LIGHT AND SHADOWS

After another week of travel it was a pure pleasure to spend a few hours in and around one of my favorite places in Iowa’s capital, the Des Moines Art Center. It is home of a great collection of 20th and 21st century art. I have been there numerous times since 1997 and my fascination for the architecture of their three buildings and the art on display still continues.

It was a sunny day and I looked for opportunities to work with light and shadows that emphasize the architecture and art pieces of the museum’s collection. The visit inside of the art center was followed by a walk in Greenwood Park that surrounds the complex. And there I found more places enhanced by light and shadow. I hope you enjoy my selection of images that inspired me to press the shutter release of the camera.

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

Zig II, 1961, David Smith (American, 1906-1965), Painted steel

Three Cairns, 2002, Andy Goldsworthy (British, born 1956), Iowa Limestone, lead, steel

NATURE CLICKS #515 - RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER

The landscape got a fresh powder coating of snow last night and it became another gorgeous, but cold winter day with lots of sun. I spent the late morning and early afternoon behind the camera and tried to take advantage of the light conditions. This male Red-bellied Woodpecker is one of my favorite subjects at the moment. The bird was almost completely in the shadow of this tree trunk, but its head got a nice touch by the sun and the red color just intensified tremendously. Light was also bounced off the snow and onto the backside of the woodpecker, taking away a little bit of the harsh contrast we often see around noon.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Nikon FTZ adapter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 600 mm, 1/1000 s, f/6.3, ISO 200, cropped

LONG SHADOWS ON ICE

Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa

The railroad bridge in Dubuque across the Mississippi River has been my subject many times before over the years. Usually I like to get a little closer to the bridge and have a more compressed effect, but the fast moving clouds and constantly changing light made me aim for a different kind of image last Sunday. Joan pointed out the long shadows of the arches on the ice and I reframed what I saw in the viewfinder to have them all in the photo. Snow and ice are melting rapidly at the moment and I’m almost sure the same picture can’t be made for a while…

WINTER BLUES

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Can you tell I have the “Winter Blues”, that this season is too long here in Iowa, and looking at some warmer colors is just a try to overcome it… It is always good to have some images on the hard drive that deserve a closer look during these feelings…😉

There was still a little time before the sun would set in Badlands National Park, last year in September, when this photo was created. I don’t get that much out of sunset pictures, unless there is some anchor point and relationship to the landscape in the frame. The grass covered ledges and bare slopes in the Badlands provide the elements that make a landscape interesting but quite often during the height of the day there is just no good picture. Working with the shadows and the light on the grassy tops during the last hour of sunlight can make a difference.