SHOOT IT WHEN IT'S THERE!

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Joan didn’t have to work this evening and we were able to see today the young Great Horned Owl together at Mud Lake. The owlet sat in a different tree , much easier to spot than yesterday evening. Overall the light wasn’t really bad for anything today, but it was a different quality and the photo I show you would not have been the same. 

Last night, when I walked back to the car, with the tripod over my shoulder and a big smile on my face (see yesterday’s post if you don’t know why… :-)   ), I saw these backlit trees on the other side of Mud Lake Park. The house in the background, hit by the light of the setting sun, I just had to make the click. Well, I still had the Sigma 50-500 on camera, and even if this is not a perfect lens for landscape shots, but by zooming in to 230 mm I got what I saw in this picture. Spring is just a wonderful time…!! :-)

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #5

It may not have been the right day, and definitely not the right time, to make the photos of the Sabula-Savannah Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. No cloud in the sky and kind of a glare from the sun on everything is usually not what triggers my desire to shoot landscapes or architecture. But I heard on the radio, and later read an article on the web, that this 1932 built structure will be replaced with a new bridge,. Construction is supposed to start this summer and that’s why I made the shots while I was in the area anyway.

Shooting from the Iowa side of the bridge is only possible at the end of the causeway, where the bridge begins, because you can’t stop the car anywhere else. At least light was in my favor to render the blue color properly.

On the Illinois side it was easier to find different perspectives (and a safe parking spot ;-)  ), but shooting against the harsh early afternoon sun, well, not such a good idea. While I made the pictures I didn’t really think about black & white but later at home, in front of the computer, it appealed to me.

My engineering background makes me appreciate old steel structures probably a little more than most people. It is a pity that this old bridge has to go and different opinions about are discussed on the web. Our photographs can at least help to keep the memories about this part of the cultural heritage alive. I think we have a commitment to make the click…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #4

Nikon D300s, Sigma 10-20mm / f4-5.6, at 15 mm

During my wildlife spotting tours along the Mississippi I visit frequently Sabula, Iowa’s only island city. Beside the road bridge and causeway that connects Sabula and Savannah, Illinois there is also the Sabula Rail Bridge. This wonderful single track swing bridge was opened in 1906. During the winter, with no barge traffic, the bridge was always open for the railroad. Last weekend I saw it in its other position, open for the boats. Both sides of the pivot point are navigable. The swing span of the bridge is 364 ft (~111 m) long.

The photo shows also that the Mississippi is relatively clear at the moment. The water we see is mostly from the snow melt up north and therefor not so muddy as after heavy rain sometime.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #3

I have been down at the Mississippi River in Mud Lake many times and I knew one of these days it would happen. Clouds were moving out this evening and while our little dog Cooper and I enjoyed the mood and solitude, a gap opened up and a shaft of light hit the bluffs on the Wisconsin side of the big river. I have never seen the reflections of the rocks coming all across the river with such an intensity. From all the photos I made during the brief period of time, this one is my favorite. I used the Nikkor 24-120, f/4 for this shot. Zooming in to 86 mm compresses the distance a little bit and I like that the reflections are more pronounced than in some other pictures that were made at the wider end of the lens. The foreground was all muddy drift wood and the photo benefits actually from leaving this out of the frame.

On a side note, I saw the little owlet peeking out of the nest today. Now I believe it is safe to say that we have for the third year in a row only one young Great Horned Owl in the nest. I think this is still wonderful and we look forward to see it grow up, at least until it will leave the nest in a few weeks.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES CONTINUE STILL IN 2015

The only positive thing about day light saving time in my books is that it allows to shoot photos an hour longer between leaving the office and complete dark. My folks over in Germany have another two weeks before they have to set the clock an hour ahead of real time. Even if I don’t like the whole thing, I take advantage of it and spent more time outside in the evening.

Our snow melts away very rapidly and I enjoy to see the changes at the Mississippi River. At Mud Lake, our closest access point to the river, the ice had still covered up everything today, but the color of snow and ice got a lot darker. A sure sign that we will see open water soon. This island, illuminated by the setting sun, separates the main channel of the Mississippi from the backwaters, the actual Mud Lake. It provides habitat for many species, including Sandhill Cranes, muskrats, blackbirds, snakes, and turtles. I already look forward to go round it with the kayak again this summer

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

There is a small passage between the river and Mud Lake that has always some open water, due to a strong current. I know, I just posted some pictures of a muskrat but I couldn’t resist to make the click when I saw this young critter in nice light chewing on aquatic plant material.

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

I promised you to give you an update if I have news from the Great Horned Owl. Nothing new yet, mother owl still sits on the nest and watches every step me and our little dog Cooper do in the distance. I have been there several times recently and everything seems to be fine. We can’t be far away from the appearance of one or more owlets. I have seen the owl on the nest 26 days ago for the first time this season and with a gestation period between 28 and 35 days we might be pretty close.

VALID QUESTION AND MOOD OF AN OUTGOING WINTER

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

A valid question to ask is what one finds out there in the Green Island Wetlands when everything is frozen and covered with snow? It’s a simple answer, it just needs a little more patience to find the critters during the winter. I don’t always come back with a good image, not even in the summer, but I never came back without seeing any wildlife.

Yesterday this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk soared above and finally landed in a tree just in front of me. I talked about the snow as a big reflector lately a few times and in this photo you can really see what I mean. The sun creates a nice catch light in its eye, but the snow below bounces the light off and makes the use of a speed light needless.

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4

On my way back home I paid a visit to the Mines of Spain, the wooded and prairie land just south of Dubuque. There wasn’t as much snow as here at home anymore but still enough to provide a nice color contrast to the almost golden looking prairie grass that swayed in the wind just half an hour before sunset. Love the mood of an outgoing winter… :-)

Finding light in the cold

The bitter cold last weekend, that by the way still persists at the moment, didn’t stop us to have a little hike down on the Heritage Trail along the Little Maquoketa River. It was about the time when the sun disappeared behind the ridge and the shadows started filling the valley. When I realized the reflections that developed on the ice in the river bed I saw my chance for a photo. I didn’t have enough reach with the 24-120 mm lens to isolate the scene as you see it here. A wire fence between the trail and the river prevented me to zoom in with my feet, means getting closer to the subject. The upper part of the slope was still in direct sunlight and so I made the click and cropped the picture in Lightroom. I hate to loose pixels, but if it makes the difference, having the shot or not, I can make a compromise. Can I? ;-)

A VEIL OF SNOW

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4; 1/45 s, f/8, ISO200

While I’m writing this blog post the states in the northeast of the US face “Juno”, a big snow storm. We had some new snow this morning as well but it was a pleasure to watch it. For a little while it came down pretty hard and the light was kinda ethereal. I tried to catch the intensity of the snow fall and the light but I don’t think I have the photo nailed yet. Several shots with different shutter speeds were made and some worked better than others. A Mourning Dove sat almost motionless during this heavy snow fall on a branch, and even if hidden behind a veil of snow, it gives the eye some anchor in this pattern of trees and snow trails.

Winter Wonderland

 

This is how the morning greeted us today. Before I swung the snow shovel for a couple hours I had. to make a few clicks from the balcony of our house. It was the wonderful pattern the snow had created in our trees that I was after. As Joan always says with a twinkle in her eyes…”Ich liebe Winter!!”… ;-)