ICE UNDERGROUND

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head  @ 24mm, 6s, f/18, ISO 100

Here in the region of the Driftless Area we can enjoy deeply carved river valleys and a karst geology with spring-fed waterfalls, underground drainage systems, sinkholes, and a number of caves. Inspired by a recent post on Facebook from the Dubuque County Conservation about a cave with ice in it, Joan, dog Cooper, and I went on a hike into Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area today. We were there actually already last week but hiked on a different trail. Today it didn’t take us very long to find the cave we were looking for, located in the Lost Canyon. It was still quite cold last week and we found these beautiful ice formations that look like stalagmites, built from the ground by dripping water. It will be much warmer this week and it may not take long before they are gone.

I had seen photos from that cave before and tried to prepare well for this little adventure. Good boots are a must for climbing up the slippery slope to the entrance at the canyon wall and for some grip on the icy floor. I made sure my speed light had fresh batteries before it went into the backpack and took also the small Gitzo GT2931 tripod on the hike.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head  @ 24mm, 2.5s, f/14, ISO 100

It was not really necessary to go deep into the cave. Both photos were made near the entrance. It is easy to break off one of the ice formations accidentally, but we were carefully and managed to leave the place as we found it. With the camera on tripod, about half a meter above the ground, I started shooting by using the flash light, which was connected by cable with the camera and allowed me to direct the light as wanted. Didn’t really like what I saw on the camera screen and continued to photograph with longer exposure and without the flash. We were at the cave in the very early afternoon. Some snow was still on the ground in the canyon and bright sunlight bounced nicely through the entrance and into the cave with the ice. The photos made with the use of flash from different angles were not really bad, but at the end natural light was the winner for this blog post.

ICY ART CONTINUES

Life prevented me from getting out and shooting a lot of pictures this week but there is always something on the hard drive of the computer that deserves to be published. Earlier this month I tried to draw the attention to one of my winter projects, called ICY ART. Here is another image that I like to contribute.

ICY ART IN 2022

The long time readers of my blog may remember that I started a little gallery project on the website in January of last year, called ICY ART. I tried to contribute to this gallery during the last two months with some new photos, but just didn’t find the right subject worthwhile for being published. Today I discovered a promising ice pattern but the water beneath was actually quite murky. I gave it the ‘artsy-fartsy’ treatment with white balance and contrast enhancing measures and got a result that satisfied my artistic sensibilities. Here is a shortcut to the ICY ART gallery. I hope you enjoy. You all have a great weekend!

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

John Deere Marsh, Mississippi River, Dubuque, iowa

The trees at John Deere Marsh, down at the Mississippi River, had a white coating after yesterday’s snowfall. The temperature had dropped quite a bit overnight (-14ºC / 7ºF) and the snow was clinging to almost everything. Part of the marsh is still very dry and doesn’t have much water, due to little rainfall last summer. Normally we wouldn’t see that much vegetation still standing and ice would cover the area up to the tree line. As so often, I document weather and climate related changes but still try to do it with an artistic touch.

I focussed on the dead tree in the middle ground with a wide open lens, knowing that foreground and background would render just graphic impressions out of focus, when suddenly the element of surprise came into play. While looking through the viewfinder and zooming with my feet, back and forth, left and right, a male Northern Harrier came buoyantly gliding into the frame. I can’t think of another bird of prey, except for certain owls, that is a better representative for the marsh and wetlands than the Northern Harrier. Their owl-like facial disk helps them with directional hearing to locate their prey. At this time of the year they rely mostly on rodents and birds

The Nikon Z6II is capable to combine multiple shots into one picture but the time was way too short to make a change in camera settings of that magnitude. However, I made three clicks, with the second one the photo you see here. In Adobe Photoshop I copied just the bird from the two other images into the final picture, at the same spots as in the originals. Now you have an idea how this story developed within one second in my viewfinder.

The detail obsessed viewer may see more in the photo. At the tree line in the back is a huge Bald Eagle nest. An eagle is guarding it and maybe we see them breeding again next year at this location.

IT’S HERE NOW

First snow fall, shot from my office window. 

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, FTZ adapter, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, RRS BH-55 ball head,   @ 145 mm, 1/30 s, f/16, ISO 1000

Finally we got our first real snow fall this season today. It was later than ever before within the last 18 years since we live here on the bluffs along the Little Maquoketa River Valley. It took me a while to find the right exposure time that makes the fast blowing snow visible and make it part of the story. I started in the woods behind the house with exposure times, between 1/10s and 5 seconds, and this was definitely too long for making the snow trails visible. The golden medium was found at about 1/30s, while the snow fall had intensified and I was shooting from my office window. Winter and snow means cold and the color that carries this message is blue. I played with white balance settings between 4000 and 5000 Kelvin and for this picture ended up with about 4150 K, giving the scene a nice blue tint.

THE ESSENCE

Sand ripples, White Sands National Park, New Mexico

It is easy to get carried away by colors, shapes and details, or the beautiful vistas of a landscape as we can find it in White Sands National Park, New Mexico during a first visit. Sure, I make my good share of documentary shots, like any other tourist, but at the end of the day I’m always asking myself, what did I miss, what is the story that can be embedded into a piece of photography art? Having this in mind while going back to a location another day always helps to get a little bit closer to an answer and maybe to a result that gives more satisfaction than anything captured during the first visit.

I know, many viewers today can’t find anything in a black & white photo anymore, but for me it often boils down to the KISS acronym, keep it simple stupid. The wind shaped dunes are always in motion, shadows can be different from one moment to the next in the ever changing light. What more do I need to photograph the essence of White Sands?

WHITE SANDS

White Sands National Park, New Mexico, Sacramento Mountains in the background, Nikon D750 + Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/2 ZF T*

As further south we drove in New Mexico last October as more grew my excitement about a destination we had pinpointed on our route. White Sands National Park preserves half of the worlds largest gypsum dunefield, located in the Tularosa Basin, between the San Andres and Sacramento Mountains. It is a fascinating landscape that offers so much for any photographer and nature lover.

Colors in the desert, Nikon D750 + Nikkor 70-200, f/4 , @70 mm

I took only two lenses with me while we walked and hiked in the dunefields during two late afternoon trips in the national park. Most of the time I had the Nikkor 70-200, f/4 on camera. Without switching lenses I was able to make quick decisions between scenes that included the curves and structures of the dunes or detail shots, like solitary trees or yucca plants. The other lens was the Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/2 ZF T*, a manual focus lens that I love to employ in landscapes like White Sands NP because of its excellent sharpness and color rendering. The lens changes were not so critical as in other desert areas we have been before. Compared to other dune types the gypsum dunes remain moist even during a long drought. However, we avoided to go there during a sand storm the day between our two visits. Sand in the gear is bad news!

Dunefield near sunset, White Sands NP, New Mexico, Nikon D750 + Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/2 ZF T*

Soaptree Yucca, Nikon D750 + Nikkor 70-200, f/4 , @130 mm

A DAY ABOVE THE DESERT

Rabbit Ears, 8,050 ft / 2454 m, Organ Mountain - Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico

I have been traveling for a few days last week but I didn’t forget about my promise to post some more pictures from our recent trip through New Mexico.

We pitched our tent on the east side of the Organ Mountains in “Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument” for a few days. The campground is located just below the “Rabbit Ears”, two magnificent summits. The facility overlooks the Tularosa Basin, home to White Sands National Park and White Sands Missile Range. A stormy day with very high winds was in the forecast and we decided to hike in the mountains near the campground. This high area is home to a number of plants and tree species not seen on the desert floor. Everything looked still very clear in the morning and we were blessed with gorgeous light on the Rabbit Ears above our tent during sunrise. Later during the day the harsh light makes you think twice before you hit the shutter release button of the camera…

Ornate Tree Lizard, a morning guest at the breakfast table

Prickly Pear Cacti, yucca, agave, grasses, and shrubs dominate the desert floor below the mountains

Most wildflowers were gone already but Rabbitbrush doesn’t look bad either between the rocks in higher altitude

Bizarre trees overlook the Tularosa Basin. A sandstorm hides the details of White Sands National Park and all the military installations of the missile range that surrounds it.

NATURAL CARVINGS

Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico protects Ancestral Pueblo archeological sites and a diverse and scenic landscape. Much of the area was covered with volcanic ash (the Bandelier Tuff) from an eruption of the Valles Caldera volcano 1.14 million years ago. Ancestral Puebloans broke up the firmer materials to use as bricks, while they carved out dwellings from the softer material. (source: Wikipedia) I was also intrigued by the natural carvings from wind and weather and with a little fantasy you can find interesting sculptures, like this tree shape, in the walls of Cañon de los Frijoles.

BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

The village of Tyuonyi on the floor of Frijoles Canyon.

Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged but beautiful canyon and mesa country as well as evidence of a human presence here going back over 11,000 years.  Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and standing masonry walls pay tribute to the early days of a culture that still survives in the surrounding communities. (source: park website).

We camped in the park for three nights but trails are open only from dawn to dusk. Beside history and culture the park offers also much for any nature lover. As we wanted to see as much as possible we couldn’t be choosy about the times and some of the photography had to be done, well, at the height of the day. I hope these five photos give you still an idea about the beauty of this place.

IT’S FALL, BUT STILL FEELS LIKE SUMMER

We went out this evening to look for the last signs of summer although fall is officially here. 

The numbers of blooming flowers in the remaining tall grass prairies area are dwindling but a few pretty ones can still be found around here.

We didn’t have a cold snap yet and it was a dry year, which means fall colors may not be as vibrant as we hope. Many leaves have hit already the ground but it is nice to see a few peaks of yellow or orange in the trees.

It seems like it is a better year for bees, wasps, and other pollinators. Not just in our yard, also on the prairie I recognize much more activity than during recent years, and that’s a good thing!

SPIDER AFTER THE RAIN

This big spider wove its web between one of the bird boxes and the ferns and flowers below in our front yard. After a rainy night in late August I found the web full of water droplets and thought this was an interesting subject to photograph. While approaching the web with the 150 mm macro lens on camera, the nest started to vibrate a little and the spider came suddenly out of the bird box, and tried to find out if someone fell victim in his artfully designed web.

In order to have sharpness for both, the water droplets and the spider, I closed the lens down to f/8. Because I was really close the depth of focus was only 10 mm, less than half an inch, and the background remained still nicely blurred.

Nikon D750, Sigma 150mm / f2.8 APO EX DG HSM, @1/160 s, f/8, ISO 200,

FOCUS STACKING, WITH FALL ON THE DOORSTEP

Joan and I used a gorgeous Labor Day weekend for some outdoor activities, including hiking in Wisconsin and paddling on the Mississippi River, but photography started right here at home in our backyard. The trunk of a fallen maple tree waits in our backyard to be sawn into pieces sometime, but right now it is the host for a beautiful cluster of mushrooms.

For the first time I employed the technique of focus stacking for the final image. I took three shots and each had a different focal point, in this instance the three groups of mushrooms. Back in post process the three images were merged and only the sharpest parts of each photo are revealed in the final picture. There are many different ways of doing this and you can find all ideas about it on YouTube. I prefer the manual way, hiding or revealing the part of each photo that matters for the final result by using the paint brush.

Tree fungus or mushrooms can be found at any time during spring, summer, or fall, but autumn is the probably the best time for this kind of a subject.