Gorgeous light shortly after sunrise but most of the snow melted away during the day.
What’s going on? We still have daylight savings time (Sommerzeit) but last night a few hours of snow fall changed everything. It’s the first snow of the season for our woods here in eastern Iowa, but up in northern Minnesota Joan and I had already a white morning earlier this month.
All images: Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR
Fall colors, Itasca State Park, Minnesota
When you go in October to the Northwoods the colors of autumn will probably be on your mind. We definitely wanted to be amongst the leaves and suck up every drop of light pouring through them. Two ingredients, a wet spring and a cold snap, are necessary for a good fall color show. When we left Iowa it was very warm but we were hoping to find colors further north in Minnesota.
Already at our second camp, in Itasca State Park, we found what we were looking for. Fall is a great time at Lake Itasca, at the headwaters of the Mississippi River (more about this in a later post). We hit the peak, while later, further north, more trees had already lost their leaves. I hope you enjoy this photo and some more that will follow in the next time…
Winniwissa Falls, Pipestone Creek, Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota
Back from another trip to Dallas, TX I finally find some time to work on my photos from our travel through Minnesota.
Long before I moved to the US the life, traditions, and history of the native people has always interested me. I read many books about the Indians of North America in my younger years. Pipestone National Monument has been on the list to visit since quite some time. This location was the preferred source of pipestone among Plains tribes. The soft stone (catlinite) was quarried by Indians since a long time, possibly 2000 years. Still today Indians quarry the pipestone during late summer and fall. This is done by hard manual labor with sledge hammers and wedges. The red stone is under a very hard layer of quartzite that needs to be removed first. The sheets of catlinite are lifted from the pit and cut into smaller blocks, from which the pipes are carved.
A trail leads the visitor through the park, to old and active quarries, to quartzite cliffs, along Pipestone Creek, and to a waterfall. We visited Pipestone NM on a sunny and very windy day. Dealing with harsh light and high contrast was the challenge for anyone using a camera.
Pipestone is a sacred place and quarrying is accomplished with respect for the Earth. Prayer flags can be found at many locations.
Detail of quartzite cliffs
The Three Maidens boulders, American Indians traditionally leave food and tobacco beside these stones in return for this land’s gift of stone.
(source used: Pipestone National Monument brochure)
Split Rock Creek State Park, Minnesota
Just back last night from a 16-day trip through mainly the north of Minnesota we have hardly time to unwind. I’m flying out to Dallas, TX for another trade show of the printing industry tomorrow, but like to keep the readers of my blog in the loop. Joan, our dog Cooper, and I went on another tent camping vacation. With fall colors in mind we searched again for the quite and joyful moments in nature and did not get disappointed. I will post photos during the next few weeks about this trip, but due to business travel it might be infrequent at times.
We started out in the southwest corner of Minnesota and pitched our tent for two nights at Split Rock Creek State Park, Why? I will get to this point in a later post.
Split Rock Creek is dammed up and many geese use the lake as a safe resting place during the night. Scouting the lake shore the morning before led to this photo at sunrise on day two. The Canada Geese stayed together for the night and gaggle after gaggle took off shortly after the sun was up in its full beauty.
My favorite place to walk our dog and let him run and roll around is down at the Mississippi River at Mud Lake Park, Iowa. The best time is just before the sun disappears behind the bluffs and trees, which is right now about an hour before real sunset. It was very warm today, the light was golden, and Cooper and I just enjoyed sitting at the river, watching the birds and boats. We were already in the shade when this towboat with 12 barges came down the Mississippi but the sun still reached the main channel. The barges did not sit deep in the water and their covers were open. Maybe they went south to a terminal to pick up coal for one of the power plants further north, who knows…
When you look close at the first photo, there is a little detail I saw when I framed the shot with the 600 mm lens. A Bald Eagle sat on a piece of stranded driftwood and ate a fish. Just a silhouette, not the subject of the image, but nevertheless interesting.
A towboat with barges passes the entrance to the Hawkeye Marina at Mud Lake, Iowa
Tipi between aspens, Ashcroft, Colorado, 2014
In anticipation of our soon starting vacation I’m looking through older photos with fall colors. As mentioned yesterday already, we don’t have any here yet, but we will head north and October is probably the best time to be there for the colors of autumn.
This aspen covered slope in the Rocky Mountains was gorgeous by itself but the tipi between the trees added another point of interest to the image. This photo was made in the ghost town of Ashcroft, an old silver mining town founded in 1880.
Bankston County Park, Middle Fork Little Maquoketa River, Iowa
It’s definitely fall, the leaves started to come down, but we don’t have really the fall colors yet. It needs a cold snap to make that happen but at the other hand we are not unhappy that temperatures are still in the “summer range”.
I love autumn, its colors, and the quality of light that follows the haze of summer days. Bankston County Park is located in a lovely valley along the Middle Fork Little Maquoketa River and was the destination for a short hike with the dog this evening. Every location where the rocks are exposed here in eastern Iowa reminds us that this was once just the bottom of a shallow sea millions of years ago. Just before the sun disappeared behind the ridge a shaft of “killer light” hit the layered rocks on the other side of the small river.
I underexposed by 2/3 of a stop. This hides some of the debris from recent flooding and brings out the colors of the rocks. An easy click that put a smile in my face…
Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, 2014
We still have a couple more weeks to go before our vacation starts. Beside getting all the camping and photo gear ready I try to prepare mentally for what I like to accomplish with the camera. I look at older photos and recall some of the great moments we had in past years. One morning at sunrise in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado is definitely among my favorites. No, we don’t head out in this direction this year, but finding these memorable light situations and vantage points is always a top priority no matter where we go.
Tower on Pilot Knob, Iowa
I hope my friends here in the US had a great Labour Day weekend and those of you who enjoy using a camera had a chance to make some extra clicks on your Monday off. We pitched our tent for a couple days at Pilot Knob State Park, located near Forest City in the north-central part of Iowa. Other than where we live, in the drift-less area, this landscape was formed by glaciers. They deposited the rocks and earth that formed the hills and valleys that are now Pilot Knob. Dedicated in 1923, it is one of the oldest parks in Iowa. The tower on top was built by the Civil Conservation Corps in the 1930’s (source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources website).
A little bit before sunset we hiked up to the tower. While I was still trying to make the best possible click of the warm sunlight on this old structure Joan lifted our little dog Cooper up on the wall that surrounds the observation deck.
From the top you have a gorgeous view over some of the most fertile land in the world. Wooded little hills, small lakes and potholes, some wetlands and patches of restored prairie make this part of the state very charming.
All images: Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4
Last light, Proving Grounds Recreation Area, north of Dubuque, Iowa
Joan, our dog Cooper, and I went out for a mini hike this evening again. I only took the SIGMA 150, f/2.8 macro lens with me because our destination was the restored prairie areas in the new Proving Grounds Recreation Area north of Dubuque, Iowa. We have been there lately a few times and wanted to look again at the great variety of wildflowers before they are all gone.
We made some clicks and Joan tried to identify flowers and different kinds of prairie grass. The macro lens was the right choice today. However, my favorite photo of the day was made when we just started our return to the car and the last light of the sun over the ridge put some magic out. When the light is right it’s good to be ready for the click. The macro lens worked just fine for this unexpected nice moment.
Here is a little location tip, not just for photography. Coming back from a short business trip to LaCrosse, Wisconsin today, I stopped at one of my favorite photo locations along the Great River Road. Just south of the little river town Lansing, Iowa is the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center. From there you have a great view upstream with Lansing and the Black Hawk Bridge in the background. The scene reflects really the character of the driftless area and the Mississippi Valley. As a bonus a small local thunderstorm developed quickly and provided drama and some great clouds and colors.
I used the wide angle lens to catch as much of the clouds as possible and walked down and across the street to keep the road out of the foreground. If you don’t have any clouds or if they are not important, you can shoot with a longer lens and still keep the road out of the frame. What about the railroad bridge? This old beam bridge has character and becomes part of the storytelling.
If photography is not the only thing you have in mind, the Mississippi river town of Lansing has a lot to offer. Founded in 1851, downtown still has some authentic period architecture and little antique shops, boutiques, and restaurants are behind the storefronts. If you like to learn more about this scenic town and the area around it, check this link out: https://www.lansingiowa.com
On top of Platte Mound, above the big “M”
Four miles east of Platteville, Wisconsin is Platte Mound. On its slope is the largest hillside letter “M” in the world. It is the symbol of the College of Engineering and was created in 1937. The M was constructed from limestone found on the mound. It is whitewashed every year by students. Here is a link where you can find more details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platte_Mound_M
Many times we drove on the highway to or from Madison, Wisconsin we have seen Platte Mound and the big “M” during the last fourteen years. However, we have never been at this landmark until yesterday.
Platte Mound M
Joan counted 290 steps to the top and from there you have a great view to the southwest. Several patches of prairie flowers made for a nice foreground in the first photo. A mile long hiking trail leads to the other end of the mound through a deciduous forest and along some interesting rock formations.
I love to photograph clouds and I consider coming back for a more dramatic sky to Platte Mound and its unobstructed view.
All images: Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, Breakthrough GND filter 0.6
Nikon D750, Nikkor 16-35mm / f4, Breakthrough GND filter 0.6
Heading back home from a business trip in Wisconsin a couple days ago I saw some nice clouds formations developing on the horizon over the Mississippi Valley. Just before crossing the river into Iowa I was finally able to pull off the highway to a rest stop, located on top of the bluffs that border the valley. It was too late, the magic I saw while driving, with sun beams breaking through the “clouds fingers”, was already gone. Still not bad, but too much of the sun in the west was covered. Color didn’t really play an important role in the scene for the story and doing this in B&W brings back a little bit of the drama in the sky.
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.
Family of Pied-billed Grebes, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa
It was about time to go back into the wetlands at Green Island. On a sunny day it doesn’t buy you much to be there before 6:00PM, when the light gets softer and warmer. The water level is still very high but for the first time in months no roads or dykes were flooded and the area was complete accessible again.
I talked to an old farmer in his eighties, who owns land adjacent to the Green Island Wetlands, and he told me that the numbers of ducks and geese are the lowest he has seen in a long time. This might be due to the fact that many nest sites were under water for such a long time and still are.
Well, some life can still be found. There were large families of Wood Ducks and the young Canada Geese have almost adult size. I counted three successful broods of Pied-billed Grebes along the main dyke. The one above is my favorite image of this evening, three little chicks stayed close together while their parents dived for food and delivered promptly when they had success.
Paddling is not the best idea at this time of the year. An abundance of water plants, duck weed, and algae make it difficult to move in the backwaters. We have done that before, it’s not impossible, but the fun of paddling is cut in half to say it mildly. I did not regret to leave the kayak at home. The low sun created some dappled light in the foreground, making the “green mess” not so dominant, and with some puffy clouds in the blue sky the picture got some depth and tells today’s story about a perfect summer day along the Mississippi River.
Trumpeter Swans
About 7:45PM I drove slowly back on the main dyke and this pair of Trumpeter Swans enjoyed the last sun of the day as much as I did. Maybe they just found each other this season. Trumpeter Swans often mate for life and most pair bonds are often formed when they are 5-7 years old. More to come… stay tuned!
