’WORK NIGHT’ WITH THE CAMERA CLUB

HOURGLASS / MONOCHROME

Monday evening we had a ’Work Night’ during the meeting with the Dubuque Camera Club. The club has acquired a set of three continuous LED lights and the members had a chance to try them out and play with different functions, color temperatures, and settings. It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see all the different approaches to work with a few items that some members had provided for this shooting. We can now use these lights for our own little and bigger projects.

The hourglass above is placed on a reflecting plate and was my favorite subject. At a serious product shooting you normally would avoid the reflections of the light sources on the glass walls, but I thought it added an interesting artsy-fartsy effect.

RUBIC CUBE / COLOR

The RUBIC cube was also very popular. The star effect on the glass plate is the reflection from an umbrella that was mounted in front of an LED light. The key for this shot was to hide the knob in the center of the umbrella behind the cube. The black & white version is actually the same photo as the color image above. I played with different B&W filters in Adobe Lightroom and was once more amazed how different the photo was rendered with each filter effect, even without any changes of exposure values. Back in the days I shot a lot with black and white film, but now, many years later I just start to understand what it really can do for my photography.

It was an interesting evening and interacting with the other members of the club during the shooting was a lot of fun. Thank you to Ron Tigges for preparing this and the set-up!

RUBIC CUBE / MONOCHROME

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head,

BIRD PRESENTATION THIS WEEK

Migrating Snow Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Today I would like to invite everybody from the Tri-State area around Dubuque, who like birds or bird photography, to join us for a presentation about our feathered friends. The Dubuque Audubon Society has asked the Dubuque Camera Club to be the presenter for their January program. I’m a member of both and I’m honored to be part of this presentation, among four other nature photographers. We will show some recent work, a few of our favorite images, and will share the story behind them. I think it will be an exciting event for everybody who like birds, like to take pictures of them, or just enjoy looking at bird photography.

Date / Time: Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 6.00PM

Location: E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center, 8991 Bellevue Heights Rd, Dubuque, IA 52003

Ok, so don’t let the “cabin fever” take possession of you while you sit on your sofa 😉. Come out on Thursday, join us for the presentation, and have some fun!

PHOTOGRAPHY OUTING WITH THE DCC

Clouds over barn and pond, near Blanding Landing, Illinois

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4, Breakthrough GND filter 0.9,   @16 mm, 1/100 s, f/9, ISO100

Last week the Dubuque Camera Club had its first outing in a long time. Led by photography artist Henry Matthiessen III, owner of “Stoned Art Studio and Gallery” in Dubuque, Iowa, the group visited several locations in the Mississippi Valley, over in northwest Illinois. Fast moving clouds in the sky allowed for some good shooting around dusk. I have been at some of the locations before, but never at that time of the day. After seeing the results from some other photographers already on Facebook, I think it is very interesting how many different ways can be found to shoot basically the same subject, the landscapes and light that were present for all of us. Thank you again to Henry for introducing us to some new locations! Here is my take from that evening.

Barn in the woods,  near Blanding Landing, Illinois

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,   @200 mm, 1/80 s, f/5.6, ISO100, slightly cropped

Tranquility,  near Blanding Landing, Illinois

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4, Breakthrough GND filter 0.9,   @20 mm, 1/200 s, f/5.6, ISO100

Oak tree, Chestnut Mountain Resort, Illinois

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,   @116 mm, 1/125 s, f/8, ISO100, cropped

Mississippi backwaters at dusk, Blanding Landing, Illinois

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4, Breakthrough GND filter 0.9,   @82 mm, 1/30 s, f/9, ISO100, slightly cropped

FALL COLORS AND LIGHT

Hard to believe that was already a week ago. The Dubuque Camera Club had invited to a little photo walk at Eagle Point Park in Dubuque, Iowa. The park is high up on the bluffs above the Mississippi River and lock & dam #11. It is tempting to shoot only the great vista across the river, but with the low sitting afternoon sun I thought the fall details in the park deserved our attention as well. There is a small pond, built from big limestone rocks and that’s where I found the most inspiration.

It was an afternoon well spent, with good conversation and I can’t imagine that anybody who participated didn’t have fun shooting the colors and light of autumn.

SAME CLOUD AGAIN

I still have my thoughts at this anvil cloud that took our attention last Monday at the night shooting event of the Dubuque Camera Club. I can’t really say I had a black & white image in mind this time, when I took a number of pictures of the cloud. I love this form of expression and finally wanted to give another photo of this series a trial.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head, Vello cable release,   @122 mm, 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO100

REFLECTIONS - PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AT THE DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART

During opening reception

I start today’s blog post with a quote from the exhibition brochure:

REFLECTIONS is the 7th consecutive photography exhibition by the Dubuque Camera Club at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

Reflections may be discovered in landscape, nature, still life, architecture, and portraiture. Twenty club members used digital photography to interpret this year’s theme. Each photographer brings an individual viewpoint to the click.

Qualities such as composition, color and vibrance, mood, symmetry, or choice of subject come into play to make a photo meaningful for the photographer, and hopefully, for the viewer. You are invited to reflect upon this selection of photos from our club members.

Tonight was the opening reception, which had a nice turnout. I had a picture in last year’s show and I’m proud to mention that again one of my photos is on display in 2019. You can see the photos through November 10, 2019. Here is a hint for the budget minded. Thanks to a sponsor admission to the museum is free every Thursday during 2019. If photography is not the only thing you like, the DMA has a couple other exhibitions at the moment. Visit their website for more information http://dbqart.org


THE EXCITEMENT GROWS

Sandhill Cranes, Green Island Wetlands, March 2017

Tonight was the first meeting of the year for the Dubuque Camera Club (http://www.dubuquecameraclub.com). I’m in my second year now with the club and really enjoy the networking with other photographers. After the official program we nature photographers quite often exchange our thoughts, discuss wildlife sightings, or share locations that might be of interest for other fellow photogs. Today the question came up, when will we see the first signs of bird migration with this unusual warm weather pattern? We don’t really know yet, but I could sense that we were all excited about the upcoming season and look already forward to a hopefully busy time. The Sandhill Cranes will be part of it.

COME AND SEE MY PRESENTATION

Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

A year ago I joined the Dubuque Camera Club. The exchange of thoughts, ideas, and photography knowledge between members is priceless, and beside the educational aspect, it is a great group of people to socialize with and share the fun photography has to offer. We meet twice a month (first and third Monday each month between September and June) and for the 2018 /19 season we offer some member presentations about different aspects of photography. The meetings of the camera club are open to the public anyway, but these special events are advertised in local and social media.

Mobile phones made almost everybody a photographer these days and photography is as popular as never before, so we like to share our presentations with a broader audience. Maybe you guessed it, I volunteered to be the first presenter…

It’s a wrong assumption that good wildlife photos can only be made with expensive equipment. Sharing the story of your wildlife encounter, even through a technically not so perfect image, is more important for the future of our natural heritage than seeing the last detail in a critter’s eye. I will give you my thoughts on this and other aspects of wildlife photography.

If you live in or around the Tri-state area of Dubuque, Iowa, please join us for our first presentation this season next Monday. Here are the facts about this event:

Monday, November 19, 2018, at 6:30 PM

STORYTELLING IN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center, 

Mines of Spain Recreation Area

8991 Bellevue Heights 

Dubuque, IA

My presentation will touch the questions below, and hey, we can discuss your ideas and thoughts as well after what I try to cramp into 60 minutes.

  • How to start with wildlife photography, even with a small camera and lens?

  • What are good locations for wildlife shooting in and around the Mississippi Valley?

  • How to become better storytellers with our photos?

  • How about safety and ethics?

The program is free and I would be happy to see you next Monday at 6:30 PM in the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center at the Mines of Spain 😉

FIVE RAPTORS

CYSCO, Harris’s Hawk, hatched in captivity in 1994, excelled as a falconry bird, and came to the Schlitz Audubon Center after retirement. ------------ 

It was fun at the 30th Annual Bald Eagle Watch in the Grand River Center of Dubuque yesterday. The event that celebrates the American Bald Eagle had a very good turnout with people of all ages. We had lots of good conversations with visitors at the information desk of the Dubuque Camera Club and the other participating organizations have been very busy as well. The highlight for many guests was without any doubt the live bird program, presented several times during the day by staff and volunteers of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Milwaukee WI. The program was great education, not just for all the kids who got involved by Sara, who did a very good job of moderating it.

BARON VON SCREECH, Eastern Screech Owl, lost his right eye in a car accident.

It was allowed to take pictures, even with flash lights, but I decided to use just the ambient light for making some images of the raptors and the people who showed them to the audience. All photos were made handheld at f/4 between 1/20s and 1/40s. The ISO was cranked up to 1600. Shooting indoors is not my usual thing to do and dealing with white balance in very dim incandescent light had its challenges. The presenters moved around to give everybody a chance to have a close-up view of these beautiful raptors and the birds themselves move as well, with other words, not an easy task to get a sharp image.

CUTRIGHT, Peregrine Falcon, a retired falconry bird.

All seven birds of prey that were introduced to the audience (I only show five of them) are unable to make a living out in the wild for various reasons. Since I didn’t make notes (too busy fiddling with the camera 😉), the information about each bird under the photos is from the website of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/education/raptor-program

TSKILI, Great Horned Owl, was stolen from her nest by a human who wanted her as a pet.

VALKYRIE, Bald Eagle, Was left by her parents earlier than normal. She did not have the hunting skills to survive in the wild. I like this photo because it shows the enormous size of an eagle, next to Sara, the main presenter of the program.

All images: Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR

30TH ANNUAL BALD EAGLE WATCH IN DUBUQUE

If you live in or near the tristate area around Dubuque, here is a reminder. Tomorrow, Saturday 01/20 is the 30th Annual Bald Eagle Watch in the Grand River Center. There are live bird programs and other activities, lots of information about the eagles and other nature related things available. The Dubuque Camera Club will have a table at this free family event. I will be there as well and if you like to talk photography, wildlife, or learn about good locations for nature photography in the Upper Mississippi Valley, don’t hesitate to stop at the DCC information desk. The event is open from 9:00AM to 4:30PM. Hope to see you tomorrow!