MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2017 #5 - JOHN DEERE MARSH


Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4 -----------

Two photos today that can’t be more different from each other, but made within less than ten minutes in between. Daylight is considerable longer than a month ago and today “walking the dog” took me out to the John Deere Marsh, a dammed up wetland area right behind the Deere factory north of Dubuque, Iowa.

I have to admit , this was a tricky shot. I knew when I made the click the range of light would exceed 5 f-stops, more than what a camera like the NIKON D750 can lift. Strictly exposing for the highlights, there was still enough information available in my RAW file to romance this image without any loss within the circle of the sun. The shadows had still enough information at he bottom of the image to make it work and the fresh fallen snow in the lower right corner, tells the story of the season.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4

The Mississippi River has still ice for the most part , but where the current of the river is strong, the water has some open spots. There is a levee at the John Deere Marsh, reaching far into the main channel of the big river. To give you a perspective, the part of the river, north of J. Deere Marsh that you look at in this photo, is almost 3 km wide (~1.8 miles).