WILDFLOWERS AT EASTER

Dutchman's Breeches, Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM -----------

It is this short time of the year when we have a few days to enjoy the wildflowers on top of our lime stone bluffs here above the Little Maquoketa River Valley. A week ago the Hepatica were blooming but today, after the rain we had last night, I didn’t find a single one anymore. There are still a few Bloodroot in the woods and the Mayapples come out of the ground, although not blooming yet.

Right now we see lots of Dutchman’s Breeches blooming everywhere. I will travel the next seven days and I already wonder if any of them will still show their unique blossoms next weekend.

I hope you all have a nice Easter weekend! Go out and make some good clicks!

WAY TO FINISH A WEEK

There are many good ways to finish a work week, watching a movie, listening to great music, or having a chat with the bar tender, you name it. For me not much can beat being in the great outdoors, listening to the sounds of nature, and watching the things unfold. After a long stretch of days without sunshine the seeming impossible happened just a few minutes before sunset today, the edge of an endless overcast passed finally the sun. This happened while I watched a flock of 30 Snow Geese and listened to the calls of over 100 Sandhill Cranes in the Green Island Wetlands. After sunset the light for shooting into the field, where hundreds of Mallards and Wood Ducks came to rest, was not sufficient anymore. Pointing the long lens to the west and waiting for birds moving in front of the clouds was the option I took advantage of. As I said, many good ways to finish a work week… 😊

NEGATIVE SPACE

The use of negative space as an element of composition in art has intrigued me since a long time time, I just haven’t really pursued it much in my own photography yet. If you follow my blog permanently, you already know that earlier this week I had some good moments shooting while the morning fog lifted after a rainy night. This photo was created just seconds before the scene cleared up. The trees in the background and their reflections on the water are still just a hint of slightly darker gray. The color version of this image isn’t much different, not indeed, but I didn’t like the kinda dirty looking yellow tint from the sun mixing with the fog. Heritage Pond is right beside the highway and can be busy with people fishing and other recreational activities at times. The photo may suggest it was shot at a location far away from civilization. Of course it was not, but for a few seconds it made me feel like it was…

2017

Three trees at sunset, Lake Superior, Cascade River State Park, Minnesota, August 2016 ------------

To all my photography friends and buddies: May the light guide your steps again in 2017!

To all of you: WISHING YOU AN INTERESTING AND WONDERFUL YEAR 2017! 😊

FINALLY, IT’S HERE…

We finally got our first snow today. This is rather late for the season. It still isn’t really cold and so the white stuff was wet and clung to the branches and trees in our woods and garden.

All images: Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM

FIRST FALL PHOTOS

We pitched our tent in Wyalusing State Park, Wisconsin this weekend and were rewarded with wonderful and sunny fall weather. Located at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, the bluffs and valleys of Wyalusing belong to the same drift-less area we call home. The leaves just started to change colors although many are still green. The air was crisp and clear, other than the haze we see often during the summer, and this gives the light a different quality. I wanted to challenge myself and took only one prime lens with me during our hikes in the park, the SIGMA 150/ f2.8. My older version of this lens is a little slow with focus, but this doesn’t play a big role when hunting for light and colors in the woods is the goal.

 

THE TREE AT GOOSEBERRY RIVER

Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota ----   

While hiking up the trail from the waterfalls along Gooseberry River this tree and its roots, nestled into the rocks, caught my attention. On the way back the light was in my favor and I stuck the legs of the tripod in the sand and made the click. How about the waterfalls? Sure, some photos were made as well. Everybody does that. Sometimes looking away from the main attraction of a known location leads to a photograph that is special. At least it was for me at this time.

 

WILDFLOWERS IN ABUNDANCE AND MEETING A LEGEND

Wildflowers at Palisades-Kepler State Park, Iowa

It was a lovely spring weekend and if you like wildflowers, it was the perfect time to see, photograph, or just enjoy them. It was Joan’s weekend off from work and we decided to pack the tent and go camping again. It had to be somewhere near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Why? I will talk about this in a few seconds. We stayed two nights at Palisades-Kepler State Park, an 840-acre mostly wooded area with river bluffs, big trees, and a large variety of wildflowers. The bluffs overlook the beautiful Cedar River. We have quite a few wildflower species here on our bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River, but we can’t compete with the variety we have seen last weekend in the state park. I’m not much into flower photography but a few clicks were made anyway…😉

Moose Peterson

Well, the big reason I wanted to be near Cedar Rapids was a photography seminar on Saturday, which I had booked already several weeks ago. It was organized by the Linn Area Photo Club. I couldn’t be more excited because one of my favorite photographers presented ideas, shared his knowledge, and answered many questions from the audience. Moose Peterson, acclaimed wildlife, landscape, and aviation photographer, Nikon ambassador, and great educator had probably the most influence to my own style of photography during the last 8-9 years. The seminar was supported by many of his photos and seeing them projected on a big screen was a feast for the eyes. Although I don’t make a living from my photography, but I like his ideas, concepts, and workflow and have many applied to my own work. Moose Peterson shares his incredible knowledge and his passion for photography on his websites, on YouTube, or in his own publication, the BT Journal. http://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/ . Check it out, they are all great sources for inspiration and learning photography.

Early morning in Palisades-Kepler State Park, Iowa

Spending almost a whole weekend day with such beautiful warm weather inside a building is not normal behavior for me but I didn’t regret any minute and time flew by very fast.

Back in the camp Joan talked me into a hike and showed me some of the best spots in the park she and our dog Cooper had discovered during the day. Well, and we still had the Sunday for chasing the light… 😊

ONLY IN SPRING

Wishing all friends and readers of my blog a wonderful Easter weekend! The crocus in our front yard had to withstand some cold nights in the last few days, but today it felt much like spring. Time for a photo before they are gone… 😊

FROSTY PATTERN

This photo is a week old and there was no way to make something similar during the last few days. It is very warm here in Iowa for this time of the year (61ºF / 16ºC) and there isn’t even frost early in the morning. 

The reeds down at the Mississippi lie flat from the snow we had in November and the hoarfrost and dappled light created the pattern I tried to capture.

NATURE CLICKS #294 - MONARCH

To be honest, I postponed writing a blog post about the Monarch butterfly for quite some time, hoping to get still more and better shots of it as the summer season progressed. I hope it was a good year for this species, at least I have seen a lot more of them than during the last 3 - 4 years. Millions of Monarchs from central and eastern North America migrate to the mountain forests of central Mexico each year to spend the winter there. If you use the internet you will find out why the Monarch butterfly is a candidate to be on the list of endangered species. It is a very complex thread, ranging from extensive logging operations in Mexico to the consequences of climate change, especially global warming. It is, as so often, not just one man-made event but the summary of several factors that have lead to a dramatic decline in the last years

Every website that talks about solutions to stop the decline recommends to plant and care for Milkweed (see the second image). This is the plant the Monarch caterpillars depend on. Hey friends here in North America, let this plant grow in your front and backyard!! Who needs “golf-course-look-alike” grass patches around the house? Only your ego! Your kids and grandkids will never ask in 2035, how did your grass look twenty years ago? It is a sad question if they will ask you, have you ever seen a Monarch butterfly?...!!!

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2015 #7

Yesterday evening Joan was finally able to join Cooper and me for a paddle tour on the Mississippi River and the backwaters of the adjacent Mud Lake area. There is not a single day or night as the one before and I really don’t get tired paddling the same area and looking for the light, wildlife , or what else nature presents.

A juvenile Red-winged Blackbird is not the most attractive bird in the world but if “killer light” hits the little guy between the reeds of the backwaters I can’t resist to make the click. Wildlife photography with natural light as pure as it gets...

I have met the guy on the left before in the Mud Lake area. I believe he runs a business that provides stand up board paddling during the summer. Well, I don’t think it is the worst job in the world… 😊