TRY TO OVERCOME

Soaptree Yucca in the dunes, White Sands NP, New Mexico, 2021

The conversation with a friend and also coincidentally looking at recent times into some of my books about other photographers, like Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, or Wynn Bullock, encouraged me to go on and pursue what I feel gives great pleasure in my photography attempts. I’m talking about looking into a world full of colors but expressing it in black & white. Quite often I see a scene and just know the photo is a good candidate to process it in monochrome. Shooting always in RAW mode leaves the door open in any direction of post processing.

I’m sorry, I feel I’m in a photography rut right now. It seems like these moments come back always during winter time… While battling a time with very few new ideas, maybe processing some images that slept on the hard drive since a while may help to get out off an artistic blockage.

During our visit to White Sands National Park in 2021 I shot a lot of pictures during two evenings we spent there. I didn’t set the camera to any monochrome mode but shot many images with this idea in mind. It amazes me how certain plants and trees are able to live in this harsh and very dry environment. These Soaptree Yuccas are a great example and their graphic appearance is just perfect for our humble tries for a photo…

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm…..@ 105mm

SUDDEN SURPRISE

Cooper’s Hawk, Mines of Spain, Dubuque, Iowa

With all the snow on the ground that finally made for a ”real” winter here in eastern Iowa any place where birds are attracted to feeders would have been a good place for some wildlife photography today. I went to the E.B. Lyons Nature Center in the Mines of Spain, where the feeders are filled regularly by Ken, a photography friend and active birder. People of all ages can watch the birds from inside the nature center or like me, just stand outside between the trees and wait what happens.

While I watched a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows a much larger bird came suddenly from behind, flew right by me within a 3-4 feet distance, and finally landed in a nearby tree. This one was bigger than our Sharp-shinned Hawk and its rounded tail tells me it might be a Cooper’s Hawk. They are hard to tell apart from each other and I wasn’t able to see its chest pattern. Since all the little birds were long gone, the hawk didn’t waste any time and moved on after a few seconds.

Dark-eyed Junco

It didn’t take very long and all the woodpeckers, finches, nuthatches, chickadees, and sparrows came back to the bird feeder area at the nature center. The Dark-eyed Juncos feed mostly on the ground or seek shelter in the dense branches of nearby bushes. They scratch the loose snow or leaf litter with their feet and try to find something to eat, often little pieces of seeds other birds have dropped below the feeders.

1.  Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,    @ 600mm, 1/1600s, f/8, ISO 800, image cropped,

2.  Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,    @ 600mm, 1/3200s, f/8, ISO 800, image slightly cropped,

ALL LINED UP TODAY!

Brown Creepers, Little Maquoketa Valley, eastern Iowa

More snow this morning and a great chance to tell winter stories with our photos. To get some snow trails in the picture it was required to extend the exposure time at least to 1/160 seconds or even slower. This all worked well and it also helped to employ the Westscott FJ80 II speed light to overcome the deep gray sky and have a little bit of color bouncing back onto the camera sensor.

And then it literally got all lined up and I was able to make a photo I was hoping for since a long time, but never was convinced it would happen. I knew we have two Brown Creepers in our woods and I have seen them both at the same time before. Unfortunately never really close to each other. Either one always seemed to mind their own business. While focussing on woodpeckers that came to our suet feeders today I suddenly saw both Brown Creepers lined up on the log below a feeder cage. They normally move pretty fast up a tree but for a few seconds both birds had stopped and waited until a Red-bellied Woodpecker had left the food source.

The Brown Creeper is the tiniest bird we see here during winter time. With their fast action it’s not an easy task to have them in sharp focus. As you can imagine, this shot made my day!

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Westscott FJ80 II speed light,    @ 840mm, 1/160s, f/9, ISO 200, image slightly cropped,

OH, THAT BIG REFLECTOR!

Male Eastern Bluebird

Some of the followers in my blog may say, oh boy, he is posting Eastern Bluebirds again, we saw that a few times during this winter season already… And you are right, but as much I try to report about the variety of wildlife we have at a certain time here in the woods of eastern Iowa, the photography related questions make me change my focus about what I like to post here in the blog sometimes. So why the bluebirds again? First, the fact that a flock of about ten birds has been around all winter long has been a first time experience during the last twenty-one winters we live here on top of the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa Valley. But with all the pictures I took recently there is one big thing missing, the great reflector from underneath that a fresh layer of snow can provide. Gosh, I love this kind of light that make very critter pop because the reflections from the snow below give it a quality that no other season during the year can deliver.

Both photos were shot through the glass of the balcony door. As I mentioned sometime before, the distance to the next bird bath is too short for using the Nikon Z600/ f6.3. Well, it’s a good thing that the Sigma 150-600 is still in my possession and with its about 9 feet (2.8m) minimum focus distance it works well for this location…

With all the technical talk that hopefully helps other photography friends with their own endeavors , its all about the beauty of our wildlife we are able to enjoy.

SHARPI STRUCK AGAIN

Sharp-shinned Hawk

We received quite a bit of snow today, the first time this season worth to talk about. The numbers of birds visiting our feeders increased with every snow flake that hit the ground. The first thing I saw this morning while looking at the birds was our Sharp-shinned Hawk sitting in the snow of the driveway. I knew immediately what had happened because I witnessed it before at other times. The hawk had caught some prey midair and just rested with its kill for a moment. When the Sharpi finally took off I saw a small bird in its claws, probably a poor junco or a finch that wasn’t fast enough to hide.

The photo above is not from today but it lets us imagine what a fierce predator the Sharp-shinned Hawk is. With their distinctive proportions, long legs, short wings, and a long tail they can move in an acrobatic manner between trees and at top speeds in pursuit of small birds or mice.

THE SECOND AND THIRD TRY…

In my last blog post I talked about looking back into the archives during winter time. It sounds a little bit like being sentimental and trying to find old memories that were buried under the impressions that touched our photography minds more recently. I think it is much more than that and the photo I show you today is just used as an example of my train of thoughts.

This was photographed in August 2008. After a business trip to the Pacific Northwest I pitched my tent at one of the beaches of Olympic National Park in Washington State. As you can see, it was a nice evening with a gorgeous sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

I used a Sigma 18-50mm / f2.8 lens on the Nikon D200, my first DSLR camera. I loved this lens for its versatility and the f/2.8 aperture, but from today’s point of view it was not the sharpest lens. Are the problems I see in this image just due to older equipment? I don’t think so. I cropped the picture because my choice of composition was poor at the time. However, I still like the scene and was wondering what can I get out of my almost 27 years old RAW file with the software features that are available to us photographers today?

Well, the old John Steward quote, you can’t polish a turd, is still true and can be applied to political figures as well as to our own photos. In the low resolution image you see here in my blog post you can’t really see how much is missing. Despite noise reduction with highest software standards, upscaling of the picture, or great sharpening technology, which we can apply these days, it still has to be a decent photo to make it worth to work within our post process. I still don’t want to print this photo even with all the above applied, but I believe sharing the moment here on the world wide web is legitimate.

The bottom line is to learn from our previous photo adventures. I have been back at these beaches last year but the light wasn’t nearly as good. Maybe a third time will render a photo I’m really proud of…

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Winter is the best time to dig out photos from the library to give them maybe some well deserved attention. During a paddle trip on Bear Head Lake in northern Minnesota in the fall of 2023 this eroded root system of a spruce along the shore intrigued me. Any time I look at this photo I see different things and a new story. Nature is always fascinating.

LITTLE NAP IN THE SUN

Female White-breasted Nuthatch

After a few days with nothing but a cloudy and gray sky we are all happy to see the sun again for a while. The last day in January had plenty of it although it feels strange not having any snow on the ground. We humans are not the only creatures longing for light and warmth during winter. This female nuthatch usually hardly ever stops moving around, but it found a spot to sit down for a while, close the eyes, and take a little ”power nap” in the sun.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #1 - BALD EAGLES

Adult Bald Eagle, Mississippi River, between Sabula, Iowa and Savannah, Illinois

A quick trip along the Mississippi River down to Green Island and Sabula this evening led to today’s photo. A couple Bald Eagles had perched in the dead trees along the road between the Sabula island and the bridge that crosses the main channel of the river over to Illinois. It was obvious that 600 mm focal length would not be enough to fill the frame with an eagle, but adding the Nikon Z1.4 teleconverter to the lens gave me 240 mm focal length more. I drove back to the birds with the side window down and the camera already in my lap. Made sure there was no car behind me, stopped briefly, and fired a number of shots until another car approached from behind. The light about an hour before sunset was just gorgeous for this kind of a shot. Back home at the computer I still thought I had a little bit too much ’wood’ in the frame and finally cropped the photo slightly.

Most of the Bald Eagle nests I saw today had already a pair of birds in or near the nest. It’s a big joy to see how this majestic bird bounced back from being almost extinct not that long ago.

NATURE CLICKS #591 - CEDAR WAXWING

Cedar Waxwing, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Iowa

Warmer weather brought some changes in the numbers of birds that visited our woods here today. The Dark-eyed Juncos that were here by more than a dozen during the polar vortex were not seen today, except for one.

The two American Robins we had all winter long so far were joined by a flock of at least ten more birds. As often observed before, the robins had company by some Cedar Waxwings. They are here for the same food source as the American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds, the juniper berries that hang from the Eastern Cedar trees we have around here.

During the summer the waxwings feed also from insects but the juniper berries must be a good winter diet for them. The Cedar Waxwings are very careful and they often sit for quite some time on a perch before they approach the water bowls of a bird bath. This is when the photographer has a great chance to make a picture of one of the most beautiful birds around here.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 600mm, 1/2000s, f/8, ISO 1000,

FROM ABOVE AND BELOW

When we brought family from Germany back to the O’Hare airport in Chicago earlier this year we spent a couple days in downtown Chicago, visiting the Field Museum, exploring the iconic architecture of the city, and of course eating some good food. Seeing Chicago from above is always fun and so we went up to the observation deck of the John Hancock Center on the 94th floor and enjoyed a 360 degree view over the city and far beyond.

This is usually a pretty busy place and a photo like this one seems to be impossible because there are always people pressing their noses against the windows. Being up there mid morning made the view to the south the least desirable due to back-lighting and haze. But when I saw this corner of the observation deck suddenly complete empty and the shadows of the windows on the floor, I knew I had a shot. Exposing for the highlights emphasized the contours of the Chicago skyline. The ice on Lake Michigan on the left side was the hottest spot in the picture and the rest rendered nicely silhouette-like. Although I didn’t take the time to set the preview in the viewfinder to black & white, it was what I felt was right for this photo and converting the RAW file to B&W was the logical consequence. The distorted reflections from the streets below on the glass above the windows make for an unusual effect.

With its X-bracing on the tower’s facade, 875 North Michigan Avenue, former John Hancock Center, is easy to identify among Chicago’s skyscrapers.

DEFYING THE POLAR VORTEX

A Polar vortex-driven Arctic blast hit the country during the last few days. Not so much new here in the Midwest but when the beaches in Florida or Alabama are covered with snow it’s worth to mention it. The cold weather here led to an increase in numbers of birds that visit our feeders and bird baths. I counted the highest number of Eastern Bluebirds we ever had seen here at the same time (10) and assuming there were at least a couple more up in the trees. Of course I’m not the biggest fan of having the bird bath in the frame but it was the only way to tell the story about the large congregation we were able to enjoy. Other birds use the safety of being in a flock as well and among the bluebirds we find American Goldfinches, House Finches, Sparrows, and the occasional Cedar Waxwing.

At temperatures as low as -26ºC (-15ºF) I fill all five suet feeders for the woodpeckers and nuthatches and still, some birds have to wait in line for their turn to feed. The larger species, like the Red-bellied, or Hairy Woodpeckers dominate while they are present and the much smaller Downy Woodpeckers wait patiently until their larger cousins are done. A popular ”waiting spot” is the small oak between two of our bird feeders. A few snow flurries danced down to the ground today, adding to the story of cold winter weather while this male Downy waited for his turn to feed.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Wilson’s Snipe, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands, 12/22/2024

There wasn’t much going on here in the blog lately. We had family over here from Germany during the last few weeks and that took priority over photography efforts besides some shots that captured memorable moments of the good time we had together.

However, I still can’t get over that we found a Wilson’s Snipe in the Green Island Wetlands during a hike two days before Christmas and that’s why I came up with another photo from this series of shots.

So here is a little more input about the shooting conditions. It was a low light situation shortly before sunset. The bird was mostly probing with its long bill in the mud below the edge of the thin ice. I needed some speed to freeze the fast movements and cranked up the ISO settings to 10000 (yikes!!) but also used the technique of ”peak of action”, the brief moments when the snipe stopped and lifted the head out of the water for a second or so. I also was hiding behind some grass that swayed in the wind, leaving only a small gap for a clean view at the bird. I finally cropped the image so the grass was kept out of the frame.

Well, the other family members stood and waited in a respectful distance, watching my excitement about this bird and the efforts to get a shot. It was a memorable moment in any way and this photo will always remind me about just that.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,    @ 600mm, 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO 10000, image cropped

MAY THE LIGHT BE IN YOUR FAVOR

Left: 311 South Wacker / Right: Willis Tower (former Sears Tower), Chicago, Illinois

The Field Museum in Chicago doesn’t have a lot of windows, but when I walked by at one of them, the setting sun touched the sky scrapers of the skyline downtown. Moments like that don’t last very long and I took the shot through the glass quickly.

I wish my friends and followers of the website all the best for 2025 and if you are a photographer, may the light be always in your favor!

AFTER THE SNOW

Sycamore and fog, Little Maquoketa Valley, Iowa

The snow we got the week before Christmas melted or was washed away by the rain we had lately. Today, on the way back from Dubuque, we stopped briefly down in the Little Maquoketa Valley below our bluffs. Fog had started to develop on the valley floor and with the American Sycamore tree (German: Westliche Platane) standing out at the other side of the valley, I knew I had an image I wanted to make since a long time.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,  @ 200mm, 1/200s, f/4, ISO 5000, RAW processed in Adobe LR Classic with denoise in Topaz Photo AI