Pops Photos
A Little Light Reflection
The waves were calm but the sky seemed to portray a warning. This red sky appeared, in the pre-sunrise morning, over Lake Michigan; behind the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse and pier.
Scenes like this often reminded me of the old adage, “Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors warning.”
This thinking was cited by Jesus in Matthew 16:2-3, “…When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening…” Shakespeare wrote something similar in, Venus and Adonis. “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”
According the Library of Congress website, there is some validity to this saying (within limits). They write…
When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.
A red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way.
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Great Awakening
The sky is beginning to wake up behind the Kewaunee lighthouse and pier. It was a calm morning on Lake Michigan.
This is a panoramic image – created by “stitching” together three separate shots. For the three shots combined here, I had my camera in portrait orientation. This method gives me a much wider view of the area I was photographing than a single image would capture.
One problem with this method, is it gives the waves an odd look because the water doesn’t pause its movement for the few seconds I takes to snap all three shots. So, if you look closely, you will notice the horizontal lines of the slight waves don’t line up well. The hope, of course, is that the beauty of the sky will capture your attention and you won’t pay a lot of attention to the water. (Unless you take the time to read my notes.)
You can view a much larger version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a new, full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Monarch Feasting
I find butterflies to be one of the most fascinating creatures in nature. And, when it comes to butterflies, I believe the monarch butterfly is one of the most beautiful.
I snapped this butterfly feasting on some type of wildflower at a local park area. You can also see another butterfly in the background on the left side of the frame. I believe that was a smaller, painted lady butterfly.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Bright Life
The sunflower is such a bright, cheery bloomer. It really does a great job of reminding us of the summer sun.
This was a bloom I found in the field behind my house a few weeks ago. This was actually a late bloomer. All the other sunflowers surrounding this one were taller and larger in size.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Me and My Shadow
These delightful, tiny leaf sprites were found among of the variety of butterflies residing at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri.
I’ve been posting more butterfly photos than usual lately. I just happen to have a bunch that I’ve taken over the last year that I’ve not had time to process or post. Stay tuned – more to come.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Awaking the Calm
On a calm Lake Michigan, the sun prepares to rise behind the pier and lighthouse at Kewaunee, Wisconsin. It was a glorious, eye-opening morning!
If you look closely you will see a fishing boat or two and people fishing off the pier.
This is one of the very few sunrises I was able to photograph through the summer…and, thankfully, it was a good one. I posted the first photo from this same morning a few days ago and will have a number of others that I will share in the coming weeks. Good stuff!
Nothing tricky about this shot – other than having to be there early in the morning. No HDR on this one, just a simple, single exposure and Lightroom processing.
To view a larger, more detailed version of this image, click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Sunflower Superstar
I purposely lined up this shot so the afternoon sun would be hidden behind the sunflower. That sneaky summer sun still found a way to crash the party.
These are sunflowers growing in the farm field behind my rural Wisconsin home. They are very tall; over my head in most places. The fields around our house are usually planted in wheat, oats or corn. It’s always cool when sunflowers make it into the rotation.
If you have a large monitor, you can view a larger, more detailed, version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Strange Life Form
Butterflies are such beautiful creatures with the colors and patterns of their wings. However, up close, they have the face only an alien mother could love. This photo is a stark reminder – though whimsical in flight and beautiful from a distance, they are still flying insects.
I believe this is a Blue Morpho butterfly. If you could see it with its wings open, you would see a spectacular, iridescent blue color. The Blue Morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world with wing spans from five to eight inches. Blue morphos live in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia.
On this photographic trip to the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri I tried, unsuccessfully, to capture one of them with their wings open. You can view their beautiful blue in a photo I captured on a previous trip here: Common Blue Morpho
This is one you may want to view in larger size to see more of the detail. (Or not…if bugs aren’t your thing.) To do so, simply click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Tucker the Pup
Meet Tucker, the Brittany pup. He’s a recent addition to my in-laws family. They are rather partial to the breed. This photo was taken when Tucker was about 8-weeks old. He lives in northwest Missouri.
According to Wikipedia… “The Brittany is a breed of gun dog bred primarily for bird hunting. Although it is often referred to as a spaniel, the breed’s working characteristics are more akin to those of a pointer or setter.”
This image is not any great photographic achievement, but every now and then I feel the urge to post something that ranks high on the “adorable” scale. That’s Tucker.
If you have a large monitor, you can view a larger version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Descent to Vertigo
Going down! These steps are part of the arduous 303 step stairway to a scenic view at Roche-A-Cri State Park near Friendship, Wisconsin. It’s quite a climb to the top but worth the view and a welcome place to rest before beginning the descent.
I took a few photos of the stairway and thought this one was most interesting because of the turns and the angle of the shot. This was shot with a wide-angle lens (12mm). I processed this photo in both color and monochrome and asked my wife to pick the one she preferred. She liked the B&W best. So here it is.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.