EVERY SPRING…

Bloodroot, Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area, Dubuque County, Iowa

Easter weekend and the last couple days have been warm, or at least mild, and nature responds to that. Wildflowers started blooming in large numbers. We went on a hike through ‘Lost Canyon’ and ‘Valley of 13 Caves’ in the Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area here in Dubuque County on Easter Sunday. Well, we could make similar pictures in the woods behind our house here in the Little Maquoketa River Valley, but it was nice to get out and explore something away from home. Yeaah, I say that every year, I’m not a flower photographer, but at the end it’s hard to resist to look for the light and make a click whenever nature’s beauty unfolds in front of the eye…

Hepatica, Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area, Dubuque County, Iowa

‘SUPER RESOLUTION’ - ANOTHER TRY

Mesa Arch, Canyonland National Park, April 2008

Here is another photo I gave the treatment in post process with the new enhancement feature in Adobe Camera RAW that allows to quadruple the image size. This shot was made in April 2008 at Mesa Arch at Canyonland National Park in Utah. Yes, that is the spot where photographers sometimes pile up on top of each other early in the morning to get an iconic sunrise shot. Google it and you will know what I mean.

I like the company of other photographers but I’m still not a fan of crowded places. We spent the time before and around sunrise that day at the Courthouse Towers, a rock formation in nearby Arches National Park and had it all for ourselves. Joan and I moved on late morning and arrived at Mesa Arch about 1pm. Of course, not the best time for good light but a few clicks were made anyway just for the memories. I used a Nikon D200, which in 2008 was a very good 10MP DX camera. I believe the first digital Nikon full frame camera (FX) was the D3, that just had hit the market in 2007. With other words, most people used cameras with a half size sensor (DX) or smaller. The lens was a SIGMA 18-50, f/2.8. Not a bad lens but kinda soft in comparison to the glass that is now available. With 3872 pixels on the long side of the image I never felt it was worth the effort to work with the RAW file and try to extract more detail out of a relatively hazy scene. 

The picture became now another candidate to try the new ‘Super Resolution Feature’ in Camera RAW. The enhanced original file has 7744 pixels at the long side and working with Vibrance, Dehaze, and other contrast enhancing sliders I was able to get some details in the photo I didn’t even know they were there. The photo can now be printed at a resolution of 300ppi almost 26 inch (~650 mm) long and with a lower resolution, like 240ppi, a 32” (~820 mm) wide picture will still look decent.

I just thought I share my new gained experience with the new software with you and give you another example what can be done with older and smaller pictures. I repeat what was said in yesterday’s blog post, I’m impressed about the outcome.

TRYING ‘SUPER RESOLUTION’

Peregrine Falcon, Bellevue State Park

Before someone gets excited, this picture of a Peregrine Falcon was taken five years ago below the rockface at Bellevue State Park. I drive by there any time on my way to or from the Green Island Wetlands. There is a nest box mounted to the rocks that has been used by peregrines before. The last time I saw a bird was in 2019. Unfortunately I haven’t spotted a falcon this year yet. Maybe I haven’t spent enough time and left always too early…?

The reason I dug out this image from 2016 is the new ‘Super Resolution Feature’ in Adobe Camera RAW. It allows to enlarge a low resolution photo to a resolution four times its original size. It doubles the horizontal and vertical resolution. I tried that with a few older pictures already to see what is possible and I have to say I’m pretty impressed how the software boosts the apparent resolution, powered by machine learning, and enhances the details.

How can we use this technology to our advantage? If your current ‘state-of-the-art’ camera isn’t your first digital camera, you probably have older photos in your library that were shot with a 10, 6, or even 3 megapixel camera model. So the 3MP picture can become a 12MP version. This will allow much larger prints or you can crop the picture much more if you really need an enlargement of an important detail in the shot. Don’t take me wrong, I’m still an advocate for GET IT RIGHT IN CAMERA! However, we all have taken pictures that didn’t turn out perfectly sometimes, but contain valuable memories for us.

Back to the Peregrine Falcon. The bird was high up in a tree and there was no way to get even a foot closer. I had the lens at 600 mm focal length with the camera set to DX mode, which results in an angle of view that is equivalent to a 900 mm lens. The falcon was still only a small part in the photo. It was the first time I ever saw and photographed a Peregrine Falcon, a moment I wouldn’t forget. With the new ‘Super Resolution’ I was able to crop the photo and bring this memory back and share it with you.

If you like to read and learn more about this feature and how to use it in combination with Adobe Lightroom, here is the link to a great article that has a lot more details: https://lightroomkillertips.com/how-to-take-advantage-of-super-resolution-from-lightroom-classic/

NATURE CLICKS #486 - BLUE-WINGED TEAL

After five or six of gray and mostly rainy days this week the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. Joan, dog Cooper, and I took a ride in the car, heading south in the Mississippi Valley. A strong blowing wind had definitely an influence on the appearance of birds around the river and wetlands in the valley. Beside the usual suspects we saw a lot more ducks than during the last couple weeks. That doesn’t mean the photo opportunities have increased at the same rate. However, we came across two pairs of Blue-winged Teals. The leading male was already outside of the frame but the other three ducks stayed close together. Colder air temperatures than during the last weekends kept heat shimmer in bay and obtaining focus across the water wasn’t so difficult.

TWO NICE ONES

Swing bridge across the Mississippi River between Sabula, Iowa and Savannah, Illinois

The Canadian Pacific Railway, who operates the rail traffic across the bridge between Sabula, Iowa and Savannah, Illinois, has some of the ugliest looking engines in our area. Most of them look very old and worn out. One reason why I hardly make pictures anymore of their trains.

Last weekend I made my usual stop at the railroad bridge and within a minute I heard a train slowly approaching, going eastbound. Big surprise, the train was pulled by two nice looking, fire-truck-red painted engines. A perfect scene with the blue sky above and some blue reflections on the water of the Mississippi. The trains cross the bridge very slowly, giving the photographer plenty of time to crank out a number of shots. The barge traffic on the river is just about to resume but during the winter trains are the most important means of transportation for grain, ethanol, coal, and other goods in the Upper Mississippi Valley.

If you missed my photo of the 115-year old swing railroad bridge two weeks ago, here is a direct link back to the previous blog post.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4, @66 mm,   @1/640s, f/8, ISO100

SECOND APPEARANCE

Hard to believe this was almost a week ago. A few days earlier our crocus and snow bells showed their first blossoms until they got all covered again during a snow storm last Monday. So, here is a couple photos from the second appearance of spring flowers in our yard this year.

It’s not really macro photography but the old SIGMA 150/f2.8 macro lens is still in my bag and finds employment for shots like this. Most modern lenses focus much faster, but if the camera is locked on the subject, this lens delivers still tack sharp results. Another reason for me to use this lens sometimes is the Minimum Focusing Distance (MFD), which is 15 inches (0.38m). A ‘killer tool’ for any detail shots!

NATURE CLICKS #485 - BUFFLEHEAD

Buffleheads, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Preserve, Iowa

Without any doubt the Bufflehead is one of the prettiest ducks we enjoy watching at this time of the year. It is the smallest of the diving ducks. They feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and seeds. Their prey is swallowed underwater. Soon they will move on to their breeding grounds up in Canada. They nest in cavities that are mostly made by woodpeckers, in particular Northern Flickers.

It looks like it isn’t difficult to photograph this duck but they are very fast and hardly ever come to a total standstill. Another male Bufflehead was trailing behind those three and both pairs were very busy feeding in the shallow waters of a lake in the Green Island Preserve yesterday. As so often, with the ice just gone and warm air over the water, heat shimmer effects the focus of the camera and my keeper rate for sharp images was not as high as usual.

GULLS WITH CHARACTER

Ring-billed Gull, Mississippi River, Sabula. Iowa

The local nature enthusiasts and photography friends may probably say, oh, just a Ring-billed Gull, we have so many of them. It’s true, but I always give the more common species a chance to be presented here in my blog. There is a few ingredients for a photo like this. Last weekend the remaining ice in the little marina of Sabula, Iowa had this dark blue color that makes for that nice background and you only see it in the old ice of a season. A blue sky is mandatory and of course, the gulls have to cooperate. And if you have in addition a nice light from the side, the camera has to come out of the bag for sure.

It was actually pretty busy. The birds caught little fish and argued about them a lot. some of the birds are really characters. This one looks like the cat that had eaten the canary. It just had gobbled down a fish, looked up into the sky for the other competitors, and seemed to think, haha, you didn’t get it, I did! Can you tell I had fun making these photos?

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BACKGROUND (AGAIN)

Greater Sandhill Cranes, Mississippi Valley, Green Island Wetlands

Who can blame me? The transition between winter and spring is the most exciting time of the year for a lot of nature lovers and photographers. For the third weekend in a row I went back to one of my favorite wildlife spots in the area, the Green Island Preserve wetland area, about 40 miles south and part of the ecosystem of the Mississippi River. It was not as busy with ducks and geese as last weekend, but still a great place to enjoy wildlife, chase the light for a good image, or just inhale the sounds and moods of the season.

After trying hard on a pair of Sand Hill Cranes without an image even worth to mention, another pair of cranes gave me later finally quite a good display. The challenge in spring is always finding a good background. The cranes forage not so much in the water but in the marshes and probe with their long bills in the mud between reeds and grasses from last year. In addition the access to the Green Island marshes and lakes is almost everywhere from a slightly elevated position, on top of a dyke or the road. This makes the lens pointing towards the ground even if it is only a slight angle.

So, what’s different with today’s photo? The Sandhill Cranes were on top of a dyke. I was in the car on the road and a body of water between me and the birds. With other words we were on the same eye level. The area behind the cranes is lakes, marshland, more dykes, and flat overall. The trees in the back are about two miles away and border the Mississippi River. This is the kind of background I like to have. It gives a sense of location and even the grasses around the cranes become part of the story and leave no doubt about what time of the year the photo was taken. I wish the cranes would feed more often on top of the dykes…😉

LAST FOR THE SEASON: ICY ART

With winter coming slowly but surely to an end I thought to wrap up my little project for the season. I had fun to find patterns, shapes, reflections, and colors in ice, on rivers, lakes, on glass, or even just at the surface of a frozen bird bath. Not all pictures made it into the new collection but I thought a few were worth to be shown. If you like to see the whole gallery, just click on the photo and it will open the ICY ART collection for you. Have a marvelous weekend!

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #3 - ICE? GONE!

Mississippi River, Marina entrance at Mud Lake, Iowa

Two days ago I reported about the break up of the ice on the mighty Mississippi. Today I went back, and wow, the main channel of the river had completely open water, all the way to the Wisconsin side. The rocky bluffs in the background are 2 kilometers away from Mud Lake Park, where this photo was made. There is still some ice in the quiet backwaters that don’t have much current, or like here, in the entrance to the little marina at Mud Lake. 

Our part of the river was already in the shade this evening when I started shooting, but with the setting sun in my back, there was still a photo that could be made. I tried to find an angle with some warm light in the big water puddle that contrasts nicely with the dark blue of the last ice. A few days ago people were still sitting on their buckets, trying to catch a fish through a hole in the ice. Very soon the first boats will leave the marina for their first trip of the season…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @70 mm, 1/320 s, f/8, ISO100

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #2 - A FAVORITE

115 years old swing railroad bridge across the Mississippi between Sabula, Iowa and Savannah, Illinois

You may have seen photos of this old railroad bridge here in my blog before. No wonder, any time I head south along the big river to Sabula, Iowa’s only town on an island, I have to stop and take a look at this nice piece of engineering. This single track swing bridge between Iowa and Illinois was opened in 1906. It hasn’t lost any of its charm to me and is still one of my favorite men-made subjects for a photo along the Mississippi River.

Last weekend the ice started melting around the bridge and made for a more interesting foreground than at other times before. I put my only manual focus lens, the Zeiss 35/f2 on the camera and set the picture control of the D750 to Monochrome mode. I always shoot in RAW and if I would change my mind later, a color image can still be extracted from the recorded data of the RAW file. But setting the picture control to ‘Monochrome’ allows to view the results immediately in black and white on the screen of the camera. 

Nikon D750, Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF, 1/160 s, f/11, ISO100

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #1 - THE ICE BREAKS UP

Yes, in 2021 I will continue with my visual Mississippi River stories that can be told with a photograph. Today the ice was finally in motion and big floes drifted slowly down the stream. I’m always amazed how high it can pile up if anything is in its path. I have photographed this marker near the end of the dike at John Deere Marsh several times before, and I knew it would help to tell the story about the break up of the ice on the Mississippi River. The SIGMA 150-600 is not my typical lens for landscape photography but I love the effect you can get for a picture like this. 

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S,     @ 330 mm, 1/1000 s, f/8, ISO100

GEESE AND OTHERS ON THE MOVE

Greater White-fronted Geese, Green Island Wetlands, Iowa

Yesterday I took another trip to the Green Island Wetlands, and boy, what a change to the weekend before. The snow is melting really fast and a few spots had finally open water. With that said, food sources become available for all kinds of birds and they indeed move in immediately. I saw seven Greater Sandhill Cranes, a big flock of Red-winged Blackbirds occupied some trees, and twice the call of a Killdeer filled the air, although I didn’t see any. But the biggest sign of spring for me were several overflights of Greater White-fronted Gees

Canada Geese

Wherever the ice had disappeared and open water was available, pairs of Canada Geese had moved in and jockeyed for the best spots. Some may travel further north but the Green Island Wetlands are a popular breeding ground for Canada Geese.

What else, of course a number of Bald Eagles. I discovered another nest location, which is the fourth one I’m aware of in this area. Other raptors can be watched, like a Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawks, and for the first time I saw a Rough-legged Hawk at Green Island.

Getting close enough to a particular bird is always the biggest challenge for any photographer. If you finally have your bird in the viewfinder and you just can’t get it sharp, despite you do everything right, you probably deal with heat shimmer. The warm air above the remaining cold snow and ice creates this inferior mirage that prevents a sharp image. A problem that can’t be ignored, especially when working with a long lens. Sometimes it is better just to watch and enjoy the moment…

YESTERDAY WAS WORLD WILDLIFE DAY

Downy Woodpecker

Yesterday was World Wildlife Day and everybody but me posted a nice wildlife photo on Instagram or other popular websites. I simply forgot about it 🙄. By writing this blog on my website I try to create awareness about wildlife since 2010 and maybe you can forgive me. The photo is actually from yesterday evening and this Downy Woodpecker posed nicely on the old cedar tree trunk in the last bit of sunshine. This winter we had up to six of North America’s smallest woodpeckers here and they are usually not as shy and skittish as their larger cousins. I always enjoy having them in front of the lens and the Downy is my choice to celebrate World Wildlife Day this year, even if it is belated… 😊