Red
Fire From Below
This spectacular August sunrise colored the sky behind the Kewaunee lighthouse and pier. Kewaunee, Wisconsin is a small town, located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
This is a panoramic shot of about three separate photos joined (stitched) together to create a wide-view image. This photo was taken on August 31, 2019. I just discovered it in my archives. I did post another image taken this same morning I titled, “Awaking the Calm.” (Click the title to see that one.)
This is not the greatest image because it was taken when it was still pretty dark – much darker than what this photos represents. I had to remove a lot of digital “noise” and pull back the saturation. You can see a larger version of it by clicking on the image. If you look closely at the larger image you will see boats in the water (to the right of the lighthouse) and fishermen on the pier.
The Color Poppy
The poppy is one of the most vibrant, delicate and interesting blossoms of spring. Sadly, it is a short lived beauty. Our small supply of poppies have been brutalized by the strong winds we’ve had lately. This photo was taken a week ago.
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Columbine Collective
I enjoy finding and photographing wildflowers. These columbines were blooming along a trail in a wooded area not far from our home in northeast Wisconsin.
Columbines are of the Aquilegia genus; a name derived from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), because of the shape of the flower petals, which are said to resemble an eagle’s claw. The common name “columbine” comes from the Latin for “dove”, due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together. They are perennial plants found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
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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.
A Little Light Reflection
The waves were calm but the sky seemed to portray a warning. This red sky appeared, in the pre-sunrise morning, over Lake Michigan; behind the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse and pier.
Scenes like this often reminded me of the old adage, “Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors warning.”
This thinking was cited by Jesus in Matthew 16:2-3, “…When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening…” Shakespeare wrote something similar in, Venus and Adonis. “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”
According the Library of Congress website, there is some validity to this saying (within limits). They write…
When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.
A red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way.
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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.
Burned Into My Memory
I was able to grab a couple of shots of the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse yesterday. Even though the sun seems to be above the horizon, this is actually a pre-sunrise shot. That faux sun – the round, yellow area in the middle right – is not the sun. It is just a lighter area of cloud cover that allowed a brighter area of light to escape. The actual sunrise was still a good 15 minutes away.
The last few times I had an opportunity to get some sunrise images the weather didn’t cooperate. It was foggy or rainy or totally dreary with clouds. Yesterday wasn’t bad and I was able to pick up a few good images. Stay tuned – they’ll be more to come.
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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.
Great Awakening
The sky is beginning to wake up behind the Kewaunee lighthouse and pier. It was a calm morning on Lake Michigan.
This is a panoramic image – created by “stitching” together three separate shots. For the three shots combined here, I had my camera in portrait orientation. This method gives me a much wider view of the area I was photographing than a single image would capture.
One problem with this method, is it gives the waves an odd look because the water doesn’t pause its movement for the few seconds I takes to snap all three shots. So, if you look closely, you will notice the horizontal lines of the slight waves don’t line up well. The hope, of course, is that the beauty of the sky will capture your attention and you won’t pay a lot of attention to the water. (Unless you take the time to read my notes.)
You can view a much larger version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a new, 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.
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Talk about a wild ride! This spectacular light painting was created by a pair of acrobatic airplanes flying huge loop-the-loops in the night sky while shooting fireworks off their wings. Though this long exposure image gives the impression of a colorful chaos, it is actually very graceful and beautiful to watch. This was part of the night airshow at the EAA’s AirVenture 2019.
Because this is a long exposure shot, the people on the ground have a ghostly/blurry quality to them caused by them moving during the 26-seconds the shutter was open. The airplane on the ground didn’t move, so it remains sharp.
The night, fireworks-enhanced air show has improved over the years. You can view some long exposure shots I took at AirVenture 2013 by visiting this earlier post – Pathway to Glory.
You can view a larger, more detailed 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.
Turbulent Solitude
Lake Michigan’s waves were churning during an otherwise peaceful morning as the sun was ascending behind the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse and pier. Look closely and you can see people fishing on the pier.
I checked the date stamp on this image and it appears I took this photo on the morning of my birthday in September of 2017. It took me long enough to finally get around to processing and posting it. I may need to get more focused.
You can view more of the details in this image 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.
How Sweet It Is
This is honeysuckle in bloom. There are about 180 different species of honeysuckle found around the world. This bloom was found in northwest Missouri.
Honeysuckles are a favorite garden plant. Their bright color and sweet nectar attracts hummingbirds. Their vining growth are also used to cover unsightly walls and outbuildings. They are prized for their profuse tubular flowers in summer and the intense fragrance.
You can get a larger, more detailed view of this image by simply 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.
30 Second Sunrise – Kewaunee, WI – 06-09-18
One morning, when I was at the beach in Kewaunee, Wisconsin to photograph the sunrise, I set a small video camera on the hill of the park and let it record the sunrise. This is the result. The camera doesn’t provide the highest quality but I think it is still interesting.
The most impressive part of this video is the gradual transformation of the sky; the changing colors and moving clouds. The most interesting part of this video are the little dots that move from left to right. They are the fishing boats leaving the Kewaunee harbor in the early morning hours. If you watch closely, you can also see two fishermen walking along the pier to fish at the end, near the lighthouse.