OZARK MOUNTAINS (2)

Between rain showers, Palisades Overlook, Petit Jean State Park, AR

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in and around Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas. While we found mostly bare trees in the northern part of the Ozarks, fall colors were still present south of the Arkansas River. I made some photos of this vista from Palisades Overlook in nice sunlight with a blue sky the day before, but I like this shot between rain showers across Cedar Creek Canyon much better. Clouds moved fast through the canyon and the colorful trees below tell the story that fall finally came to an end here as well. An hour later we had a great Thanksgiving dinner at Mather Lodge, one of Arkansa’s historic treasures, built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Beats camping food by far…😉

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,  @ 24mm, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 400

SHOOTING IN THE RAIN

Catfish Creek in the rain, Mines of Spain State Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

The last two days brought some much needed rain. While in town, running some errands yesterday evening, another shower poured down on the Mississippi Valley. The Mines of Spain, a wooded recreation area in the northwest corner of Dubuque, Iowa has some interesting spots for photography in such weather, and so I headed for it quickly. Catfish Creek crosses this area before its confluence with the mighty Mississippi River. The rain created bubbles on the water surface and the rocky bluffs in the background were hugged by the fog. The green of the leaves is so lush in May and you can’t get this light and mood in the same way for the rest of the year. It helps to have a camera and lens that is weather sealed. I enjoy the rain and probably should go out more in such weather…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 44 mm, 1/40s, f/8, ISO 100

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2019 #09 - ARRIVAL OF CELEBRATION BELLE

Ice Harbor, Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa

Great clouds, combined with a short rain shower, made for good shooting conditions this evening at the Ice Harbor in Dubuque, Iowa. I took our dog Cooper for a walk on the dyke, a little further north of this place. Well, I call it a “dog walk” but sometimes he just sits patiently next to me while I’m fiddling with the camera on tripod. I tell you what, he probably understands how photography works… 😊

While taking a few shots of the old railroad bridge that crosses the Mississippi over to Wisconsin, I suddenly saw the CELEBRATION BELLE coming up the river from LeClaire, Iowa and taking a turn towards the harbor. We jumped into the car and drove down the short distance. It takes time to maneuver this big boat through the small entry and flood gates of Ice Harbor, giving me enough time to find a good position. The TWILIGHT was also docked in the port and I rushed to find a shooting position where both Mississippi River boats and the clouds would line up perfectly. The spot was found while the first passengers exited the CELEBRATION BELLE. The image was made with the Nikkor 16-35, f/4 at 16 mm focal length and the BREAKTHROUGH 2-stop GND filter attached. The rain shower earlier made the wood of the pier wet and darker. It takes out the glare and makes the pier a good part of the composition that doesn’t compete with the bright subjects in this photo.

HUMMER IN THE RAIN

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Hard to believe that the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are here since two months already, although today I hardly saw any of them. We had very high temperatures and humidity today and it doesn’t look much better for tomorrow. But maybe this was the reason for their absence from our feeders?

The photo was made a week ago, and the drops on his bill are the result of a rain shower. Boy, I wished we would have one of those again… 😅