Who says I have to show my actual work here in the blog any time I post something? ;-) Yes, I made some new bird images during the extreme cold weather we have here since a few days but today I liked to browse through my archive and dig out some “unfinished business”. This photo was made in September 2012 in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a rainy and windy day but the views were stunning and the dynamic of the clouds during and after the rain showers was unbeatable.
On our way home from Northwest Iowa back to the Mississippi River a big rain and thunderstorm cloud moved eastwards parallel to us. I had an eye on it for more than an hour without getting really excited. I couldn't find a landscape element that would tell a story beyond the existence of the cloud. When the sun reached the edge of the dark cloud and the turbines of a wind park came in sight we pulled off the highway. We searched for a spot that would have a foreground and would allow to stitch it all together, some foreground, the windmills, and the clouds.
Joan giggled after we finally pulled off the road and I realized the corn in front of us was so high (lucky farmers!), that we couldn't see the wind turbines anymore (poor photographer!) ;-) A few hundred yards down the road we found the spot that allowed me to make the image that tells a story about Iowa.
My friends in Germany, or maybe some people from Nevada or Florida, may ask, what the hell is the story? For me the story is that farmers can make a good living here from planting corn and soybeans in probably one of the most fertile lands in the world. The story is also about the downside from a mono culture of planting corn and soybeans. The aspiration for profit leaves very little room for protection of wildlife and natural habitats. At the other hand part of the story is about progressive thinking in Iowa. Yes, corn is still used to produce fuel (ethanol) but other renewable energies, like wind energy, are not out of the equation. Maybe this picture transmits the message that Iowa is a state that can play a big role in America's future energy policy. At least the photo may tell you that the people here are not just talking about it...
However, maybe you can't see anything of the above that I can see in this image but you definitely can't ignore the great sky. I came to the US in 1996 for the first time and had plenty of opportunities to travel all around the country since. I always thought that the sky here seems twice as big as it appears over in my home country Germany. I know this is an illusion but I haven't found the answer yet why this has never changed for me while framing an image with more than just a blue sky...
It was raining hard on Friday and this female Baltimore Oriole was probably thinking, "Why did I come up north all the way from the Gulf of Mexico if you still have almost winter weather conditions here?"
However, the bad weather with cold temperatures during last week did not stop the birds from arriving on time here in the woods north of Dubuque, Iowa. The first Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and the Baltimore Orioles were here April 30, and this matches our observations and records from the last eight years. The first Ruby-throated Hummingbird showed up May 3.
We had up to eight Grosbeaks here around the house that enjoyed the bird feeders or were just searching for food in the grass. I'm sure some of them will move on further north to Minnesota or Canada. They spent the winter in the northern part of South America or in the Caribbean.
It was a great day today being out looking for migrating birds. I saw probably six different warblers and some of them were first sightings for me. Not all pictures turned out the way I was hoping but I have enough to post here in the next few days. So please stay tuned...
You probably know the feeling after you have something created and accomplished that it is still not finished in one way or another, or that there is still potential for improvement even if you like the results. This is what happened to me with the image I show you today. It is from last years trip to the Rocky Mountains and the first version was made in full color. You can click HERE to see the color version of this photograph. I liked how the picture conveys the drama of this weather situation, with lots of rain and a short break through of the sun. The color version lives from the color contrast between the green of the grass in the foreground and the different shades of blue in the clouds. I received some good words about the photo in one of my online galleries but I still had the feeling that the first version did not reveal the essence of this particular moment. For my taste it still had too much information. The approach I'm taking now with this black and white version is to reduce everything just to the light and luminosity. For me it reflects the mood of this moment much better and now I have the feeling that I came a little closer to a final result that I like to print and hang on a wall.
Just a short post today. I like to go back to the only really rainy day we had in Rocky Mountain National Park. The fast moving clouds obstructed quite often any view over the mountains but we also had exciting moments with great light as I tried to catch in this image. Moments like this can be very short and after finding a safe spot to park the car somewhere above 11,000 feet on the Trail Ridge Road, there was just enough time to get out and make a few clicks. Seconds later the sun beams were gone again.
If you follow my blog since a while you already know that I'm not a big fan of blue skies if it comes to landscape photography. I believe all postcards in this world are already made and a boring blue sky just can't beat the dynamic of fast moving clouds that are illuminated by great natural light. We only had two nights with rain during our whole vacation but after the clouds broke off in the morning we knew there would be a good chance for some drama in the higher elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park. It didn't take very long to drive from our campsite at Timber Creek on the Westside up to elevations above 12,000 feet (~3650m). Trail Ridge Road, the road that goes across the National Park to the Estes Park on the Eastside, is North Americas highest major highway. It offers stunning views over the alpine tundra and to many of the 72 named peaks above 12,000 feet. Winter is never far in these high elevations and even during summer you may have some snow coming down. We only had a few rain showers and as you can see it can be very rewarding going up and not staying in the valley. More to come....
It has been quiet here in my blog during this Labor Day weekend. Joan and I went camping into Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin. It is a very nice park that offers a lot of recreation opportunities and is only an hour away from home. We went swimming, hiking, bird watching, and enjoyed some great vistas with beautiful clouds in the sky. Despite the rain on Saturday I was hoping for some good photo opportunities and I can tell you, I was not disappointed.
The rain was still drizzling on us when I made the picture above. The light reflected by these boats and canoes and the colors of the kayaks caught my attention. The green of the duck weed in the water and the gray asphalt on the right framed the whole scene nicely. A minute later the light had changed again and I was happy that I didn't miss this chance.
In post I just gave the color contrast a very slight boost with one of the filters in NIK Color Efex Pro 3.0. More to come…
A lot of work limits my radius of action at the moment and thats why I take advantage of the wide variety of wildlife in and around our yard. This shot was taken just from the front porch of our house. The light had unfold its magic when the rain came down and this American Goldfinch was backlit by the low sun.
