Big waves

 

I was supposed to sit in an airplane to Germany while I’m writing this but a strike of the Lufthansa pilots grounded me for another day. Take off from the American continent will be hopefully Friday night instead…

Time to post another photo from our Thanksgiving weekend on the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin. Saturday we had another proof that Lake Michigan is not just a pond… ;-)… Strong winds created big waves that could compete with any ocean in the world at one of our favorite spots on the peninsula, North Pierhead Lighthouse…

In search for the right perspective

 

We discovered the story telling potential of this setting immediately after getting out of the car in Potawatomi State Park along the Sturgeon Bay. The track of broken ice from the island to shore, the reflections, and the overall mood just had an effect on us. However, I scratched my head shortly after starting to work the subject. I just could not find a perspective that satisfied me totally. One of the reasons is that I’m not a big fan of bare branches sticking into the frame from any direction. The canoe needed to be within the picture, because it is an important part of the story, and the curves in the ice are the lines in the story telling. I used my feet for zooming and ups and downs, but sometimes it is just a little detail that makes the difference between a great image, just a decent one, and a goner. (I have not seen Joan's photo's yet. She may have kicked my butt... ;-)   )

The blue toned black & white seems to reflect the mood of this gray winter day better than any other finishing I tried. Sometimes it takes me a year or two to find the final version of a photo. But this is ok, it is part of the artistic process and part of the learning curve…

Found another stavkirke

 

I have visited almost all stave churches (stavkirke) in Norway during frequent visits in the 90’s because I’m fascinated by their architecture. There are a few replicas here in the US and a year ago Joan and I visited the one on Washington Island just north of the Door Peninsula. You can click HERE to see my post from last year about this beautiful stavkirke.

Just the night before Thanksgiving we found out that another chapel in this architectural style is located not far from Bailey Harbor. There was no question that we had to find it.

Boynton Chapel is a small wooden chapel built in a late 12th-century Norwegian stave church (stavkirke) style. Handcrafted by Winifred and Donald Boynton between 1939 and 1947 on the grounds of their summer residence, the chapel is modeled after the Garmo stave church at Maihaugen in Lillehammer, Norway. A popular site for weddings and a favorite stop among Door County tourists, the chapel contains 41 hand-painted frescoes and numerous exceptionally fine carved-wood furnishings. (source: website Lawrence University, Appleton WI)

The chapel is at Björklunden, a 425-acre estate on the Lake Michigan shore that belongs to Lawrence University, Appleton. It is in a very picturesque setting and with all the snow around we made of course quite a few clicks with our cameras. Boynton Chapel is closed in the winter for visitors, so we were not able to see the interior, but this didn’t spoil our experience with this wonderful piece of architecture.

Self assignment

 

There are definitely some reasons why we keep coming back to the Door peninsula in Lake Michigan in November and one of them is that we have it almost for ourselves. It is a touristy place in the summer but at this time of the year not too many people find the way up here. One of our favorite hikes starts at Cave Point County Park and leads on top of the rocky bluffs along the lake shore into White Fish Dunes State Park. Beside enjoying the crisp and clear air after an excellent Thanksgiving meal we watched out for ice sculptures that have been shaped by the waves and the surf of the lake. We have done this every time during the last three years and it is never the same experience.

I gave myself an assignment today by using only the wide angle zoom Sigma 10-20mm / f4-5.6 for all photos. I was looking for a way to challenge creativity on a subject I have worked on before under similar circumstances. Where is the challenge? The easy way is to zoom in with a longer lens, like the Nikkor 24-120, f/4, because the winter weather with ice and snow on the ground forbids to get really close to the edge of the bluffs. A fall into the icy water might be fatal. The challenge was finding the places where subject, light, and a safe way to make the shot coincided. You can certainly make a bet on the fact that the most interesting ice formations are right at the edge of the bluffs. It is obvious that the second photo wasn’t so difficult to make but above the bluffs it was a different game. Needless to say that cropping beyond keeping the horizon line straight was not an option for today’s assignment. I like to rework known photo subjects or situations with different technical means, during shooting as well as in the post process. I believe it is a valid way to improve… Give it a try! :-)

Recharging the batteries

 

We wish all of our family and friends here in the US a Happy Thanksgiving! Joan and I went again to Door County, the peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan and the Green Bay in northeast Wisconsin. We try to ”recharge our batteries” by relaxing in a cabin, eating good food, and doing some hiking and photography.

After our arrival last night we went down to the lake shore in Baileys Harbor and watched for a few minutes how the magic of colors unfolded during sunset. Nothing spectacular but still worth a click…

Stavkirke - but not in Norway

 

The third day up on the Door Peninsula was a gray one, and I mean a real gray one with no sun at all. That didn’t stop us to take an early ferry to Washington Island in Lake Michigan and explore this charming area. In this part of the country live many people with a Scandinavian heritage and therefor it was no surprise for us to find a Stavkirke (stave church) on the island. Almost all original stave churches are found in Norway and this one is a replica of one in Borgund, Norway. I have seen many of the Norwegian Stavkirkes during my frequent travels to Norway and the architecture is always awe-inspiring. The church belongs to the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Washington Island and their present stone church is just across the road.

With no quality light present and the high contrast between the snow and the dark parts of the church I decided to bracket five different exposures and merge the images in NIK HDR Efex Pro. I know, it doesn’t substitute good light but the result is better than any of the single shots under these circumstances.

The two photos of the interior were made with an off-camera flash light that was directed into the ceiling. Joan assisted me with the flash light so I had both hands to hold the camera steady at 1/15 s. After a couple test shots I liked the results and didn’t even bother to use the HDR method.

Beauty in ice

 

I don’t think there is much to write about today’s photos made at Lake Michigan up in Door County, Wisconsin. Ice sculptures are a wonderful subject for nature photography and if the light is right their beauty can be revealed easily. We had a great time working these wonderful ice formations from different perspectives and angles. I hope you enjoy!

Schneegestöber and winter light

 

Joan and I went again up to Door County, the peninsula in the northwest corner of Lake Michigan, for Thanksgiving weekend. With us came the snow and made for a beautiful white Thanksgiving. We used the holiday for a hike in the snow along the shore of the Green Bay. The weather changed constantly from plain gray sky to heavy snow showers, to short sun light breaks, and back to clouds. There were times when the camera needed to stay in the bag because of too much snow falling from the trees. And then suddenly we had some moments where the sun sent some light through the clouds and the snow seemed to glow. It was just nice to be outside and try to catch the mood of weather and landscape.

We were already at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse on Thanksgiving last year. I thought I had a decent photo already but I love today’s quality of light on the lighthouse and snow much better. Have a look on last year’s image by clicking on the link HERE and build your own opinion.

Before we went back to our cozy little cabin, where Joan finally prepared a wonderful turkey dinner, we went to Bailey Harbor on the east side of the peninsula. A nice band of clouds and the last light of the sun made for some drama over Bailey Harbor Light in the background. The clicks were made quickly, the dinner was calling… ;-)

More from Door County Peninsula

 

I like to round up my little story about our trip to Door County last week with a few more images. Thanksgiving was relatively warm but very windy. Ideal conditions to visit the shoreline along Lake Michigan on the east side of the peninsula. I haven't used my Sigma 10-20 wide angle lens for a while but here it was a good choice to capture the beautiful rocks and waves pounding against shore.

To make my series of lighthouses complete, here is an image of North Pierhead Lighthouse. This is the point where the canal that connects Lake Michigan with the Green Bay begins (or ends, depending from what direction you approach it) and where the lights helps to find the entrance into the canal. Joan was with our little dog Cooper at the end of the pier and got a very nice close up shot of the red lighthouse in "killer light". I'm not unhappy with my perspective but I like her image a lot.

While hiking into the woods along the canal and trying to find a good perspective for the nearby Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal lighthouse I heard the noise of a boat engine. There are not many vessels on the water at this time of the year and I started running down the hill towards the canal in order to get a clear view for the boat. It was actually a real nice one and I was just able to make a few clicks before it disappeared behind the surrounding trees again.

Each evening of the four nights we spent in Sturgeon Bay the sky was different. I liked the last one on Saturday night the best. The color contrast after sunset was great. What a way to end a wonderful weekend... :-)

Looking for texture

 

I always look for special light, an interesting critter, or the big vista but it is sometimes easy to overlook texture and detail in a landscape. Going for a few days away from the daily routine seems to help me sharpening the view for those details in nature. We were hiking up a wooded hill on top of a big bluff that is part of the shore line in the Green Bay. It was nice to watch the waves deep down below and to listen to the sound of wind and water. The upper part of the hill was covered with this forest of Northern White Cedars, also known as American Arborvitae. The structures of roots and tree trunks, and with no other plants around them made for a picture that I had in mind since quite some time.