TWO WAYS

Fall colors in Backbone State Park, eastern Iowa

Although it was at the same location, in Iowa’s Backbone State Park, and the shots were made only a few minutes apart, each scene required a different way to tell a story. The road through the woods crosses Fenchel Creek several times, a tributary to the Maquoketa River and very popular for trout fishing. With the jam of leaves in the foreground and the beautiful colors of the maple in the back, I had to stop and capture the arrangements of nature.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 70 mm, 1/4s, f/16, ISO 200, Polarized filter, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,

Former trout hatchery, Backbone State Park

Ten minutes earlier I stopped at a former trout hatchery that was operated until 1987. It was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1920s. The most visible remains of the hatchery are the circular ponds and this geometrical pattern triggered my desire to present the photo in black and white. No, I didn’t kill much of the fall colors, green dominates the scene, not just by the grass around the ponds, but the pines in the background hide most of the maples in the back. Well, the sky was just gray and I know a better picture can be made. A good reason to go back to the state park sometime soon…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 27 mm, 1/8s, f/16, ISO 200, Polarized filter, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,

TAKE IT NOW

Sunset over the Little Maquoketa Valley, eastern Iowa

This photo was made three days ago here in our woods and I’m pretty sure today it wouldn’t have turned out the same way. We had two very windy days and a lot of leaves came down and opened up the canopy quite a bit more. There is a lesson I learned some time ago and it was confirmed again with this shot, take the image now, when the light seems to be right, don’t wait for another chance with maybe even better light, it wouldn’t be the same, no matter what you do.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,

    @ 44 mm, 1/20 s, f/22, ISO 2000

IN RUGGED TERRAIN

Upper part of the Pine Creek Unit in the Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge.

It was a perfect fall day with sunshine and warm temperatures yesterday and as mentioned in my last blog post the leaves suddenly got the colors of autumn. I went out west to revisit a couple areas with unique features that make the Driftless Area standing out from most parts of the Midwest. First I hiked into the Pine Creek Unit of the Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge near Colesburg, Iowa. I had scouted this location already in early June and wrote about it here in the blog. It was recommended as a good birding location and here is a link to my earlier post: https://exnerimages.net/blog/2025/6/1/scouted-a-new-location

White-crowned Sparrow

Most birds have migrated south already but I found a few White-crowned Sparrows feeding on berries and seeds in the brushes at the edge of the woods. Nothing says more about the season than having the bird perched next to some ripe berries in a bush almost bare of its leaves.

Rugged slope in the Pine Creek Valley

This time I wanted to get a little deeper into the area. The slope down to the pine creek valley is very rugged and there are no trails at all. Be forewarned, thick and thorny underbrush make it a challenge to hike with photo equipment! However, with the turning leaves and a little bit of sunshine you will see some beauty, hardly found in any other part of Iowa.

FINALLY SOME COLORS

A week ago I was asking myself, will we get any fall colors before most leaves are on the ground? It was still quite warm this week and many leaves just dried up and tumbled down. Well, all what it took was a few colder nights and a little bit of rain and everything changed quickly.

A short walk into the woods behind the house early this morning was worth the effort. The sun wasn’t out, but that turned out to be a good thing and allowed to capture the mood of this early morning with some fog between the trees. The polarizer was attached to the lens to take away any glare from the leaves and using the tripod allowed to shoot with ISO 100 for a minimum of noise introduction.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 37 mm, 1.3 s, f/14, ISO 100, Polarizing filter, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #6 - ISLAND CITY ATTRACTIONS

Sabula, Island city in the Mississippi River

Sabula, Iowa’s only city located on an island in the Mississippi River, has two technical attractions I always like to look at. The first is their old-style water tower, which seems to be well maintained. If the sun is on the structure this tower stands out and can make for a nice reflection on the water. I have photographed it many times before but with the beautiful clouds we had during my last visit I could not resist to get the camera out again.

Sabula Railroad Bridge

The other interesting structure that connects Illinois and Iowa across the Mississippi River is the Sabula Rail Bridge, a large through truss swing bridge. This time I was there at the right time. After a few small boats had just passed, the bridge started moving and was swiveled back and ready for the next train to get over it. It only took a few minutes and my photo shows it about half way closed. The clouds again made this shot stand out for me.

FOLLOWING THE CLOUDS TODAY

The whole week we had these wonderful puffy clouds here in the Mississippi Valley. Unfortunately they dissolve before the day ends. I thought it is worth a try to drive down already early afternoon today to the Green Island Wetlands, one of my favorite wildlife spots as the avid reader of my blog already knows.

I wanted to come back with some black and white images that tell the story about the landscape of the Green Island Wildlife Management area and maybe an idea what the clouds can do to enhance it. To get already a good preview into my mind how the final picture would look, I set the camera to monochrome mode and with a red filter setting applied, simulating the same way I would have photographed this scene back in the days of film. As I shoot always in RAW mode all the color information is still embedded in the file and it still allows me to tweak a certain color in post process for the final outcome.

How much impact clouds can have to emphasize a certain landscape can be comprehended by studying the work of Ansel Adams or Clyde Butcher. I admire the photography of Ansel Adams since a long time but discovered Clyde Butcher only a couple years ago through the book ”Seeing the Light” by Tom Shroder and John Barry. What an amazing life story and mesmerizing photography! I follow the Instagram posts of this renowned black and white photographer, humanitarian, and environmentalist, but if you like to just have a look, go to his website clydebutcher.com . Highly recommended!

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #5 - SUMMER AT ITS BEST

Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,   @ 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 500

I haven’t posted another ”Mississippi River Story” since May but I like to do so at the height of the summer. The heat and very high humidity during the last weeks has been replaced by cooler temperatures, a bit of wind, nice puffy clouds at times, but we still had plenty of sunshine. All good reasons to get the kayak out for a couple paddle trips in the backwaters of the big river. The vegetation is lush and green and some flowers can still be found between the arrow heads and water lilies that grow everywhere in the Mud Lake area. The breeding season for most birds is almost over, it is a lot quieter on the water, and I had a lot less photo opportunities for wildlife. But there is always room for a surprise and a couple Great Blue Herons posed nicely within the range of the lens. I caught the first heron standing motionless in the water, like in the picture below. But the bird moved on and I missed the shot. At the second opportunity the wind pushed me almost too close to the bird but by reading its body language I knew a second ahead of time when the decisive moment would happen. This time luck was on my side.

Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,   @ 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 500

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa,

Nikon Z6III, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 55mm, 1/320 s, f/11, ISO 100

I came back to the entrance of the marina at Mud Lake Park in the evening, hoping to get nice warm light on the puffy clouds we had all day long. Unfortunately the clouds dissolved very quickly due to the air getting drier. The blue boat came at the right time to rescue this photo. A couple minutes later the cloud show was over…

HAZY SUNSET AT LAKE SUPERIOR

Lake Superior, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, Presque Isle, Upper Peninsula Michigan, 07/28/2025

While the grandkids enjoyed looking for interesting rocks on the beach and had fun playing with some other people’s dog, I had the camera on the tripod and watched how the light of the setting sun would effect the landscape along the lake.

The color of the sky and the haze in the air were the result of wildfires that burned up north in Canada and the smoke got even worse the following days. A big cloud on the horizon made for an early disappearance of the sun, but for a brief moment the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior got a warm touch as I was hoping for.

PADDLING IN THE NORTHWOODS

This juvenile Common Loon was still fed by its parents, but not every dive for food was successful. First time that I was able to make some clicks of loons with their offspring. Fay Lake, Florence County, Wisconsin

I’m back from two different trips to the Northwoods. The second one led to well known territory in northern Wisconsin. Most of the time I have been there for little ice fishing adventures with friends each year in January, but this time the kayak was on top of the car roof while traveling.

I like to share some photos from last weekend that were shot during three paddling trips. The wildfires up in Canada made for unpleasant air conditions and I didn’t really like how most of my landscape pictures turned out. However, there were some good encounters of wildlife, mostly birds, and I saw even a bear crossing the road. I hope you enjoy!

A pair of Trumpeter Swans navigated their five cygnets through the weeds into shallow water near the shore of Fay Lake.

Juvenile Spotted Sandpiper, Wabikon Lake, Forest County, Wisconsin

For almost four hours I enjoyed a paddling trip on the Popple River, deep in the woods of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. No humans, no men-made noise, just the tranquillity of pure nature. It doesn’t get much better… 😊

EVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Cloudscape, near Remsen, Iowa

Many landscape photographers would probably not unpack their cameras in most parts of northwest Iowa. Flat land predominates and intensive agriculture use over more than a century has turned, what probably was once beautiful tall-grass prairie, into habitats with very little biological diversity. A trend we can see all over the world, including my home country Germany. Oh no, I’m not saying the area doesn’t have any charm, but you have to open your eyes, look into details, and most importantly watch how the weather develops to see the potential for a landscape photo.

We have been out west in Iowa’s Plymouth County this week for a family reunion (thank you Don & Shelly for hosting!). Shortly after our arrival at the farm I was intrigued by the clouds crossing the land and rushed down to the gravel road below in order to keep the utility wires out of the frame. I have photographed the place around this farm since many years and can see the changes. This is my first mage with wind turbines in the frame. They create an income for some farms that accepted them on their property, but I also learned that not everybody is happy with the noise…

Alright, let’s talk about the photography. I admit I didn’t have a black & white image in mind when I made the click. There were enough colors and color contrast I thought that would express my feelings. But back home at the computer I recognized the much better storytelling of this photo in black & white. It’s not an image with a lot of leading lines, it’s more about the eye wandering through the image. The highlights of the blooming grasses in the foreground lead to the light in the vegetation in front of this small river bank. But the eye finally goes to the clouds in the sky and after a second we can recognize the wind turbines even in the background.

HIDDEN FALLS

Hidden Falls, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, Minnesota

Well, it’s my first trip as a ”full-time senior” and we have pitched the tent for a couple nights at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park in south-central Minnesota. Beautiful woods with lots of plants and flowers, some of them even endemic. Yesterday a first hike took us to Hidden Falls, a popular place in the state park. When I go on a hike to a waterfall the tripod is often with me, allowing for a longer exposure and getting this silky look of flowing water coming over the edge of the rocks. An eights of a second at f/18 led to a result I liked. It was actually the light on the lush looking leaves above the waterfall that intrigued me and I just can imagine how nice this may look at a certain times in autumn. Could be a reason to come back here, or not?

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park doesn’t have a lake but we have the kayaks on the roof of the car and hope for some great paddle adventures coming up. Tomorrow we take off to our next destination in northwest Minnesota with many lakes around. I don’t know how much phone reception we may have but I will try to share some impressions with you from time to time, so please stray tuned…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 36mm, 1/8s, f/18, ISO 100

THE TALLEST

Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

I’m back from my possibly last ever business trip. Two days driving in the rain over in Wisconsin wasn’t as much fun as it normally would be and the camera stayed in the bag the whole time. Well, I promised a little while ago to post a few more pictures from our trip to Oregon in April and that’s what I can offer you today.

On the last day we visited the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland and stopped of course at Oregon’s tallest waterfall, Multnomah Falls. Between all the phone swinging people there I probably looked like a dinosaur with my camera on a tripod. That’s ok, because I can print this image quite large and that’s what mattered to me during my second visit 15 years after the first one…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 35 mm, 1/10s, f/13, ISO 100

WATERFALL FASCINATIONS

Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

A trip to Oregon should always include some waterfalls, at least in my books. We revisited the Columbia Gorge Gorge east of Portland on the last day of our trip. Yes, there are some other tourists but it is not impossible to keep them out of the picture. Late morning turned to be out a good time. The sun was almost above the falls and threw some light into the river gorge, which is sloped to the north.

In anticipation of taking pictures of waterfalls I carried my tripod with me but stayed away from real long exposure times in favor of the sunlit mist that swirled around. I thought that was more interesting than water that looks a little bit just like milk.

Those of you who know these locations may say, where is a photo of the tallest waterfall? Well, this is for another blog post…

Bridal Veil Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Latourell Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

GEOLOGIC STORY ALONG THE OREGON COAST

Tree on a cliff at Sunset Bay State Park

No landscape photographer likes a bald blue sky but after a couple rainy days every sunshine is welcome, with or without clouds. Off the Oregon coast the Juan de Fuca Plate, an oceanic plate, slides under the continental plate of North America, creating a subduction zone. Many rock formations can tell this geologic story especially along the coast line southwest of Coos Bay. Gigantic waves crash into the rocks and it is really not difficult to find a pleasing composition even without some perfect clouds.

Sedimentary rocks have been tilted at steep angles, very well visible at Shore Acres State Park.

Concretions in the surf at Shore Acres

Sand deposits that accumulated along the ancient coast were eventually hardened to form sandstone. A Concretion develops when calcite crystallizes around an object within the sand, perhaps a seashell fragment. This zone of mineralization gradually increases in diameter, causing the concretion to grow like a pearl in an oyster. Concretions are more durable than the surrounding sandstone, and on weathered rock faces they commonly resemble stone cannonballs. (source: George Musteo, The Geologic Story, researchgate.net).