Bill Pevlor
Flitting Among the Asters
On a warm summer day, this monarch butterfly was enjoying the weather and the wildflowers.
This was in a vacant field in the middle of an urban area. The warm sun and abundance of wildflowers were attracting a number of butterflies. Of course, they attracted me and my camera.
My goal was to capture the butterflies in flight. Not difficult to do with the number of butterflies in the area. The difficult part was to capture them close up and in focus. They fly erratically, up and down and every direction. Thankfully, with today’s modern digital cameras, you can snap hundreds of photos (if needed) without the expense of photo development to find the right shot. On this particular shoot, I believe I snapped about 140 shots and came away with several keepers. Still, while this particular butterfly is in focus, when you look closely, the image suffers from a bit of motion blur. (Did I mention they fly erratically?)
You can view a full-screen version of this image simply 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.
Bluebird Family Outing
These are Eastern Bluebirds perched on a stump in our backyard. We have bluebird nest boxes at several locations around our rural home. Each spring we watch, expectantly, for them to return, build their nests and raise their young.
The three birds with the speckled plumage are the young ones. They were attracted to the stump by a treat of mealworms we offered on a regular basis. We love watching them and their progress from hatchlings to fledglings…until they head south for the winter.
Feeding them mealworms on a regular basis creates a location where I can set up my camera and capture some good images. This photo was taken with my camera on a tripod ten to 15 feet away from the stump. I was actually in my house, watching out the window, snapping the photos with a wireless remote.
You can enjoy more of the detail in this image by viewing the full-screen version. Simply click 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.
Morning Rolls In
The waves were rolling in, just before the sun was to rise over Lake Michigan. I captured this view of the lighthouse and pier from the beach at Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
Most mornings the lake is calm, but recent windy conditions kicked up a bit of surf. This was taken last Sunday morning.
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.
Violet in the Wild
These, very tiny, delicate beauties are common blue violets. I photographed this set while hiking along a woodland path in northeast Wisconsin.
According to my Audubon Wildflower Guide, common blue violets can be found in damp woods, moist meadows, roadsides and even lawns. The violet leaves are high in vitamins A and C and can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be candied.
You can view more of the beautiful detail in this flower by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger 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.
Something Wicked in the Woods
The tangle of roots from a fallen tree seemed like something wicked among the greenery of a Upper Michigan forest.
This seems a bit of an oddity among my usual selection of pretty flowers and glowing sunrises. The curve of the dead, aging wood, in contrast with the new, green life around it caught my eye.
I debated whether to make it a monochrome image but decided the green wasn’t bright enough to hinder the mood. And, again, I liked the contrast.
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.
Softly and Tenderly
There is something about the delicate furl and opening of rose petals that draws the viewer in. Doesn’t this image make you want to get closer to smell its intoxicating fragrance?
This is a flower I found on a trip to Branson, MO a couple of years ago. It was in a small flowerbed, next to the parking lot, at a motel we spent the night at. You never know where you will find beauty to behold…and capture…so keep your camera close by.
You can view more of the detail in this image by clicking on the photo to see a larger version.
Not Ready to Wake
With the sun trying to break through in the background, the Algoma lighthouse and piers seem content to sleep in a little longer. Lake Michigan seemed just as reluctant to rise and greet the day. (Algoma, Wisconsin is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.)
Take in more of the beauty by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger, full-screen version will open in a new browser window.
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.
Icing On the Lake
When temperatures drop on Lake Michigan, the ice begins to form and coat anything it contacts.
This is a sunrise view of the lighthouse and pier at Kewaunee, WI – on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
That rock in the foreground isn’t actually a rock. It is an ice formation created by snow/ice breaking away from the shore and being trapped in the ice a few feet from shore.
You can view the detail in this image 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.
Deeply Devoted to Love
A closeup view of the delicate, and often emotional, beauty of the red rose.
On occasion, I’ve picked up a few long-stem flowers from a local florist for the main purpose of photographing them. Photographing flowers in the wild is a seasonal sport. Photographing flowers purchased from the florist can be a year-round activity.
If I remember correctly, I set this one in a vase on my kitchen table. I used the normal overhead and ambient light available in our kitchen. The drops you see are not water. (Though I’ll also use water in some shots.) These drops are glycerin – looks like water but holds better to the petals.
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.
Orange Plush
The sky looked more like soft, flowing fabric above the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse, on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
This image was captured in early December of last year. (2014) I stumbled upon it while looking for another image in my archives. I thought it was worth sharing.
This is a slightly different perspective of the Kewaunee lighthouse than you’ll normally see in my posts. This is from the north side of the pier. Most of the time, I’m shooting from the south side.
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.