NATURE CLICKS #588 - GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron, Spring Lake, Petoskey, Michigan

Here is another photo of the same Great Blue Heron as in the last blog post. It was made a little later and from a different position. The bird had just caught a bullhead and tried to swallow it. This needs to be done in a smart way because the bullhead has sharp spines at the leading edges of the dorsal and pectoral fins. It took the heron quite some time to ”prepare” the fish but at the end the little catfish ended up in the herons stomach.

In this photo the background had some light and made actually for a good environmental portrait of the bird, including some water plants and reeds. There was a nice spot light on the bird’s head, not as harsh as before, and an underexposure by one f-stop was enough to keep the highlights intact.

NATURE CLICKS #587 - GREAT BLUE HERON

Great Blue Heron, Spring Lake, Petoskey, Michigan

A board walk gave us access to a small pond and wetland area near the town of Petoskey, Michigan. We approached the bird very slowly, assuming it would fly away any moment, but the heron had only the hunt for fish on its mind. It was all what I was hoping for with the new Nikon Z600 f/6.3, handholding the lens without struggle and coming back with a high keeper rate of sharp images. The background was very busy, with lots of dead wood and reeds. The bright parts of the bird’s plumage required underexposure by 2 f-stops and this solved the problem with the background.

COPPER PEAK

Copper Peak Ski Jump, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Since my childhood I have followed ski jumping competitions. It was a big deal, and still is over in Europe and Japan, and we wouldn’t miss any of the big events broadcasted on TV every winter. While camping in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last month we didn’t want to miss visiting the world’s largest artificial ski jump, Copper Peak. This jump hill is out of commission since 30 years now, but big plans have been made and the State of Michigan has granted $20 million to redevelop the hill to host international competitions. The jump hill needs to be changed tremendously to bring this ski jump up to todays standards for ski flying. I really hope it will happen.

View from the top

Some leaves started changing but we were a little early for the peak of fall colors. However, the view from the top of the ski jump is breath taking. With the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness below and Lake Superior in the background you just get an idea how vast and beautiful the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is. I was just happy to have at least a few clouds in the sky…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,

NO LACK OF WATERFALLS

Manido Falls, Presque Isle River, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

We came back from a trip to Michigan, mainly on the Upper Peninsula, a few days ago. Our first campsite was at Black River Harbor at Lake Superior and from there we explored the Western UP and in particular the Porcupine Mountains.

The Upper Peninsula is a gorgeous nature area and some of the highlights are the many beautiful waterfalls. One of my favorites is Manido Falls. Although it is the smallest fall along the Presque Isle River, only about 4.5 meters high, but I love how it is tucked into the natural landscape. Naturally occurring tannic acids in the water give the falls their brownish tea color. I have photographed Manido Falls in November of 2010 with some snow and ice and a bit more water coming down across the terraces in the foreground, but I like the contrasty look we had this time as well. As always, it pays back to take a tripod on the hike to a waterfall and try out different longer exposure times for the appearance of the flowing water. This can vary and is often a personal preference.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head     @ 70mm, 1/5s, f/16, ISO 100

POINT IROQUOIS LIGHT

Point Iroquois Light, Lake Superior, Eastern Upper Peninsula, Michigan ---------

Although we were running out of time towards the end of our trip around Lake Superior we still took every chance to visit lighthouses along the lake shore. Point Iroquois Light was constructed in 1870 and served until 1962. It is now a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The photo was made at 16 mm with the Nikkor 16-35, f/4 lens and my Nikon D750. Working in black & white gives the image a more dramatic look and was finally my preferred version.

While entering the 20 m tall lighthouse tower the simplicity of the stair case caught my eye. The small window you can see in the upper photo shaped the light of the low sitting sun. Subtle shadows and the imperfections of the paint add charm and make this photo work for me.

LAKE SUPERIOR - THE WILD SIDE

Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Upper Peninsula Michigan ------

Most of the time during our trip around Lake Superior the weather was relative calm or at least moderate. This is nice for camping, kayaking, and a lot of activities, but it just sucks when you are eager to make photos with some dynamic. Towards the end of our tour, at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, we found what I was hoping for…