BRIDGES ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE

Taos Junction Bridge, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico

Our first campground in New Mexico was right next to the river in the Rio Grande Gorge, which is part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. The Monument includes 245,00 acres (991 km2 ) of public land, and was designated by Presidential Proclamation in 2013. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, northwest of Taos, NM, is the fifth highest bridge in the US (650 ft / 198 m). The design of this truss bridge is by far more impressive than the much smaller Taos Junction Bridge near our campground, but one evening the light on bridge and trees was just gorgeous and much better than what we had at the more famous one.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, near Taos, New Mexico

At this point the National Monument is very small and includes only the Rio Grande Gorge

SENSE OF SCALE

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

One of the reasons I wanted to go back to Great Sand Dunes National Park was the desire to create more photos with shapes, curves, and different light on the dunefield. Pretty soon I learned that including something that gives the viewer a sense of scale has a much bigger impact. A curve in the sand might be strong graphically spoken, but including an element we can relate to in size will tell the better story about the vastness of these dunes. In the first image the grass and bushes play this role while in the second picture the people climbing to the top give you the sense of size, distance, and altitude.

A few days before our arrival the sand dunes had obviously a little snow. The dark bands at some of the edges are from melted water. Overall the sand was very firm in most places and much easier to climb than seven years ago. At an altitude of 8900 feet (2700 m) we and our little dog Cooper were happy about every step we didn’t have to make twice on the way up…😉

All images: Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,

TURNING THE HEAD

Mount Herard from Piñion Flat Campground, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

When you take your eyes away from the dune field of Great Sand Dunes National Park in the west and turn your head north towards Mount Herard (13279 ft / 4,053 m) you have another stunning vista without moving a bit. There was some snow already the evening before but a little more had accumulated by the next morning. All what it took for this image was getting out of the sleeping bag and watch the fast development of the clouds that hugged the mountain. These mountains are not in the national park but are part of the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve. 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @ 112 mm, 1/500 s, f/8, ISO100

BACK IN THE GREAT SAND DUNES

Dunefield at Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Hard to believe it has been seven years ago that we visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. We always wanted to go back there and made the Piñon Flat Campground at the foot hills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains our base camp again this year. It is at an altitude of about 8200 ft (2500 m) and the dune field to the west is about 700 ft (215 m) higher. It is a fascinating place where wind and water move sand to continually form North America’s tallest dunes. The times around sunrise and sunset are the best to create photos of the sand dunes with shapes that are sharp and rich in contrast. Wild fires somewhere in the west gave the sky what I call a “dirty look” but the clouds over the horizon are priceless.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120mm / f4,   @38 mm, 1/160 s, f/10, ISO100

COLORFUL COTTONWOODS

Cottonwoods at Lake Mc Conaughy, Nebraska

Traveling in autumn includes always the search for fall colors. I didn’t expect too much down in the desert areas we were heading to, but the cotton woods we saw during the trip surprised us several times. Most of them don’t become this pretty here in eastern Iowa. I waited until the wind slowed down during sunset at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska for a brief moment to capture the colors and shapes of the cottonwoods along the original lake shore.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @70 mm, 1/400 s, f/8, ISO400

EXPOSED TO THE WIND

Stormy Lake McConaughy, Nebraska

We just returned from a road trip that led us through eight states, with most of the time spent in New Mexico. This wonderful part of the country has many national and state parks, national monuments, forests, and wildlife refuges and we visited numerous of these places in the course of this trip. As I work through all the images during the next weeks, I will share some of the photos with you as always.

We started the trip into a heavy thunderstorm here in Iowa but that was the last rain we saw for the next eighteen days. Driven by very strong winds the storm clouds moved out as we drove across Nebraska. Finally our tent was pitched at Ogallala Lake in western Nebraska. This lake is separated from the much bigger Lake McConaughy by a dam, that gave us a little bit protection from the howling wind. Lake McConaughy is Nebraska’s largest reservoir on the North Platte River. Due to a very low water level much of the lake bottom was exposed to sun and wind. The drifting sand, touched by the light of the setting sun, made for an interesting, desert-like appearance.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @70 mm, 1/400 s, f/8, ISO200

TAKING A BREAK

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, 2014

As every year I will take a break from posting here in my blog for a little while but you can be sure new photo adventures are just around the corner. We have never started our fall trip so late in the season but we are excited to see how this will play out. One of our first stops will be a location we have visited before, Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. A fascinating place on earth but some other great locations further south are on our radar as well. Please stay tuned…

AFTER THE RAIN

Sunset in the driftless region of eastern Iowa

Much needed rain and gray clouds dominated the sky today. Not long before sunset the clouds moved out and I grabbed the camera and drove into the fields nearby, trying to find a good spot for the sunset and the illuminated clouds without obstructions by power lines or trees. Not as spectacular as I was hoping for but still good enough for a few clicks and starting the weekend…

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #9 - TRAFFIC ROUTES

Black Hawk Bridge across the Mississippi River, Lansing, NE Iowa

While returning from a business trip last night I had to stop at the Black Hawk Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River in Lansing, Iowa. The light on the scene was just too good to be ignored. The website historicbridges.org describes this wonderful cantilevered truss design of the bridge as following: This bridge is among the most unusual and significant large scale cantilever truss bridges in the country, on account of its excellent historic integrity, relatively old age, increasing rarity, and unusual design.

It is a photo I always wanted to make while driving through the town of Lansing or across the bridge several times each year. Yesterday the time was right. No, I wasn’t standing on the railroad tracks, just right next to them, but using a wide angle, 16 mm focal length allows to include the tracks in the photo and make them part of the storytelling about traffic routes in the Mississippi Valley. Sure, it would be nice to have the real warm light just before sunset for a photo like this, but due to the steep bluffs that form the Mississippi Valley in northeast Iowa the sun sets almost an hour earlier on this side of the river. 

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!

LOOKING FOR THE LAST ONES

I was sitting on the porch this evening, knowing that it might be the last chance to say goodbye to a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that stop on their way south for a short drink at one of the remaining flowers in the yard, or at least at one of our nectar feeders. The migration wave ends here at the end of September, with an occasional sighting of a hummingbird in early October. Looking a little more critical at this photo you may recognize that this picture was taken at an earlier time of the year. There aren’t enough flowers in the yard anymore to make for such a colorful background. Well, it will be seven month from now until one of us will say, I saw the first hummingbird of the season!

MANITOWOC BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSE

Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin

Whenever I go on a business trip I take the camera with me, although quite often I don’t find the time to do some serious photography. Today I was a little early for an appointment with a customer in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Clouds and light looked kinda promising and so I went quickly down to Lake Michigan to make a few clicks of the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse, that marks the entrance to the marina at the north pier. At arrival in the parking lot I realized that it was quite a long walk to get an unobstructed view of the lighthouse. I did it anyway, shot for three minutes and ran back to the car to make the appointment on time. It was worth the effort. Although the sun was behind my subject, nice clouds in the background, the sun reflecting on the water, and even a few waves crashing onto the pier were all good ingredients for this photo.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f/4, @ 200 mm, 1/1000 s, f/5.6, ISO100

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2021 #8 - END OF SUMMER?

Mississippi Valley, Backwaters of Mud Lake, Iowa

As I’m writing this much needed rain is pouring down on us but it won’t be for very long until the small band of thunderstorms has moved out again. Colder air will move in shortly and we might see the end of the summer. Yesterday evening at the Mississippi River an interesting cloud was all what it took to trigger my desire to push the shutter release button of the camera. Maybe it was the announcement that summer will be over in a heartbeat…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @70 mm, 1/160 s, f/5.6, ISO200

DEPTH OF FOCUS AGAIN

Northern Leopard Frog, Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa

Here is another photo where the decision about the depth of focus (or depth of field, whatever you prefer) had an impact how this Northern Leopard Frog can be presented in its natural habitat. As you can see (without seeing me 😉), I was flat on the ground to be on eye level with the critter. You may also realize that the background is very busy and not very flattering. I started shooting with f/8 to have a little more than just the area around the eye in real sharp focus, but the clutter with sharp contours in the background killed the picture. The frog with its pattern did not stand out enough. The final photo was shot with f/4. Still not a great background but it is at least out of focus, much softer, and the Leopard Frog with its wonderful eye had a chance to shine.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4,   @190 mm, 1/1250 s, f/4, ISO400

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,