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
Kodak Easyshare DX7590
Waiting for a Bus
I found this odd looking bugger in one of my wife’s flower beds. Goofy looking and larger than a typical house fly, I worked on sneaking up on it to, hopefully, get a decent picture of it. To my delight and surprise, this guy didn’t seem to mind me. It sat there – just as you see him – while I moved within inches and snapped several photos.
This is an image I captured several years ago using my consumer grade Kodak Easyshare DX7590. That camera was pretty good at macro work.
On a side note: I posted this yesterday on my Google+ account. Someone commented, “That’s a dung fly.” I think I would have preferred not to know that. Especially when I consider how comfortable it was with my presence. (If you’d like to follow me on Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113684854375405108383/posts)
To get a better view of the bug, click on the photo.
Great Blue Heron
I took this photo while gliding by in a canoe on the Kewaunee river. I was on my way up-river to, hopefully, catch some small mouth bass. It was early morning in the middle of summer.
There’s a little bit of digital trickery in this image. There was only one Great Blue Heron along the shore. I took several pictures and combined two of them to make it look like a pair of birds. I thought it made the image more interesting.
You can click the image to view a larger version. You comments are always appreciated. Feel free to share this image with your friends.
Algoma Sunrise Panorama
This is one of my earliest attempts to create a panoramic image by “stitching” together several individual photos. If I remember correctly, this is a combination of five photos.
The narrow format of this blog doesn’t offer the best view of wide images. This is one you’ll want to see larger. To do so, click on the image.
To see a variety of Pops Digital panoramas, look over our Panorama Gallery.
The Center of Passion
There is something about this image that captivates me. I’d like to say it was taken in some exotic location, but it wasn’t. It is the center of a poppy from the flower bed beside our home.
Of course, it’s the rich, deep red of the petals that initially grab me. However, it’s the purple center, ringed by the dark seeds, that keep me staring.
I realize this is one of those images that either trips your trigger…or not. Feel free to leave a comment, either way.
Click the image to see a larger version.
Serene Sunset
This was one of those, “Hey, Beautiful, where have you been all my life?” moments.
I’ve been working my way through my photo files and stumbled upon this one. I took this 4 years ago and, somehow, forgot about it. There must have been something else I was working on that diverted my attention.
This was taken in the farm field across the road from my house. There was an interesting fog moving in as the sun was setting behind the tree line. I’ve photographed that big tree a lot, because it’s the only thing around that I can add to the foreground of my sunset photos.
If you like this image…please, feel free to share it.
To see a larger version of this image, just click on it.
Break of Dawn
The rising sun begins to peek from behind the Pier Light at Algoma, WI. The below zero temperatures caused steam to rise off of Lake Michigan. Even with the bitter cold temperatures, the gentle movement of the waves from the lake keep the harbor from freezing solid.
This was a tricky shot to get. I had to climb down the ice-covered, rock embankment of the marina to get as close to the harbor surface as possible.
The most amazing thing about this image, to me, is that I was able to capture this with my old camera. My Kodak Easyshare DX7590 was a decent camera but far from a DSLR.
I was honored to have this photo featured on a prominant photography website – Earthshots.org. See it HERE.
Click the photo to see a larger version.
Algoma Lighthouse Rainbow
These images are some of my earliest, serious photographic attempts to capture of one of my favorite subjects – the Algoma, WI harbor and lighthouse.
This photo dates back to September 28, 1996. It was taken with my Kodak Easyshare DX7590 – a moderate step above a point-and-shoot camera that had a whopping, 5 mega-pixel sensor and a 10x optical zoom.
After a day of working at the church, I started for home. As I drove by the harbor, I noticed the rainbow. I grabbed my camera and a new toy I had just received as a birthday gift a couple of weeks before – a circular polarizing filter. It’s the filter that really brings out the colors of the rainbow.
A couple of things I remember from that shoot… The rainbow was strong and lasted a long time. I was able to take several photos from different locations around the harbor. Usually, about the time I get the camera out and the filter on, the beauty has faded.
I also remember being concerned about my camera, since there was a light drizzle falling. I remember crouching under a very small tree to try to keep it dry.
For a larger view, click on any of these photos.
Messy Hands
This is an image that dates back to 2006. This photo was the initial inspiration for my experimentation and reasonable success with macro photography.
My old camera, a Kodak Easyshare DX7590, did an exceptional job with macro shots. When I saw what was possible – after taking this image – I started to major on the minors. I can spend hours crouched down by a flower bed, moving slowly, trying to be unnoticed while I position my camera as close as possible to any tiny creatures I can find. I was just a few inches from this bee when I snapped this photo.
I love seeing the normally, unseen details of God’s creation. For instance, in this image, I am fascinated by the bee’s wings, the pollen on the flower and bee’s legs, that little dongle thing protruding from the bee’s head, it’s eyes and the orange tipped spears of the cone flower.
If you find this image appealing, please feel free to share it with friends. (If you’re on Facebook, simply click one of the Facebook links below this story.)
To see a larger version and even more detail, 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.
Billboard Beauty
Someone recently asked me if I sell my photos. Yes I do…anytime I can. I’ve sold a good number of prints in a local store and I’m working on stepping up my game and expanding to other markets.
I recently sold one of my photos to a billboard company that ended with an an unexpected and humorous twist. (At least from my perspective.) Here’s the story…
I’m gaining a little bit of a reputation as a local photographer with some good pictures of this area. Last February, a billboard company called me, looking for a picture of the Algoma lighthouse and harbor. I sent them some samples to choose from. They wanted something that offered plenty of open space for adding their message and was generally blue in tone.
I asked them what the image would be used for and they said their client, Dairy Dreams, wanted a 12 ft by 6ft billboard to use during an open house they were planning in the spring. I thought it would be pretty cool to have one of my images blown up to 12×6 size.
They selected the photo above. I had previously posted a cropped version of this photo on this blog under the title Between a Rock and a Calm Place. (The image to the right.) After we settled on the conditions of use and a price, I re-sized the image to proper proportions for their purposes, sent it to them and asked their design artist to send me a copy of the finished design.
A few weeks later I received email from the designer with an attachment of the billboard image. Needless to say, I was excited to see how they used my photo. I opened it up, looked at it for a moment and then burst out laughing. (See the image below.)
I never would have guessed they would use my clean, serene, harbor scene to promote Biogas Anaerobic Manure Digesters. I guess it fit with the image they are trying to convey about their manure digesting process.
All in all, I was glad to make the sale and happy that a whole new group of people would see my work. My only regret was that I never had the chance to go by during their open house to see it in all it’s full-size glory.
Winter Beach
Of all the images you’ll find in my Flickr Photostream, this is one that has been viewed and commented on more than most.
This is a view of Lake Michigan at the the Algoma, WI beach on March 4, 2007. I was heading to the church early in the morning and stopped, as I often do, to snap a few pictures. It was at the tail-end of a snow storm and, though you can’t see it, snow was still blowing quite a bit. I remember it being miserable outside.
If you go to my Flickr Photostream, you can see this same image in B&W. (Click Here)
The panoramic view below – created by “stitching” several photos together – was captured the same morning.
