Who needs snow and ice?! It was Starved Rock!
It was cool and crisp for an early spring day, but it was the middle of February. There should have been at least a foot of snow and ice falls in multiple locations around the park, but this year has not been like any other in the recent past. This past Sunday, February 19, twenty intrepid photographers lighted at the Illinois Canyon within Starved Rock to capture photos of what Mother Nature was offering.
Starved Rock State Park is located just one mile south of Utica, IL, between LaSalle-Peru 
and Ottawa. The park is the home of 18 canyons formed by glacier melt water and stream erosion. All of these canyons lead to the Illinois River. For more information on the park and what to do when there visit the Illinois DNR and starvedrockstatepark.org websites.
The mid 30’s temperature and beautiful early morning light lit up the canyon walls like no other light could. Shadows, color glitter patterns on thin ice cover, and the colorful walls were all there for capture. Even black & white photos could be captured to emphasize the patterns of the canyon. See the pictures our members captured on this beautiful day in the slideshow below.
Rising early and walking around the
canyons to capture the “right” scene even makes a photographer hungry. Starved Rock 
State Park had the perfect place to rest and partake in good food and good conversation. The Lodge not only offers great lodging accommodations, but has one of the best brunches around.
If you can’t get reservations, like our big group, they offer the Back Door Lounge, a place where you can either order off the menu or saunter over to the buffet. Our group of 18 had a great time talking about the day’s shoot, but also wide ranging set of topics like the new photo sharing opportunities, science fiction authors, and opportunities for outings and monthly meetings.
All-in-all everyone had a good time. See everyone at next month’s outing The Chicago Skyline.
