Isaac Rowlett shares something with this photograph he took: a distinct perspective on the city of Milwaukee.
Rowlett, who lives in Sherman Park (“the best neighborhood in the Milwaukee metro,” he says) blends community advocacy and promotion with his photography hobby into a kind of civic activism that’s easy to support.
This photo, meanwhile – shot during a bout of wildfire smoke invading from the northwest in 2023, not this summer – intentionally eschews some traditional landmarks of Milwaukee for an angle of the city that seems fresh despite the non-fresh air.
We talked with Rowlett about all these perspectives for this month’s Big Picture.
If someone has inspired you through their service, leadership or dedication, the Unity Awards are your opportunity to recognize them!
What is your favorite thing about this photo? What “makes” it? Any details you like that folks might miss?
My favorite thing about this photo is the green and gauzy “solarpunk” effect from the sunlight scattering through the particles of smoke that visited us that summer from the Canadian wildfires. The climate crisis has been changing the look, feel, and smell of our city in recent years, and although this is quite concerning, it also creates opportunities to visually capture images and video of our city in ways that haven’t been done before and that may never be done again. I think we’ll look back at the 2020s as the decade when Milwaukee realized that it was not, in fact, a climate haven, and that things like wildfire smoke, flooding and heatwaves are part of our “new normal.” The greatest challenge before us as a community is determining how we will adapt to a warmer, wetter, and less predictable world.
It strikes me that it’s a somewhat unusual choice to shoot this perspective on the skyline. The lake is such a beautiful backdrop to the city, but … I mean, this makes a strong case for shooting westward!
I’m endlessly fascinated with trying to capture unexplored angles of Milwaukee, and this photo was no exception. I think that as visually striking as this city is, people’s too-often-negative preconceived notions about Milwaukee can reduce their ability to see its beauty unless they encounter a new view of it and then have to renegotiate their perspectives of it, literally and figuratively. As a result, I aimed the lens southwest and intentionally excluded the art museum, US Bank building, and other buildings to create a different and tapered view of the skyline.
What do you remember about this day – was there anything special about it? Is there any story behind this shot? How did you shoot it?
I took this shot in the early evening between picking up my kids and heading to a community meeting about a safe streets redesign project. I remember I had to bribe my kids with ice cream in exchange for about 10 minutes of droning from the parking lot by the kite shop in Veterans Park. To be honest, this is how I take most of my photos and videos: stepping off my bike or out of my car — often with kids in tow — and throwing up the drone for 10-15 minutes to capture views of wherever I happen to be if I think the light and sky look interesting at that moment.
You have a pretty specific vision for Downtown and this city. How would you describe that vision, and how does your photography fit into that? Are you usually trying to show us a specific aspect of that vision, or is that overthinking it these handsome pictures of a handsome place?
Milwaukee is the highest-opportunity place in America, and I will spend the rest of my time on this planet working toward the goal of making Milwaukee a place where everyone can thrive. To achieve this vision, we have to see beyond the artificial lines of government jurisdictions and freeways bisecting neighborhoods to recognize that for most living organisms in Southeastern Wisconsin, we are all in one community and share the same fate whether we like it or not. To that end, although I mainly take photos because I just love doing it, my perspectives about this city – past, present and future – can’t help but bleed into my photography as well. For example, I tend to take photos of a variety of neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee County and beyond, I capture a lot of ways people get around beyond just cars, and I enjoy showing the beauty of both the natural and the built environment. I also like to capture people gathering for our city’s amazing festivals, like Juneteenth and Pridefest, as well as everyday people biking, walking, and scootering around town.
How do you describe yourself as a photographer? Where can folks find your work?
I describe myself as a hobbyist photographer. I don’t have any training or technical expertise, I don’t own photoshop or any photo-editing software, and I pretty much just enjoy taking photos (especially by air), transferring them directly to my phone, and then sharing them with the people kind enough to follow me and who seem to enjoy my work. I don’t take on many commercial projects, but folks interested in seeing my work can reach out to me through my website if they are interested in collaborating. I especially enjoy mission-driven projects that involve improving our great city.
Is there anything else you’d want people to know about this photo, yourself or your photography?
For most of my life when I heard the cliches like “everyone is an artist,” I would roll my eyes. Surely, I thought, true talent existed in only a small number of people who cultivated it under the guidance of real “artists.” By picking up a drone just a few years ago and spending a lot of time taking photos, sharing them with strangers, getting feedback and experimenting, I’ve learned that anyone really can be an artist. I’ve never been very technologically savvy and had never done anything with photography, so if I could pick this up in my late 30s, then I know that anyone can and should try. Aside from moving back to Milwaukee in 2019 and marrying my wonderful wife, experimenting with photography and videography has been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done, and I’d encourage everyone to explore their creative sides as well.
