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
Sunrise
Bluebird Dawn
Just before sunrise I noticed a bluebird checking out the bluebird houses in our yard. I grabbed the camera and headed out the back door. I got a picture but not the one I was after. Here’s the story…
My goal was to snap a picture of the bluebird posed on the bluebird house, framed by a big, bright sun behind him. While I was trying to line up the shot, the bluebird flew off the house, into a nearby tree. I was able to click off a quick photo of the bird in the tree before he flew off for good. Then I turned my camera to the sunrise and snapped a couple of frames.
The image above is a combination of two different photos (shown on the right). I started with a shot of the sunrise and overlaid the silhouette of the tree branches with the bluebird. As you can see, the original photo of the bird and branches had a background of just light gray sky. Not very interesting or appealing. The sunrise was pretty on it’s own, but the branches and bird adds interest .
Both photos were taken within a minute of each other. Not quite the image I was shooting for, but I think the final result turned out well.
To see a larger version of the above image, simply click the photo.
Path to Splendor
My favorite quote about photography…
“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” George Eastman
This was a photo where the star of the show is light. It’s a winter sunrise taken at the sparkling, snow-covered beach in Kewaunee, WI.
To see a larger version, click on the image.
As the Rooster Crows
This is the panorama version of the January, 31, 2012 pre-sunrise at my house. (See my previous post)
This is one of those photos where the larger the better. Unfortunately, you can’t really get it large enough for my liking. Still, you can get a larger/wider view by clicking on the photo.
Genesis Dawn
This was how the last day of January, 2012 began at my house. It turned out to be a beautiful day with unseasonably warm temperatures.
I was in my home office, getting some things together before leaving for work, when my wife said, “Have you seen the sky?” One quick look had me dashing for my camera; hoping to get a couple of good shots in the few minutes I had.
This is a view of the pre-sunrise sky beyond the farm field that borders my home.
To see a larger version, click on the image.
Sailing Past the Sun
Here’s an artsy, surreal, minimalist kind of image for you.
One morning last fall I visited the beach in Kewaunee to capture the morning’s sunrise. There was a good deal of low fog muting the sun. I happened to snap just as a sea gull flew by.
Click the photo to see a larger version.
Sunny Delight
Everyone loves sunflowers. There is just something about their bright, cheery disposition that even a cloudy day can’t dampen. A full field of them is sheer delight!
We’ve had some dreary, gray days – weather wise – recently. I thought a sunflower image would be a welcome sight. This field of sunflowers was found in our area of rural Kewaunee County, WI.
To see a larger version of this photo, click on the image.
Sunrise of Hope
There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope. Bern Williams
This morning’s sky was pregnant with promise as a new day dawned over Lake Michigan, just beyond the harbor and lighthouse of Algoma, WI.
Click the image to see a larger version.
Gold Standard
A rising autumn sun warmly caresses the Algoma Lighthouse. As you know, this is one of my favorite photographic subjects. Located at the harbor entrance to Algoma, WI, most folks refer to it as the Algoma Lighthouse. It’s also called the Algoma Pier Light or the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse. I don’t know that you could consider it a true “lighthouse,” as it is not a habitable structure. It is listed by the United States Coast Guard as “Algoma Light;” number 20975 on their light lists.
Here’s a little history and other details found on Wikepedia…
The lighthouse was first established in 1893 as a set of range lights. It was rebuilt in 1908 at which time it was a conical tower built of 5/16 inch steel plate, 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter at the base and 7 feet (2.1 m) in diameter at the parapet. It stood 26 feet (7.9 m) high. In 1932 it was modified again and the entire structure was raised to a height of 42 feet (13 m) by placing the older tower on a new steel base 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter. The original lens has been replaced by a plastic lens.
To see a larger version of this photo, just click on it.
Red Sky at Morning
This scene reminded me of the the old adage “Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. ”
I don’t recall the weather turning bad on the day this photo was taken, but then I wasn’t sailing either. We did have overcast skies with a little drizzle.
I did a little research on the common saying and found this interesting comment on Wikipedia…
The rhyme is a rule of thumb for weather forecasting, dating back over 2,000 years, based on the reddish glow of the morning or evening sky, caused by haze or clouds related to storms in the region. Due to the rotation of the Earth, from west to east, storm systems tend to travel eastward across a local region of the globe. A reddish sunrise, caused by particles suspended in the air, often foreshadows an approaching storm, which will be arriving from the west, within the day. Conversely, a reddish sunset often indicates that a storm system is on the east side (opposite the sunset), travelling away from the viewer. A similar movement is noted all around the world, in both the northern and southern hemisphere. There are occasions where a storm system might rain itself out before reaching the observer (who had seen the morning red sky). However, for ships at sea, the wind and rough seas, from an approaching storm system, could still be a problem, even without rainfall.
To get a better view, click on the photo and a larger version will pop up.
Wide Awakening
This is a panoramic view of the sun rising over Lake Michigan just beyond the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse.
Sometime I create the wide, panorama images by joining together several individual shots. This one, however, was created in the camera. My Sony SLT-A55V has a “sweep shooting” mode. When in sweep shooting mode, you hold the shutter button and slowly pan across the scene you want to capture. The camera takes multiple images and then joins them together in the camera.
As you can see, sometimes the results are pretty good. Sometimes, it’s better to put together individual images on the computer.
For a better, wider view of this scene, click on the photo.