Found on the Web

Here are some interesting facts about Argiope Aurantias from the University of Arkansas Anthropod Museum…
Females build large webs, up to two feet in diameter. The female usually eats her web each day and constructs a new one, often in the same place. The web consists of dry spokes supporting a spiral thread of adhesive silk. The hub is separated from the spirals by a free zone. The spiders rest head down day and night at the hub of the web over a conspicuous zigzag band of bright white noncapture silk known as a stabilimentum. The stabilimentum apparently affords protection, perhaps by camouflaging the spiders, startling predators, or acting as an aposematic warning of the presence of webs. It seems to be especially effective in preventing birds from flying through webs.
For another view of the same type of spider, see my earlier post : By A Thread.
If you have a large monitor, clicking on the photo may provide a larger version.
Wide Awakening

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.
Dreamscape

I’m always on the hunt for another alluring sunrise. It means getting up very early, packing up the gear and heading out in time to be at the scene well before the sun will rise. Often times, the best shots happen before the actual sunrise.
A view like this makes it all worth while. This is the lighthouse at Algoma, Wisconsin…just before sunrise.
To get a better view, click the photo to see a larger version.
Fall’s Last Stand

Summer has long past. Fall is finishing. Down by the river, these wild grasses are making their final stand. Soon biting winter winds will assault them and Wisconsin snow will smother them.
This photo was taken early Saturday morning about half a mile from my home. I posted a black and white photo from this same morning a couple of days ago, entitled: Highlights by the River.
A larger view is available by clicking on the photo.
Wide Eyed Sunrise

There are several normal sized images I’ll post from this shoot, but there’s something special about being able to see the panoramic, wide-view – the big picture. This is a combination of three separate images “stitched” together.
To see a wider version (wider is definitely better) click on the photo.
Highlights by the River

In addition to the quality black and white processing adds, the lighting makes this image happen. The sun was behind and slightly above this scene. The bright areas that look like lights are created by the sun illuminating stalks of this same type of grass on the other bank, across the river. And, of course, I tweaked the image a bit – darkening the edges for dramatic effect.
This is not my typical type of image. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. And, if this photo appeals to you, feel free to share it with friends.
To see a larger version, just click on the photo.
Sun & Surf Rising

The structure near the horizon is the lighthouse at Kewaunee, WI.
A larger version of this image can by seen by clicking on the photo.
Dawn’s Brighter Light

Another image of the lighthouse at Algoma, WI.
If you have a large monitor, you may be able to get a better view by clicking on the photo.
Colorful Queen Ann’s Lace

This is common Queen Ann’s Lace. Normally the delicate flowers are snow white and create a full bouquet – with little space between the blooms. The color and sparse display for this bunch must be due to the onset of colder weather. Normally the stems are a simple green, not the purplish-red color seen here. (This photo was take this fall.)
You can view a larger version by clicking on the photo.
Crimson Tide

It was a beautiful sunrise and a very productive shoot. I have several photos that I’ll be posting from this batch.
The sky is something on this one, but it’s the reflection off the water that makes this one for me. And the larger the image, the better it looks. To see it larger, click on the photo.