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
Favorite
Warm Emotions On A Cold Morning
On a cold morning, the promise of warmth is conveyed by the subtle hues of a developing sunrise over the frozen harbor of Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Kewaunee is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
This is a very large panoramic image. To enjoy the full effect, please click on the photo. When you do a full-screen image will open in a new browser tab. On a small screen you will want to zoom in to see more of the details.
A look at the full- screen, panoramic image will reveal the Kewaunee lighthouse (a small bump, off center, just to the right of the trees on the left) and a historic WWII tug boat, the Ludington decorated with Christmas lights (to the left of the trees on the right). Unfortunately, even in the largest view I offer here, the Christmas lights are not really bright enough to see them. You have to view the very large, original file on my computer with a large monitor to make them out.
This is one of my favorite images of 2018. It is also the last image I shot of the year. It was a cold, December, Sunday morning. Sunrise was early enough I was able to catch it before getting ready to head to church. I decided to shoot the sunrise in Kewaunee from a different perspective – from the harbor facing southeast.
You can see the cracked ice in the foreground. It wasn’t frozen solid. The large sections were floating and gently, and almost imperceptibly, moving ever so slightly in waves. You could hear the slight creaking/cracking of the ice movement more than you could see it. I was at this spot for nearly an hour and ended up painfully cold by the time I decided to pack it in.
To create this wide-view, I had to combine (stitch) six separate images.
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.
Show Me Your Wonder
The beach at Kewaunee, Wisconsin is the perfect place to catch a dramatic scene as the sun rises behind their lighthouse and long pier.
This was a great morning to be on the beach with the sky providing a nice show and a few sunbeams. Not many were at the beach to experience it; just me and a young couple cuddling with themselves and their smartphone.
This image is actually a panorama – where I “stitched” two photos together to include more of the scene than is possible with a single frame. Usually, my panoramic images are pictures that are joined side-by-side. This image is comprised of two images stacked, one on the other. With my camera in “landscape” orientation I took a photo of the lower half with the lake and the beach and then a photo of the upper half with the sun and clouds. Together they give you the taller, “portrait” orientation image you see here.
Of course, the final image is nearly twice the size and resolution of a normal photo, giving you more detail. To see that some of that detail, click on the photo and a new browser tab will open with a full-screen version of this image. Then, to zoom in, click on the full-screen image.
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.
Rehabilitation Rising
The Kewaunee, WI lighthouse has a different look lately. It is undergoing renovation, as evidenced by the scaffolding surrounding the structure.
This was a photo taken just after sunrise from the beach at Selner Park, on the western shore of Lake Michigan. I’d heard they were sprucing up the lighthouse and decided I needed to get a photo while the work was in progress.
If you look closely, you can see a small fishing boat leaving the harbor, just visible off the end of the pier, where the sun is reflecting on the water.
This photo has a lot of detail that can be viewed better 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.
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
Sometimes it is difficult to fit all of the beauty in one frame. This pre-sunrise view from the harbor of Algoma, Wisconsin, took a compilation of five separate images.
The travel site, Expedia, recently named Algoma as “Most Beautiful Town” in Wisconsin. I believe they must have been there on a day like this. In their words…
This scene was photographed on the same morning I photographed, “Serious Sunrise;” an image I posted earlier. You can view it, for comparison HERE.
This is one of those images that don’t display well in on my blog’s small page format. You should click on the image to view a wider, full-screen, panoramic version.
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 Dance On the Beach
The waves seemed to be dancing with delight on the western shore of Lake Michigan as the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse and pier greet the new day.
As you can see, I had excellent conditions to try this type of image. Normally, at sunrise, the overwhelming brightness of the sun has a tendency to turn everything in the foreground into a silhouette. On this morning, there was some serious haze in the sky and clouds that blocked the harsh light and gave me enough to work with. The lake was a little rougher than it usually is at sunrise giving me the challenge of capturing a wave splashing on the shore.
There is plenty to like in this scene. The calming color of the sky, the landmark lighthouse with some fishermen on the pier, the texture of choppy water, the refreshing wave splash and reflection of light on the beach. This will be one of my favorites for the year.
If you have a larger monitor, you can view a more detailed version of this image 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.
Fully Charged
Lightning lit up the sky as a post script to the powerful storm that just rolled through our rural area of Kewaunee County in northeast Wisconsin.
A severe storm had just pushed through. On the horizon, the sky turned a wild, orangeish-red and the lightning continued to flash for awhile. I’m afraid I was a little late to the party. I should have gotten my camera out sooner. I was able to capture three shots with lightning – this, being the best one.
In the foreground you see the farm field, planted with corn in its early stages, soaked with water that reflects the brightness of the lightning. This shot was taken from a third-floor vantage point in the attic or our home. Very cool to watch.
This is one you’ll want to view in the larger version to see the fine detail in the lightning. You can do so by clicking on the image.
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.
Branching Out
One of my favorite spring images are the new, delicate leaves that sprout from trees emerging from their winter dormancy.
As I walk through the woods I’m always scanning my surroundings for something that catches my eye. This sprig was captured by the late afternoon sunlight and highlighted by a back-light of filtering through the trees, making the very common uncommonly interesting. (At least to me.) It was just another twig among millions that caught my eye.
You can view more of the detail in 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.
Valley of Promise
A panoramic view of a peaceful valley nestled among the rugged San Bernardino Mountains; part of the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California.
We were visiting family in San Bernardino. It was my first trip to the West Coast. We took a drive up to Big Bear Lake and stopped at various spots along the way to enjoy the view and snap a few frames.
Thankfully, as you can see, we had a cloud-filled sky so the sunlight wasn’t too harsh for this mid-day image. I like the clouds touching the top of the mountain. From this vantage point, I think you can see a little sliver of the ocean in the distance.
To capture this wide angle vista, I took 11 separate photos (in portrait orientation) and then merged them into one very large image (11,843 x 4916 pixels, 76.7 MB).
To get a real sense of the beauty and see the detail, you have to see it in the much larger size – available 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.
Be Still My Soul
I find this to be a very therapeutic scene. It is the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse with the waves of Lake Michigan rolling and reflecting the sunrise in the foreground. To add and extra measure of calming grace, six Canada geese fly past the lighthouse. (If you look close, you’ll even see a sea gull above the geese, on the right side.)
This is one of my favorite images. I captured this at the end of last February – the same morning I captured, Morning Rolls In, posted March 1st. Look back and compare the two. This one was after the sun was up and into the clouds. Morning Rolls In was shot earlier, before the sun breached the horizon.
I like both, but I like this one more. The sun’s reflection among the waves and the near perfect timing of the geese flying by make this an easy favorite.
Do yourself a favor and view this image in it’s largest available format. It’s easy, just click on the photo and 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.