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
Kewaunee
Liquid Lunar Rising
Distorted by the light-bending qualities of earth’s atmosphere, the full moon rising took on a redish-orange color and an unusual shape as it ascended above the Lake Michigan horizon, behind the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse and pier.
I would love to get more definition in the features of the moon, but at that low angle, the surface just seems like an undulating mass of mush.
I took several photos this evening. Check back to see more…soon, I hope.
Hidden Power
The sun had risen by the time I snapped this image but was being blocked by a low bank of clouds over Lake Michigan. Still, it managed to break through and make it’s presence known behind the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse and pier.
The image seems kind of dark…but that’s because it was kind of dark…until the sun hit that open band.
Winter Blues
As you know, winter has been reluctant to release its grip on Northeast Wisconsin. This is a scene that reminds me of the battle between warmth and cold. The cold seems to be winning, preventing the sun from having its full effect. We’re all believing for the sun to triumph, the ice and snow to melt and warmer summer breezes to induce the gentle sound of waves on Lake Michigan’s shore.
This is a view of the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse shortly after sunrise…as seen from the snow and ice-covered beach. To view a larger, more detailed version, click on the photo.
Wide Scene Format
The sky offered larger-than-life beauty but to take advantage of the opportunity I would have to take several photos and join them together to capture this wide, panoramic view.
This is a sunrise over Lake Michigan, behind the Kewaunee, WI pier and lighthouse. I like the way this photo gives the viewer a good idea of just how long this pier extends into the lake.
Because I combined four separate images (each 24mb) to create this image, it resulted in a huge file. The file was large enough to choke my computer to a near standstill. It took me many hours, twiddling my thumbs while it processed, to arrive at the final product.
Unfortunately, the narrow format of my website doesn’t do justice to the panoramic view. To view a larger version – one that will stretch the full width of your monitor – click on the image.
Simple Start
This was a very simple start to a very simple morning with the sun rising behind the lighthouse at Kewaunee, Wisconsin – on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo and a new tab will open in your browser.
The Frozen Wondra
When extremely cold temperatures combine with the open water of Lake Michigan, it creates a foggy atmosphere. Take a calm morning – with no hint of a breeze – and mix the misty moisture in the air with those extremely cold temperatures and it will freeze to practically everything as a thick, but fluffy, frost. Wonderful stuff.
In the background, of course, is the well-known Kewaunee, Wisconsin pier and lighthouse.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Heading for Open Water
A commercial fishing boat (the Oliver H. Smith) breaks its way through the ice of the Kewaunee, Wisconsin harbor on their way to the open waters of Lake Michigan.
The ice in the harbor was thick enough to make getting out a challenge and it took quite a while for the boat to break through. It would push and crunch its way into the ice, traveling 20 or 30 feet at a time before it would be halted. Then it would back up and take another run at it…for the next 20 or 30 feet…back up and repeat until it finally got to open water. This shot shows it clear of the solid ice, heading out of the harbor. I’ve included a short video of the struggle below.
The Oliver H. Smith, is a commercial fishing boat built in 1944 at Kewaunee Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. during World War II. It was purchased in 1999 and is operated by Lafond’s Fish Market in Kewaunee.
To view a larger version with more detail, click on the image.
Sullenly
The clouds and mist rising from Lake Michigan created a sullen scene at the Kewaunee, Wisconsin pier and lighthouse.
This was one of the last images I snapped on a very cold (below zero) morning of shooting. I’d been out there a lot longer than I would have thought – about an hour and forty-five minutes – but I found plenty to point my camera at. I was the only one braving the elements that morning. All of the footprints you see in the snow were made by me.
I had decided to call it a morning, was dismantling my equipment, folding my tripod and packing up to head home. I looked back over my shoulder and noticed the shadows from the tree and it drew me back for a few more minutes.
To view a larger version of this image click on the photo.
Daydream Catalyst
A guy can daydream, can’t he? I look at this photo and daydream about being on a beach in the Caribbean, relaxing in the warm glow of a tropical sunset.
Of course, this is Kewaunee, Wisconsin at sunrise. Even in summer, it’s never “tropical” warm on the beach in the morning. But, in the grip of arctic winter weather, with temperatures below zero and wind chills much lower, a little escape is nice – even if it’s only in my mind. Feel free to pull up a beach chair and join me.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Frosted Branch
This is another shot from a very cold morning in Kewaunee, WI. The open waters of Lake Michigan created enough moisture that everything along the shore was coated with a light, fluffy frost. This branch is a prime example.
If you look closely, you can see some little white specks (particularly on the right side). Those are little flakes of the frost falling like snow off the branch at the slightest movement of air.
Also, you will notice the Kewaunee lighthouse in the background. If you compare this photo with my previous post, You’ll be able to see this same branch from a very different perspective. Both photos were taken the same morning using different lenses. This one was 45 minutes or so after the other.
To see more of the details in this image, click on the photo and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.