that must have been on my lens. Normally they wouldn’t be so prominent. I think the mercury street lights and the aperture setting of f/22 I used for this shot brought them out.  Normally, I would work to remove those from an image…but in this case, I liked the effect and left them in.

You can learn more about the Avalon’s renovation, amenities they offer and its interesting history simply by Googling it.

You can view more of the details in this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.

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