I still have my thoughts at this anvil cloud that took our attention last Monday at the night shooting event of the Dubuque Camera Club. I can’t really say I had a black & white image in mind this time, when I took a number of pictures of the cloud. I love this form of expression and finally wanted to give another photo of this series a trial.
Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head, Vello cable release, @122 mm, 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO100
The Tawny Emperor is not as common as its sister species, the Hackberry Emperor (see my latest post about it HERE), although they can often be found together because they share the same habitat and food source. As already mentioned in my earlier blog post, we have hundreds of butterflies here in our woods since at least a couple weeks. We can sit in the sun for a while and they will land in your hair or on your legs. Joan and I debated why we see so many more this year than any other year before. We don’t know, but maybe the mild winter played a role. However, we enjoy the presence of butterflies up on the bluffs of the Little Maquoketa River Valley here in eastern Iowa.
By the way, this was not shot with a macro lens. I had the Sigma 150-600 on camera for some hummingbirds this weekend and while waiting for their performance, this Tawny Emperor in the front yard became suddenly the subject. As always, I’m not an “eye ball photographer” but the lines of the hostas leaves and the emperor lined up perfectly and some water from the last shower was left on the leave. Summer in eastern Iowa…
Middle Fork Little Maquoketa River, Bankston County Park, Iowa
No landscape or people photographer likes dappled light for the most part. But if the dappled light hits the right spots, a photo can be created. Back to the river valley in Bankston County Park today I tried to get some birds in front of the lens. The feathered friends had other plans and after spending over an hour along the Middle Fork Little Maquoketa River without any good results, I decided to change lenses and dedicate some time to the river itself. We had some rain lately and the water had good speed around the cascades.
I used the technology in the camera to produce some blurred water in the bright light of this afternoon. The Nikon D750 allows multiple exposures for one frame, although its only three at a time. Newer cameras may allow more shots in multiple exposure mode. The camera is on a tripod and first a test shot is made to see where to start. Use aperture priority mode, between f/22 and f/32 (depending on your lens) and ISO100. Autofocus on a fixed point, like a stone, and then turn the autofocus mode carefully off. I set the shutter to continuous high speed but low speed may work as well. Fire all three (or more) shots and look for the results on your screen. Make any corrections you want with your exposure compensation dial and do it again, and again, and again. No two shots are exactly alike, due to the fact that the water looks always different. Back at home, in front of your computer screen, it is time to make the difficult decision which photo to use for telling your story…
Why do I like this way so much? During bright day light you need a very dark filter and may still not have a slow enough shutter speed to blur the water. If you have ever worked with neutral density filters (6 stop or 10 stop) you know that the slightest vibration can ruin your shot and focus has to be on spot before the filter is in front of the lens. The method as described makes you very fast and allows to try out many different shooting angles or zoom settings within a short period of time, giving you a lot more space for creativity while working along a creek or river.
If we would have to crown a butterfly of the year by now, it would be the Hackberry Emperor. I can’t speak for the rest of the county or state, but here, in and above the Little Maquoketa River Valley, we see them presently by the hundreds if not more. We have quite a few hackberry trees in our woods here, their only larval food plant, and we see quite a few every year around. But this year is different and their numbers are much higher.
They like the sunny spots on our front porch in the evening and making the photo with the SIGMA 150, f/2.8 Macro lens is not a difficult task.
Eastern Kingbird
Last weekend I spent some time again in the wetlands along the Mississippi River. It’s nesting time and except for the pelicans, egrets, and geese most birds are not so visible. The sky had an overcast for most of the afternoon and it even rained a few times briefly. I practiced a little handholding with the pelicans that circled above but birds against a gray sky, well it just ain’t pretty.
When I had this flycatcher, an Eastern Kingbird, in front of the lens, I decided to go for a black & white image. The bird is mostly black, gray, or white and shape and color of the dead branch it was perched on seemed to fit for this concept. The uniform sky made for negative space and supports this approach for a fine art print.
Here is another way to deal with the gray sky and its reflection on the water surface. The water lilies started to bloom and there was this spot without too much glare on the water. You may say, dude, why didn’t you use a polarizing filter in front of the lens? The answer is simple, I don’t have such a big one that would fit the 150-600 mm lens. Yes, the flower was a bit away and I had the long lens at hand anyway… In post process the vibrance was increased a bit more than usual and I used the dehaze-slider to give it a little more punch.
I know, there are better ways to make these kind of photos but photography should remain fun. Coming back home with something on the memory card on such a gray day counts twice… 😊
White Pine Hollow Preserve, Iowa
One of the hidden gems in the landscape of the driftless area here is White Pine Hollow State Preserve near the little town of Luxemburg, Iowa. You can’t drive in and I recommend some solid hiking boots if you like to explore this area. Except for the hollow that leads down to the bottom of the canyon there are no trails and some sense of direction is recommended. If you don’t mind a hike through washed out and rocky terrain and can master a couple of small river crossings, you will be rewarded with tranquility and the beauty of nature. And now, during these unusual times, it is a place where social distancing is easy to maintain. We hiked yesterday for 3 1/2 hours and didn’t see a single soul. Well, have a look what we found…
Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale)
Big patches of Wild Leek (Allium tricoccum)
Round-lobed Hepatica (Anemone americana)
If there is anything I don’t like about March here in eastern Iowa, it’s the fact that we have so many gray days without any sun. Today was another one of those. The photo of the crocuses is from yesterday, when a little more light was available and no extra efforts were necessary to make the colors pop. For this picture I employed the Nikkor 16-35, f/4 and closed down to f/10 for more depth of field than in the photo of the Hepatica from yesterday’s blog post. As I always stress, I’m not a flower photographer, but with all the gray and brown from last winter on the ground a few colors don’t hurt and keep the spirit up on a day like this.
Hepatica americana
No, the photo wasn’t taken in our woods this time but during a little hike that Joan, dog Cooper, and I took in the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area this evening. Hepatica Americana is the first wild flower that usually shows up and we found it below some rock bluffs in a more remote part in this park south of Dubuque, Iowa.
I wanted this kind of shot with a low depth of field. At 200 mm and f/5 only a couple blossoms are in focus, but it keeps the eye away from the dried clutter around the plant and that’s the way I like it.
Greater White-fronted Geese
Not a full moon but pretty close. I made this picture yesterday at 600 mm focal length. Most of the Greater White-fronted Geese managed to fly around but finally I found a few that would pass in front of the moon. The trick is to predict the path the geese would take and track them by panning with the lens. If you pre-focus on the moon and just wait until a bird flies by, the geese would be most likely just blurry. The warm light on the birds creates a nice color contrast to the cool background and leaves no doubt about when this shot was taken.
A shaft of light hits a big piece of petrified wood, while the shadow of the mountain behind me hides the surrounding area and makes the subject stand out.
So, how about the petrified wood in the National Park? In a nutshell, the process of per-mineralization of the wood was accomplished by silicification, meaning that the wood was replaced by silica long time ago. That’s interesting, but beside the scientific facts there are other reasons to point the lens at these gems in the desert.
Erosion produces the look how we can see the fossilized trunks in the park. Many are still buried under layers of soil and rock.
Different minerals have produced the colors we can find in the petrified wood today.
On the exhibition floor during DUBUQUE BALD EAGLE WATCH 2020
I have another photo of the Dubuque Bald Eagle Watch event from last Saturday for you. This picture tells a good story about the educational value the attendees were able to experience. The Jackson County Conservation had a turtle and this Milk Snake on display and visitors were able to touch or even handle them. Beside the birds of prey during the presentation of the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, this snake was the real star of the event. Many people came to see it and get a hands on experience with the harmless reptile. Not everybody was as brave as this little girl, who had no fear to pick up the snake and let it move around arms and fingers. I guess at the end of the day the snake was a little bit stressed but hopefully a lot more people had a new appreciation about some wildlife that surrounds us.
Bald Eagle
Dubuque, Iowa had its 32nd annual BALD EAGLE WATCH in the Grand River Center yesterday. I was again a member of the team at the information table of the Dubuque Camera Club. All the local nature resource agencies and organizations were present with educational displays and information. I always enjoy networking with park rangers, other nature enthusiasts, and photographers and it was again a day well spent.
I told you in my last blog post about the snow storm that hit our area and big parts of the Midwest the day and night before. To my surprise the event on Saturday had a very good attendance, despite not so ideal road conditions. Many people of all ages came for the educational programs with live birds of prey.
American Kestrel
The young lady of the University of Minnesota Raptor Center (I’m sorry, I didn’t catch her name) did an awesome job educating the public about four different species of birds she brought with her to Dubuque. I think she answered every possible question that came up during her presentation and you could tell she had a lot of passion about these birds and how to care for them. Very enjoyable! All birds on display had an injury in the past and were unable to live in the wild on their own.
Red-tailed Hawk
The photography was again a bit of a challenge. Very little light in the conference room required very high ISO settings in camera. Flash is not an option with these birds of prey. The presenter moved around most of the time, so everybody in the audience was able to see them pretty good. On the down side it made it difficult to obtain focus and produce a sharp image. As during the last two years at this event I used it as an opportunity to practice handholding of the D750 with the Nikkor 70-200, f/4 attached. The number of misses was of course much higher than usual with this camera / lens combination out in the open country.
Great Horned Owl
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque, Iowa
I hope you were able to start the new year with something interesting and exciting. When our grandkids are in town a visit of the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa is always on the agenda. It is one of the best places for education and entertainment, and this is valid for every age.
This first photo of the year was made at 70 mm, 1/320 s, f/4, and ISO 6400 through the thick glass of one of the seawater aquariums. Not my usual kind of photography but it always powers me if light and colors have something to offer. I hope 2020 will be a good year for all of us. I look forward to see your pictures and share visual stories with you again.
Male Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker at “Woodpecker tree #1”
Nature is always in a state of change. We were out of town over the weekend and when we came home yesterday we found one of the elm trees in our front yard on the ground. We knew this would happen one of these days. The tree was heavily effected by the Dutch elm disease, had more and more bare branches every year, and eventually the roots died.
This elm was an important tree for my photography. I always called it “Woodpecker tree #1”. Its location was perfect for shooting six of the seven woodpecker species that spend time in our woods but many other birds used it as well for approaching the bird feeders in the front yard.
Well, it’s not the end of the world, although I’m a little sad. A young oak tree nearby is growing fast since a few years and may take over the role as the new “Woodpecker tree #1” 😊
Sunset at the St. Louis River, just outside of Duluth, Minnesota
Jay Cooke State Park was the last campsite for one night at the end of our journey through the Northwoods of Minnesota. We had some snow and rain during the trip and shooting pictures of fast flowing water just seems to be a logic consequence. Well, I love to make photos of creeks and rivers. It is never boring and always a challenge.
I have talked here in the blog some time ago about a technique to make these kind of pictures without the use of a neutral density filter. There are sometimes situations where combining multiple exposures in one image, right in camera, is a valid solution. In particular at narrow and busy places, like famous waterfalls, with lots of visitors. Observation decks for example often vibrate and make any effort with a long exposure useless.
For this photo things were just great. At this time of the year, mid October, the low sun covers the river and the surrounding rocks with warm light for quite some time before it disappears behind the trees. With the Nikon D750 on a solid tripod I used the BREAKTHROUGH X4, 6-stop ND filter in front of the Nikon Nikkor 70-200, f/4 lens. For the final image a 5 second exposure at f/18, ISO 100 was used. Sure, some people like to see the water even silkier, it’s an unfortunate trend at the moment, but the wild St. Louis River, with its waterfalls and cascades, is not smooth at all at this place. The story of that evening was the combination of soft and warm light with the fast flow and turbulences of the river. If weather allows Joan and I will be back in the Duluth area very soon. Can you sense my excitement…? 😊
