Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Pops Photos
Pathway to Glory
These are all images taken at AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin – the annual convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association. These are long exposure images snapped during the night airshow. The above photo was a 32-second exposure, the image to the right was 8, the image below was 35.
How were these graceful forms created? An airplane flew an acrobatic routine with some kind of sparkly fireworks shooting from the wings. To capture the action, I had my camera on a tripod and positioned on the area of sky where I guessed the plane would be flying. These were my best guesses and even these have moments where the plane went beyond the camera’s view…and came back.
The long exposure captures the brightest light from the aircraft’s flight pattern. In the dark, the aircraft, itself, wasn’t bright enough or in one spot long enough to be registered by the camera’s sensor.
If you look closely, you’ll see stars that show up as little white dashes. The whisps, particularly noticeable in the bottom photo, are the smoke left behind from the fireworks.
You can view a larger version of any of these photos in its own browser tab by clicking on them.
Blue Velvet
The combination of lazy waves, pre-sunrise orange, an opening in the clouds that provided the blue reflection and the lighthouse in the background make this one of my favorite images from this summer.
This image is almost ruined by a swarm of tiny bugs (common around the lake shore this time of year) picked up by the lens as faint black markings in the sky, about the middle of the photo. You may have to view the larger version to see them. Most people wouldn’t notice them, but I do, and it almost got me to scrap this image. I could probably remove them with some tedious, time-consuming work – but no time for that at the moment.
Take a closer look at a larger version by simply clicking on the photo.
Oh Happy Day
Everyone is happy at the hot-air balloon rally that is a popular event at the annual Hamburger Festival in Seymour, WI.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Glimpse of Heaven
When people learn that I often get up and out while it’s still dark to try and photograph a sunrise, they think I’m a little kooky.
When I capture a scene like this and look around to see I’m the only one there to experience it, I think the rest of the world is a little kooky.
On this particular morning, as the sun began to rise, a small opening appeared in the sky over the Sturgeon Bay, WI lighthouse. Lake Michigan seas were calm that morning.
To get a better view, you can click on the photo and see a larger version in a new browser window.
Colorful Classic Fly By
One of the awesome aspects of the annual EAA AirVenture is the amazing variety of aircraft you can see – up close and flying by.
I love the variety of color and the precision formation of this fly by.
To be honest, I was tempted to clone more of these planes into photo to fill the frame…but decided to leave it as I photographed it.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Hummingbird Moth Caterpillar
This monster caterpillar was found decimating the primrose patch in our flowerbed. It is a Hummingbird Moth Caterpillar.
This bad boy, complete with dangerious looking spike on his tail, was about 4-inches long.
It took a bit of research online by my wife, Sara, to identify this particular species. The hummingbird moth is a large moth that is often mistaken for hummingbirds because they are about the same size and flit from flower to flower like hummingbirds.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Dawn’s Early Flight
On the morning I took this photo, it was a calm and slowly brightening scene. I was focused on capturing the color in the clouds behind the lighthouse.
A large number of seagulls were resting on the pier running perpendicular to the lighthouse, apparently having spent the night there.
For no particular reason, they began to take off and I simply clicked the shutter several times as they inserted themselves into the scene.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Winging It
Something you don’t see every day…unless you’re talking about the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
This is the high-flying duo of Gene Soucy (pilot) and Teresa Stokes (wing walker) that flew to the delight and amazement of airshow spectators on Saturday, August 3, 2013.
Though I live less than two hours drive from Oshkosh, I’d never been to an EAA AirVenture – an annual aviation convention/extravaganza. I decided this would be the year. Amazing doesn’t begin to describe the experience. I was blessed to be there on a perfect day, weather wise, and was able to snap a number of great photos. (Watch for future posts.)
If you’d like to know more about the daredevils in this photo, visit their website: http://www.genesoucy.com.
To view a larger version of this image (I highly recommend it), click on the photo.
In Praise of Yellow
On a recent hike through the woods, I was delighted to find a variety of wildflowers. These are some of my favorites from that day.
The one flower seems to be raising a hand in praise of the creator. (Or, maybe just hoping to get noticed.)
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Winged Warrior Memoirs
This photo speaks of a bygone era of air combat. The blue jet in the center of this image is a Grumman Tiger F11. This one sports the markings of the US Navy’s Blue Angels. It was flown by the Blue Angels in their 1968 season.
Alongside the Tiger, you’ll see a MiG-15 (black) and MiG-21 (silver) – all on display at the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, Kansas.
I won’t take a lot of space here to detail the distinguished history of these aircraft. Instead, let me direct you to the Combat Air Museum’s website where they have a great deal of information on these and other classic warbirds they proudly display…
http://www.combatairmuseum.org/index.html
(Select “Aircraft On Display” from the menu on the left.)
To see a larger version of either image, just click on it.