FOLLOWING A TRADITION, BUT YET ANOTHER PICTURE

Reflections in the fog, Spring Lake Park, Cherokee, Iowa

If only sunset pictures or a rain of colors is on your mind, this one is not for you!

It is a tradition for us to make a walk around Spring Lake in Cherokee, IA at Christmas time. We have seen this park and lake with great colors, blue or gray sky, and during very low temperatures in the past. This year was probably the warmest weather we have seen so far at this time of the year in Spring Lake Park. The ice on the lake and the old snow from some time ago make the viewer believe we had a white Christmas, but it was actually warm, slightly above freezing. Different than during other years was the fog on Christmas Day. In a lot of city parks we can find “items” that are a distraction, hurt the esthetic feelings, and last but not least, can ruin any photo. From the inescapable trash can to the ugly concrete park bench (that nobody uses because they are too cold on your rear end), Americans have sometimes a “great” way to ignore their best designers and landscape architects. I still think it is a nice park, but after retouching and cloning away distracting elements these thoughts became dominant.

Because of the fog, much color wasn’t part of the picture, but I made the photo anyway with having black and white in my mind already.

SUNSET FOR A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

I trust you had a wonderful Christmas and the photographers among the readers of my blog had a chance to make a few clicks. Perhaps for some good memories, or maybe for the best photo you ever made. I hope you did!

We spent the holidays in northwest Iowa with family again. Any time when I’m on the family farm near Remsen, Iowa, I look for light, clouds, or anything that puts some drama in the scene. One of my favorite backdrops is one of the neighboring farms. This time the sunset was right at this location, on a hill across the road. No, we didn’t have a white Christmas, but the remaining old snow and ice on the ground reflected the warm sunlight and gave the scene some depth. It’s often tricky to have the full sun in the frame. Blowing out the highlights is easy and without the snow, the foreground would have been just a dark and muddy mess.

The photo was made after we celebrated the 99th birthday of Joan’s dad Joe Kass, a humble and hard working farmer, who worked the family farm for many years. Joe lives now nearby, in an assisted living complex, but I’m sure he has seen this sunset many times before on his birthday, the day before Christmas Eve.

THUNDERSTORM, BUT PEACEFUL VIEW

A line of thunderstorms made it through the northwest of Iowa in the evening of the Fourth of July holiday and the camera was rattling while the storm moved out. I have photographed this farm on the hill across from the family farm of my wife before, but never with so much drama in the sky. The storm was violent, trees were down in the nearby city of Remsen, Iowa, and some branches hit the ground on the farm as well, but the grazing cattle in the foreground make it look very peaceful.

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

 

BEAUTY AND DRAMA

Painted Lady in Alfalfa field, near Remsen, Iowa -------

We spent most of the weekend on the family farm in northwest Iowa. Although the variety of wildlife and vegetation is not the same as here in the Upper Mississippi Valley, there are still plenty of opportunities for a nature photographer.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

My brother-in-law Don gave me the hint about a patch of alfalfa next to his pig nursery, where hundreds of butterflies were feeding nectar from the blossoms. Most of them were Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), one of the most widespread butterflies in North America. Adults may not survive in freezing temperatures and so most of them overwinter in the south and Mexico. Their flight and wing beats are erratic and fast and it was difficult to pre-visualize how the photos would turn out.

Spider paralyzing Painted Lady butterfly

One butterfly got my particular attention while I tried to follow it with the camera. The insect suddenly stopped moving and remained still with its wings spread out. Having a closer look revealed that the Painted Lady was ambushed by a spider. While the butterfly was in a feeding frenzy, the spider used its chance and paralyzed its victim. Well, they all have to live…

THE OLD CHAIR

The old chair, Farm in northwest Iowa, December 2016 ----------------

If there is one place where I like to wander around and scan the surroundings for remains of history or traces of light that may tell a story, it is the farm in northwest Iowa where my wife Joan grew up and that is operated still today by her brother Don and his wife Shelly. The morning of Christmas Eve, when there was snow on the ground and hoarfrost on bushes and trees, I went out with the camera and just did what I always like to do in this place, walk slowly around and look for photo opportunities…

DEPTH AND DRAMA

Clouds and other weather related things have always triggered my interest and so it may not be a total surprise that I make them increasingly the subject in my landscape photography. There were high winds last Wednesday and these clouds moved very fast and changed shape and colors constantly. The low sun that came out briefly gave the scene some depth and drama.

FARM ON THE HILL

Here is another photo from last week, taken at the farm in northwest Iowa. I love this neighbor farm on a hill to the west and have photographed it several times before. My brother and sister-in-law can see it from their house every day. They may look at this image and wonder, what is missing? Yeah, what is it? 😊

KNOWING WHAT THE SUBJECT IS

South of Remsen, Iowa

I could not let this cloud pass by without getting the camera out of the bag and make a few clicks. Family circumstances required our presence in northwest Iowa this week. The fields and farms around Remsen, Iowa are not exactly prime territory for landscape photography, but with weather like this the clouds become the subject and the rest is just about composition.

SUN IS OUT, FINALLY

Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4

A very chilly morning today after a relative warm Christmas but for the first time this weekend the sun came out and the sky cleared. We are in Cherokee in northwest Iowa and spent the weekend with our family. A daily habit is a walk around Spring Lake, located in a nice park of the city. 

The Nikkor 16-35, f/4 was on camera and choosing f/16 created the sunburst effect and depth of field throughout the whole image. The photo doesn’t have a clear subject but the long shadows of the trees on the ice triggered my desire to make this picture.