Milwaukee photographer Aaron Johnson usually carefully plans his shots. But this photo of a sunrise reflected in the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons – no, that’s not the actual sun peeking between two buildings – was “pure serendipity.”
We asked the Oak Creek-based photographer, art director, animator, videographer, and comic strip artist how this fascinating shot unfolded and chatted about the way he photographs Milwaukee.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
What is your favorite thing about this photo? What “makes” it?
What I love most about this photo is that it shows the Milwaukee skyline from an angle people don’t usually see. I’m always trying not to repeat myself, and that push to find a “new” or less familiar take is what drives a lot of my work.
With sunrise photos, it’s typical to either shoot straight into the sun or to have the subject fully lit from behind the camera. Here, the sun is hitting the skyline almost 90 degrees from my viewpoint, which creates this brief moment where the light reflects off the Northwestern Mutual building and threads the needle between it and the US Bank building. That little keyhole of flare was a split-second alignment that really makes the image for me.
Late February and early March can be a tough time of year for landscapes, but that actually adds to what I like about this shot. Instead of relying on color in the sky or foliage, the scene leans on how early light picks out bits and pieces of the city. I love the drama of those tiny “spotlights” landing on individual buildings and letting the city reveal itself in fragments.
How long did it take you to get that keyhole sun thing? Was it the plan or was it serendipity? Did you choose US Bank and NWM buildings on purpose?
Most of my shots are carefully planned. I usually spend a lot of time thinking about the time of year, the angle of the sun, exact sunrise timing, and weather conditions. But this one was pure serendipity.
This photo was taken on February 25, 2025, using a drone. It was the start of what turned into an unseasonably warm day, so there was already a little hint of spring in the air. I got downtown early, before sunrise. I was planning to photograph the 12-foot Minion air tank on top of the Buzzi Unicem USA building. It’s a fun little Easter egg for people who drive over the Marquette Interchange, and I wanted to capture it at almost “eye level” with the sun rising behind it.
While I was waiting for the sun to reach the right height for that shot, I reminded myself to look around. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re chasing a specific idea, and I try not to miss what else might be happening. As the early light started hitting the skyline, I realized the reflection was about to catch the curve of the Northwestern Mutual building.
So I switched plans and started lining up the skyline instead, exposing for the sun flare off the glass and carefully shifting left and right to squeeze the glare between the NM and U.S. Bank buildings. Right around 6:40 a.m., everything lined up and the reflection slipped perfectly between the NM building and the U.S. Bank building.
It was very much a right place, right time moment, and it ended up being a more unique take on the Milwaukee skyline than the shot I originally went out to get. I always say it’s better to be consistent than to rely on luck, but I’ll happily take getting lucky when it shows up.
Tell us a little about yourself and how photography fits into your life? Do you have a “day job”?
I’ve been taking photos since I was about 10 years old, when I bought my first little 110 film camera. Storytelling through photography has always been an interest and a hobby, and eventually it turned into something I could do professionally.
Along the way I’ve also been a creator in other ways. I created and wrote a nationally and internationally syndicated comic strip about a professional photographer who also happened to be a duck, called What the Duck. That same curiosity, finding stories, finding humor, and finding meaning in everyday moments, carries into how I approach photography. I love capturing the interesting, the mundane – and especially finding the interesting in the mundane.
That mindset has taken me to some pretty amazing places, including time spent photographing in Tanzania earlier this year, not long before I captured this skyline shot. But I also really enjoy sharing the beauty of everyday places here at home. Not everyone has the time, the means, or even the health to get out and explore, and I like the idea that my photos might let people experience a little piece of the city or the state they love.
My day job is as an art director and animator at Milwaukee-based Plum Media, where I also use my professional photography and drone photography and videography skills on client projects. Outside of work, I challenge myself to stay active creatively, sometimes even with a “photo-a-day” mindset, just to keep seeing and noticing things.
I’m also a professional musician, which gives me opportunities to travel regionally, and I enjoy documenting the beauty outside of Milwaukee as well. I grew up in a small community in northeast Wisconsin, and I’ve lived in Oak Creek for the past 26 years while working Downtown. I hope that people who come across my work enjoy seeing these places as much as I enjoy getting out there and capturing them.
Where can folks find your photography? Do you have a specialty or particular interests from a photography standpoint?
The easiest place to find my work is on social media. I’m active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, where I regularly share new photos and projects.
The work I post there ranges quite a bit – landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife, macro and everyday moments around Wisconsin and beyond.
Professionally, my photography tends to focus more on portraiture, commercial and lifestyle work, events, and corporate headshots, along with drone photography and video for client projects.
Is there anything else you’d want people to know about this photo, yourself or your photography?
I’ll add that this photo is part of a much bigger personal project for me: documenting Milwaukee as it really is, in all seasons and moods, not just during the obvious “pretty” moments. I revisit the same areas over and over because the city is always changing depending on light, weather, and time of year, and those subtle differences are what keep it interesting to me.
I also hope images like this encourage people to look at familiar places a little differently. You don’t need to be traveling somewhere exotic to find something worth photographing, sometimes it’s just about being in the right place, paying attention and being patient enough to catch a moment that only lasts a few seconds.
Milwaukee has given me endless material and inspiration over the years, and I really enjoy being able to share those moments with people who live here and love this city too.
