A Sample of Pop’s “Bee” Images
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
A Sample of Pop’s “People” Photo Collection
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
Color Me Country
It doesn’t happen often, but when a rainbow appears it’s so much better when I can capture it.
On this occasion, I was mowing the lawn when it started to rain. I turned my mower toward the garage and noticed the rainbow forming. I parked the mower and dashed into the house for my camera and an umbrella. I had just enough time to snap a few photos before it dissipated.
This is actually a panoramic image. I stitched four, portrait oriented images together to capture what you see here. My camera and lens could not capture a wide enough view to fit all of the rainbow in one shot. I may have been able to capture all of it with a different lens, but I didn’t want to take the time to change lenses and maybe miss the shot.
You can view a full-screen 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.
Evening In Duluth
The renowned Aerial Lift Bridge of Duluth, Minnesota is the prominent feature when overlooking the city at night. Well, anytime of day, for that matter.
This is an image I took from Enger Park, high on a hill overlooking the city. I had scouted out a place to catch some good shots of the Duluth Canal area. I knew they flood the bridge with lights at night and decided to try and capture the scene. It was a mildly-cool evening on July 16, 2017 and a bit breezy.
Now the rest of the story…. Earlier that day, my wife and I took a ride up the scenic coast to visit and photograph some waterfalls and lighthouses. While working on shots of the Split Rock Lighthouse, standing on some rocks along the shore, my tripod-secured camera tipped over. When it hit the rocks the lens broke off and went one direction, the camera went another direction and took a quick dip in the water.
I scrambled to grab it and believe I kept it from being submerged but it did get quite wet. Without the lens attached, the sensor area was open and had received some moisture. I quickly did my best to dry everything. I don’t have cameras to spare…or the money to buy them…so it was a hugely, disheartening event. It put quite a crimp in the fun weekend we were having.
The more I examined the camera insides, the more water I could see. With a soft dry cloth, I rubbed the mirror element. I thought it was made of glass, and it may be, but it has some sort of plastic coating on it that I damaged. In the right light I could see a definite “L” like line. The camera body, itself, was also jacked up.
Surprisingly, with another lens, I was able to get the camera to turn on and used it to take more photos there. It was having hiccups now and then – displays weren’t working right, occasional errors writing to memory, etc. Still, I was happy it still showed life and was hoping it would dry out and function; albeit with some nasty scars.
It wasn’t until later, when I downloaded the photos to my computer that I could see the seriousness of the mirror damage I caused. In a normal DLSR the mirror flips up, when you press the shutter, to expose the sensor to the image. My Sony, mirrorless model, has a “translucent” mirror that reflects the image up to the viewfinder, but it doesn’t flip up to expose the sensor – the light actually passes through the mirror to the sensor. So any damage to the mirror will effect each image taken.
I’m sharing this long, sad, story to point out the flaws in the image I’ve posted here. You will notice the long light streaks on the right side of the bridge. Those are a result of the damaged mirror. Also, the mushy bunch of lights just to the left of the bridge are from the damaged mirror. The lights to the left should look like clear, individual dots similar to the dots inside the bridge frame.
The distortions were not so noticeable on the camera’s screen when viewing bright, daylight images. It’s painfully obvious with the night scenes. This could have been a very nice image and, I’m sure some will still like it, but I’ll always focus on it’s flaws. I debated with myself whether to post it and, of course, I decided to. I thought it would be interesting to see if anyone would comment on the flaws…who picked up on them without reading the details of this post. I wonder how many people might think it was some artistic effect.
As far as the camera goes, I had to replace it. I believe it would have cost more to repair than it was worth. I purchased the same model camera body (Sony A77) from a seller on eBay for half what a new one would cost. I had hoped to upgrade soon, but this unexpected expense will delay that for awhile. I was also able to order a part to fix the lens that was broken. It was a lot harder to repair than I thought, but I got it done and it’s working perfectly. It was a favorite lens, so I’m glad I didn’t have to replace it.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image – flaws and all – 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.
Peaceful Opposition
As evening began to plot its takeover of the landscape, this field of sunflowers stood in peaceful opposition to the impending nightfall.
Every now and then I go a little overboard with the post processing. When I snapped this image of sunflowers growing in a field near our home, it was late afternoon and the sun was setting behind the flowers. That put the face of the flowers in the shadows. With the use of fill flash, I was able to counteract the back-lighting but it gave the scene a strange, surreal feel. With the unusual lighting, there was no way to get a natural look, so I slipped down the other slope.
My wife thinks the two prominent blooms need a yellow, curved line under them to give the image a smile. I can see that.
You can view a more detailed, full-screen version of this image by simply 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.
Some Bunny Stopped By
This wild rabbit stopped to say, “Hi,” when we were on a recent hike through Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, in Brown County, WI.
This is the typical wild bunny that seems prolific in our area. This guy (or gal) crossed the trail before us and then stopped on the side for a moment…long enough to provide a photo opportunity. We were thankful for the short encounter.
You can get a better view by clicking on the photo. When you do a larger, more detailed 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.
Spirits In the Sky – Video
July 23rd was a particularly active day for the skies in our area. I set my camera in the wheat field across the road from our home and let it record a couple of hours.
My favorite part of this video is watching the development of clouds; seemingly out of thin air. I also think it’s cool to see the sun brighten the wheat field when it breaks through an opening in the clouds.
This video condenses two hours of real-time video into about two minutes.
For the best viewing experience, click the controls at the bottom right of the frame to view it in HD and full-screen.
Wildflowers of Yellow
A delightful collection of flowers blooming wild and free in Northeast Wisconsin.
These wildflowers were spotted along a trail at the Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, in Brown County. It was a beautiful day for a walk and a terrible day for misquotes. On this particular hike, every time we stopped we paid a price in insect attacks. Of course we survived, but we had to keep up a pretty good pace, continually swatting at the air and our arms. Might have missed a few shots in our hurried state.
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.
Algoma Enterprise at Duluth – Timelapse
The cargo ship, The Algoma Enterprise, arrives at the port of Duluth, Minnesota on July 16, 2017. This time-lapse video shows it sailing under the Aerial Lift Bridge and then the bridge lowering.
This was a very cool event. Needing a little time together, my wife and I snatched a weekend away to Duluth, MN. My plan was to try to capture a nice photo of their famous Aerial Lift Bridge with the sunset behind it. While there to capture the sunset, a large ship was arriving – the Algoma Enterprise. We waited longer than we would have to see this ship pass by. I set my video camera on the tripod and let it record the event. This is the result.
The Algoma Enterprise is listed as a, “Self Discharging Bulk Carrier.” This ship is about 730 feet long and 76 feet wide. It’s home port is Toronto, Canada.
You can view the full-screen version of this video by clicking the full-screen control in the lower right hand corner.
One Minute Sunrise 07-20-17 – Video
This is a timelapse video of a sunrise over rural Kewaunee County, WI. This sunrise was captured behind my house on July 20, 2017. I began recording in the dark of dawn; before sunrise.
It was a windy morning which, as you can see, gave a lot of motion to lower level clouds. I put the camera on a tripod behind my house to protect it from shaking by the wind. One minute of video represents an hour of actual time.
I recently picked up an inexpensive video camera, in hopes of using it to for capture timelapse photography. It’s a different genre of art and I have a lot to learn.
Frog Days of Summer
On a pleasant summer day, hiking through the woodlands of Northeast Wisconsin, we found this frog chillin’ in a small creek. The sparse sunlight, filtering through the trees, seemed to highlight the frog and made it an interesting scene. I rather like the blueish reflections on the water.
We were hiking on the trails of Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, in Brown County. I used a 250mm telephoto lens to get close enough to this critter without scaring him away. Even then, I had to crop this image quite a bit to get a good view of the frog.
You can get a better view, as well, by clicking on the photo, when you do a full-screen version will open in another 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.
Summer Jubilation
The day lilies are abundant this year in Northeast Wisconsin. These are a couple of specimens found in our front yard.
Every year we have a clump of day lilies that bloom around the utility pole in the front yard of our home. This year, will all the rain we’ve had, they are putting on quite a show.
You can view a larger version of this image – with more detail – 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.