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The Coldest Lonely

Lighthouse, Monochrome, Kewaunee, Cold, Ice, Fog, Lake Michigan
Sub-zero temperatures and open water create an interesting blend of ice, frost and fog around the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse and pier. Kewaunee is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.

I took this photo from shore with a telephoto lens which makes the lighthouse appear relatively close to the shore. In fact, the Kewaunee pier extends hundreds of feet into the lake. Of course, the buildup of Ice along the shore also contributed to the closer-than-reality effect.

This is one of the images I captured back in the bitter cold of January, 2014. It was one of the coldest days I’d ever been out shooting. I thought a monochrome treatment would bring out the dramatic fog and cold, lonely feel of this scene.

You can get more of the crisp detail of this image by viewing the full-screen version. To do so, 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.

Splashed Onto the Scene

Splash, Lake Michigan, Lighthouse, Sunrise, KewauneeEven a gentle wave can make a big splash if it encounters a solid obstacle on the shore. Some wood that drifted ashore on the beach in Kewaunee, WI, provided a splash point for the waters of Lake Michigan.  Not exactly sure, but It looked like the roof of small small shed.

The Kewaunee lighthouse, seen in the background, was surrounded by scaffolding during its renovation in the summer of 2017.  This was a June capture.

If you have a large monitor, take advantage of it to 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.

Kewaunee Consummation


Sunrise, Kewaunee, Lighthouse, Lake Michigan, PanoramaLines, angles, clouds, color and light converge on the Kewaunee lighthouse and pier to create a panoramic morning view.

This is the compilation of three separate images, stitched together to create a wider view than would be possible with a single frame.

Just looking at the photo, you get the impression that it was a warm morning. That was not the case. It was a very cool, fall morning; near freezing.

You can get a better, more detailed, full-screen view 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.

Dawn Patrol

Lighthouse, Sunrise, Geese, Sea Gulls, Kewaunee,
On any given morning, you can find Canada geese and sea gulls patrolling the area around the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse. They seem like a vigilant group; quick to sound an alarm when intruders are detected.

This was the scene yesterday morning from the beach just north of Selner Park, on the shore of Lake Michigan. I was able to get out early and snapped a number of nice shots. I’ll try to post more from this morning in the near future.

You can get a better view by clicking on the image.  When you do, a larger, 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.

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.

Partial Eclipse 2017

Solar Eclipse, Partial Eclipse, Sun, Moon, Sky, Clouds
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.

Color Me Country

Rainbow, Rural, House, Kewaunee, WI
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.

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.

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.

Where There’s Smoke

Night, Fireworks, Smoke, July 4th, Kewaunee, WI
A lot of smoke from previous bursts added a dramatic effect to the sky for this cluster of fireworks at the annual Independence Day celebration at Kewaunee, WI.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather was very pleasant – in fact a perfect night on the lake shore – but there was little air movement. What little air movement there was, moved toward us from the direction we were viewing the fireworks. As a result, the smoke from the fireworks hung in the air and, as you can see here, obstructed our view at times. Still, a great time was had by all.

You can view  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.