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
Bill Pevlor
Full Body Tattoo
I found this uniquely decorated spider hanging around in my wife’s flower bed. In our part of the world we call these large arachnids, yellow garden spiders. This spider falls under the Argiope Aurantia classification.
The markings on it’s abdomen remind me of a tattoo. I think it looks like a tattoo of some space alien.
Because of this spider’s size, it looks menacing but the Argiope genus are harmless to humans. Like most garden spiders, they eat insects, and they are capable of consuming prey up to twice their size. The etymology of Argiope is from a Greek name meaning “silver-faced”.
Because of the very sparse web this one is hanging on, I’m guessing it is a male since the females tend to have a large, more complicated web with a prominent zig-zag pattern in the center. (Here’s an example from my collection – Found On the Web.)
You can get a larger, more detailed view 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.
I Stand at the Door and Knock
One of the spectacular stained glass windows found in the sanctuary of the Centerburg Christian Church in Centerburg, Ohio. These, priceless, hand-painted windows date back to 1911.
This is just one of four very large stained glass windows, (and a number of smaller windows) that grace this church sanctuary. Each of large windows depict a Biblical teaching. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to post more in the future. A big, Thanks!, to Pastor Jeff Perry and the members of his flock for allowing me access to the building to capture and share the beauty and majesty of their stained glass.
The process to get this image was difficult. This windows are so large, I had to photograph them in sections. To process them I had to stitch the individual photos together and then try to correct the natural distortion that comes from the lens and the angles inherent in photographing a large scene at close range. I spent many hours on this one image and it is filled with flaws. Still, the beauty created, more than a hundred years ago, by the stained glass artists overshadows any flaws in my processing. Hopefully, with more practice, I’ll improve my process.
This is definitely an image you will want to look at enlarged, to witness the incredible color and detail in this glass. Click on the image and a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab. Then be sure and click on the photo again and it will enlarge more for an even closer look.
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.
One Minute Sunset – 07-30-17
This is a time-lapse video of a July sunset at our home in rural Kewaunee County, WI. This compresses about an hour of time into a minute.
Be sure to watch long enough to see the contrails (A trail of condensed water from aircraft at high altitude, seen as a white streak against the sky.) There are three of them. It is easy to miss the first one. It shows up at about 27-seconds in as a light line coming in from the right side of the tree. The other two you won’t miss at 34 and 42 seconds. They come from the top of the frame and are prominent in the scene.
For the best viewing experience, you’ll want to watch this video at full-screen and high definition. To do so, click the controls in the bottom right corner of the video frame.
Wild Pair
This pair of wildflowers caught my eye on a hike through the trails of Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, in Brown County, Wisconsin.
The light filtering through the trees seemed to accentuate these particular blooms. And, as I’ve said many times before…in photography, it’s all about the light.
This was my first outing with a new lens. (Actually, a used lens, but new to me.) It was an inexpensive acquisition and I think it did an acceptable job.
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.
Sugar and Spice
What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice. That’s what little girls are made of.
This is a portrait of one of our granddaughters. We were blessed to have an opportunity to spend a little time with her and her parents recently.
Of course, whenever we have the pleasure of visits with any of the grandchildren, I usually try and grab a few photos. After this visit, as we were driving home, I told my wife I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to get any good photos of our granddaughter. When I downloaded the day’s images to my computer I was delighted to find this gem. This is the only decent image I captured of her on this visit, but it’s a definite keeper.
You can get a better look at those big, beautiful eyes 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.
Predator
This bee was persistent in his attack of this dandelion. My getting close didn’t seem to dissuade it. As I approached, it would leave the flower, hovering a few inches above, and then settle back down for the work. That made it easy for me to get a good shot. The tiny butterflies I was trying to capture were considerably more shy. They vacated the blooms anytime I got within range.
This scene was captured on my own front lawn. I titled this one, “Predator,” because I think the bees face makes an ominous impression. I know I wouldn’t want to meet one in a dark alley.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this photo by clicking on it.
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.
Partial Eclipse 2017
I was able to grab an image of the partial solar eclipse that appeared, filtered by light cloud cover, over Green Bay, Wisconsin on August 21, 2017.
I was working through the eclipse but took a short break to snap a few frames. It was a bit tricky, since I didn’t really have much time or the proper equipment to photograph an eclipse. I didn’t have any filters and didn’t use a tripod. Thankfully the light clouds provided some filtering effect and a little texture to the image. I also used a tall spruce tree to add some foregroud context.
To capture this image I had to use some crazy camera settings – 1/3200 sec, f/40, ISO 50, 250mm. Never actually looking at the sky, and hand holding the camera, I used the articulating screen on the back of my camera to find the sun and quickly snap my shots. I didn’t want to stay focused on the sun for more than a moment because without the proper filter there was a risk of damaging the image sensor. Of course, I increased the saturation in post processing.
This isn’t the best image, technically speaking, but at least I was able to grab a glimpse of the historic event in my area.
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.
Early Morning Stretch
Sometimes I just pick up my camera and wander around my yard to see what I can see. On a recent morning stroll around the yard, just after sunrise, I snapped a few photos of the pea plants growing in the farm field that surrounds our property.
This shot appealed to me for several reasons… The green glow of the plant in the morning light, the tiny drops of dew still clinging to the plant in the cool of the morning, the graceful curve of the vine-like shoot and the small buds that will bloom a pretty purple flower.
Of course, to see the sharp detail of this image, it best viewed in a large size. To see the largest possible size on your particular screen, click 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.
World of Chaos
The globe thistle is a unique, flowering thistle and is garden friendly. It provides an appealing contrast of color and texture to the flower bed in mid summer.
I didn’t know these were called “Globe Thistles” until I looked them up to provide more info for this post. This photo was taken in one of the flowerbeds at our home.
According to Gardening Know How…
Echinops is the botanical name for globe thistle. They are stunning flowers with deep dark blue petals set in a spiky frame. The leaves are deeply notched, dark green on top and slightly silver underneath and slightly hairy. The plants are native to Asia and Europe and the name means hedgehog in Greek, which is appropriately referencing the prickly blooms. Globe thistle flowers make excellent dried displays and last for years as part of an everlasting flower display.
You can get a better, more detailed view 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.
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.