A SEASON IN PROGRESS

The water level in the Mississippi River drops since more than a week but is still not below flood stage. I could show you pictures of areas that are still flooded and are interesting for some people but I always approach even the documentary scenes with an eye on the light and colors that may not take center stage in a news paper story.

A little bit of rain during the last days took some of the blossoms down from the blooming trees. This carpet of freshly fallen petals drew my attention while going on a walk at the John Deere Marsh north of Dubuque, Iowa. Although not attached to a tree anymore, they still give us a sense of beauty and definitely tell the story that summer is just around the corner.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 70mm, 1/400 s, f/5.6, ISO 200

CAN THE OTHER SEASONS DELIVER?

I love the colors of autumn as you may have seen in recent blog posts. The coloration of the leaves tells a visual story about the season easily. Can we do that in black and white by using light and gestures only? Well, here is a trial. Winter, no tall grass…spring, grass still very short…summer, grass growing, but still not as tall and light never at this quality from that angle…. I guess it must be fall! I’m not totally serious about this, because at the end it’s all about the light that wraps around the swaying grass. Spring, summer, and winter just can’t deliver the same way for this shot…

NATURE CLICKS #529 - GARTER SNAKE

In past blog posts I have always complaint that our sightings of snakes have declined during the last ten years in this area. However, last Sunday in the Green Island Wetlands I had three encounters, two Northern Water Snakes and this beautiful Garter Snake. Some enforcement work at the dikes that cross the wetlands is going on and as a result much of the top vegetation is gone at the moment. Maybe that was the reason that I saw three snakes within a very short time.

I don’t really want commit on the exact name for this garter snake. The colors of the critter are not 100% what I found in any online guide or my books. It is probably a Common Garter Snake but I’m not sure. Any advice by an expert is highly appreciated.

I jumped out of the car to make this and a number of other pictures. The snake was aware of my presence the whole time. By slowly walking around it the sun was finally in my back for better light and less reflections. After five minutes it had enough of watching me, turned around and moved slowly away towards the water on the other side of the dike.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #12 - STUDENT OF LIGHT

Mississippi River at Mud Lake Park and Marina, Iowa

I found a book under the Christmas tree, “Light on the Landscape” by William Neill, one of America’s most respected landscape photographers. It is a coffee table-style book with 128 wonderful photographs and comes with lessons incorporating photographic fundamentals, like light, composition, or exposure, but also other aspects, including nature stewardship, inspiration, self-improvement, and others. I just started reading but I’m already fascinated. One of the chapters talks about becoming a student of light and in particular at your own favorite locations over a long period of time.

For me one of these locations would be the entrance to the little marina down at Mud Lake by the Mississippi River. I have published many pictures from this vantage point on a dike and wrote about in the blog more than once that the light is never the same. There are times when I’m not even bother to take the camera out of the bag and others when I run to the end of the dike with the camera after getting out of the car, because light can change very quickly. I go to Mud Lake Park with our dog Cooper at least once a week, but even if no pictures are made, I always try to analyze why some things work and others don’t.

Same vantage point as the photo above but looking south. The main channel is behind the dike on the left. The backwaters of Mud Lake are one of our favorite places to paddle the kayak during the warm season.

William Neill writes about becoming an expert on a particular location. This may not fit a description about me yet, but any time I’m there I study the lighting conditions that occur, and absorb the beauty of the mighty Mississippi.

Today we had a pretty uniform overcast with no directional light but the different patches of snow, ice, and water created patterns that reflected the light in different ways and that we can see only at this time of the season when the river freezes over.

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

HUMMINGBIRD ON “BULLY”-DUTY

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

As every year, the first Ruby-throated Hummingbirds show up by the end of April and their numbers increase during the month of May. This photo was made a month later. The fresh green and tiny branches of a little maple tree in our front yard make a good perch for the birds and we can count on that a male will use it to “bully” the neighbors and drive other hummers away from the nearby hummingbird feeders. Right now, summer has taken over with full force, high temperatures and humidity, and the quality of light is just not the same anymore as it was ten days ago. The early morning rendered some great light and the feathers of the little guy show their brilliance even without a hint of flash.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @ 600 mm, 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO 200, DX crop,

THREE LIGHT SOURCES

Staircase, Meissen Cathedral, Germany

The Meissen Cathedral has many interesting architectural details. When I was ready to leave one of the chapels and stepped into this spiral staircase, I knew immediately I had a picture. The light that came through the small window and from the room behind me was complemented with light from a small lamp in the staircase. The mix of daylight and incandescent light from the bulb were actually well taken by the camera (white balance was set to Auto), but I knew only the development of the photo in black & white will do justice to the subtle impact of all three light sources.

BALD EAGLES… LIGHT, GESTURE, AND COLOR

Mississippi River, Ice Harbor, Dubuque, Iowa

Light, gesture, and color, it all came together this evening in the Ice Harbor near downtown Dubuque, Iowa. My special thanks goes to photography friend Kevin McTague, who send me a message this afternoon about the presence of Bald Eagles in the Ice Harbor behind the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. I have shot there before when the ice broke during other years and knew ahead of time that this can lead to some good photography. Beside that it was the first real day of spring, with sunshine, a clear sky, and mild temperatures. The interesting part of this urban location is the fact that the brick stone building, which was as far as I know an old warehouse and is now part of the museum, reflects in the water of the marina and makes for some interesting color opportunities.

Most of the time the Bald Eagles just sat on the ice, looked around, and paid little attention to the Ring-billed Gulls, who were also hanging around. I was waiting for the gestures that were made when another eagle flew above or when the eagles communicated by calls and body language. By the way, it isn’t as static as it may look. The ice floes move around by wind and water current in the harbor and the light and reflections were different from one minute to the next. What a great way to start a weekend…!!

A LOT HAS TO HAPPEN…

Canada Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

A lot has to happen before I post a picture of Canada Geese here in the blog. We have them all year long in the Mississippi Valley and it is not really difficult to find some. However, they are always a good subject to practice and when the quality of the light is above average I can’t resist and will make the click.

This photo is still from last weekend. The sun had a very soft light and was reflected by the ice on the river. This gave the birds some additional light from underneath and in addition I liked the colors and soft appearance of the background. As I said above, a lot has to happen…😉

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/500 s, f/8, +0.66EV, ISO200

IF THE LIGHT IS EXCEPTIONAL…

Female Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

About a foot (30cm) of snow came down last night on top of what we already got over the weekend. In the morning after the snow fall it is essential to make sure all the bird feeders are filled and the bird baths have fresh and clean water. I don’t show many pictures that have a bird feeder or bath in the frame but I make an exception if a species that we don’t see all the time visits or, like in this case, the light is out of the ordinary. Last Sunday this female Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker posed against the rising steam and the morning light backlit the lady nicely. I shot this through the glass door of the balcony and therefore didn’t use a fill flash. In post process I just lifted the shadows a little bit and brought the highlights a tad down for the final image.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,    @350 mm, 1/400s, f/6, ISO400

WHAT’S LEFT

The vegetation here on the bluff tops and down in the valley has passed its prime and finding a patch of ferns, flowers, or herbs that isn’t fading becomes difficult. It was a rainy Sunday and during a walk with our dog Cooper in the valley I kept my eyes on the ground, always looking for a little light that may make a difference. Using black & white as the medium to tell the story about what’s left from the beauty of these ferns seemed right to me.

CHASE THE LIGHT (AND THE CLOUDS)

While friends and family in Germany suffer under a heat wave since a while, we enjoy moderate temperatures, and even more important, relative low humidity here in Iowa. Nevertheless, small thunderstorms cross the country, with very little effect, but still with great clouds. Last night I went out to chase the light that comes with thunderheads and dark clouds and I didn’t have to go very far. Here in the Driftless Area of the Midwest, where the landscape was never glaciated, we have to drive out of the valleys and find a spot in the hills that allows an unobstructed view for such a photo. One of my favorite places is Hantelman Road, a gravel road near the town of Sherrill, Iowa. The state of Iowa has power lines that can spoil an image everywhere, but knowing the location I knew exactly where to go. Why do I call it a chase? Well, it happened before, the magic light and clouds might be gone before the photographer arrives on location. This time it worked out just right… 😊

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

THE PRINCESS AND HER LOVERS

If things don’t work out as you may have hoped for during a photo shoot in the Great Outdoors, and for example the species you may see only for a relative short period of time while migrating stay out of your way, don’t hesitate to work with the “locals”, the birds you can always have in front of your camera. I’m not advocating to make another picture of a pair, swimming peacefully side by side, but looking out for an image that tells a story about their life or the specifics of the season I think is still desirable.

Last Sunday I saw a lot of migrators, Buffleheads, Gadwalls, Ring-necked Ducks, and Mergansers, but none of them came into a range that allowed me to make a serious effort for a photo. I’m sure that most of the Mallards we can see here at the moment by the thousands will migrate further north but some are here all the time and many people don’t even look at them. The difference to other times of the year is that mating time is approaching fast and their plumage is at its best at the moment. Combine this with the quality of light in late winter or early spring and you have best conditions to make a photo that sticks.

The lady was holding her breath, she really remained in this position for a few seconds, while the boys were fighting for the grounds. Don’t tell me Mallards are boring just because there are so many…😉

DIGGIN’ FOR AN OLD STORY ABOUT LIGHT…

Lobster boat leaving harbor at sunrise ------   

Commitments kept me grounded today, at least photographically seen, but there is always the chance to go into the photo library and dig out an image that has not seen the light of the day yet. I have created a book about the coast of Maine some time ago, sure sign that I’m in love with this area, and I like to return to the photos I made in 2013 at the Atlantic coast of the United States.

I can ensure you this is not just nostalgic thoughts of an aging man. It was the incredible light Joan and I have experienced during early morning and late afternoon hours that made us fell in love with Maine. Well, Joan may add that 50% was the limitless availability of fresh lobster and I have a hard time to argue about that…😉

Back to the light, I think during our visit in Maine it was the first time that I started really to understand what the term “quality of light” means. The photo above is not in my “coffee-table book” (Deutsch: Bildband), but if there is ever a second edition, I will consider this picture. Light as seen makes story telling a breeze…

SHOOTING IN LOTS OF SNOW

Winter doesn’t get much better here in eastern Iowa as we had it this weekend. Plenty of sunshine, lots of powder snow, and temperatures that were manageable. The camera was out on the tripod several times and it was fun to shoot with an abundance of light the large numbers of birds that choose our woods as their headquarter at this time of the season. So, who was here? Since a few days a single White-throated Sparrow uses the amenities we provide for the birds, water, food, and protection by bushes, trees, and shrubs. This is not an uncommon bird but usually we see them in early spring.

The Dark-eyed Juncos are here in large numbers all winter long. They prefer to feed on the ground but since competition is very high we see them sometimes picking at suet feeders as well. Because of their dark upper body it is not easy to photograph them under low light conditions. Today it was easy to make the click and many pictures made it onto the hard drive.

We always have some Mourning Doves around the house. At least one couple breeds during the summer here. This winter I have seen up to twelve doves sitting in the trees together and warming up in the sun. This one hit me by surprise and just landed in front of me while I aimed at another junco.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Nikon SB 800 speed light, MAGMOD MagBeam flash extender