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
Sony SLT-A77V
Brazenly Delicate
This red tulip seemed to be taking a bold stand among another group of purple and white tulips. This is another flower I captured a couple of years ago at the annual Tulip Festival held in Pella, Iowa.
Deep red colors, like this tulip, can be a challenge for photographers because most cameras have a tendency to over-saturate the red and the image will loose all it’s detail; it can turn out looking like one big blob of red, with no texture or definition. Most of my post processing on this image was working to control the red.
You can easily 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.
Splash of April Color
The tulip’s vivid colors and endless varieties are a most welcome sight of springtime in these parts. This cluster of beauty was photographed a couple of years ago during the Tulip Festival in Pella, IA.
I’ve had a bunch of tulips from the festival on my computer patiently waiting to be processed. With a bit of warmer weather and the prospect of blooming flowers on the horizon, I was reminded of the photo treasures I had yet to process and post. I’ll have to get to more of them in the future.
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.
Kewaunee Light & Sky – Video Slideshow
This is another attempt at showcasing some of my favorite photos using a video/slideshow. These images are from my Kewaunee lighthouse collection.
I used a different, more complicated, software solution. I’m not sure the results are so dramatically different than using the simple software I used in my previous post. Only the pros might notice or care about the difference. I was glad that, with a little determination, I was able to figure out the software and get the results I wanted.
I’ve seen varying activity for the slideshows when I post them to social media. On Facebook, I got fewer “Likes” than a normal photo post but a lot more comments and many more shares. Oddly, with all those comments, shares and views I’m not seeing any increase in actual traffic to this website. On Google+ they seem to barely get noticed – much less activity than for a normal photo post; even when I put them in a “Collection.” Well, I still consider this the experimental stage.
For the best viewing experience, I suggest you click on the “full-screen” icon in the bottom right corner of the video.
All of the images featured in this video can be found on my sight.
Sunrise Solo
A solitary seagull surveys the beauty of a Lake Michigan sunrise as it emerges beyond the Kewaunee, Wisconsin lighthouse and pier.
This is a scene from mid October, 2016. It was a rough morning on the lake. Of course, I was shooting from the shore, staying far enough away from the waves breaking on the beach to keep my equipment dry. The gull was a nice addition. It isn’t the only one in the sky. If you view the larger version of this, you’ll be able to see a few others nearer the lighthouse.
To view a larger, more detailed version, 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.
The Bright Dark of Night
In the deep dark of night, the city waterway reflects lights of life. This is a view along the Riverwalk in downtown Milwaukee, WI.
This is an image I captured a couple of years ago. A photography friend from the Milwaukee area took me to some great spots for some night photography. I was looking through some of the shots I took that night but never got around to processing. I thought this one was worth a little effort.
I had posted another image from this taken the same night from this same area, in color, awhile back. (See Big City Serenity) This one, in monochrome tones, has become my favorite of the two. Take a look at the other one to see which one is more appealing to you.
To get a better view of the fine detail in this image, click on the photo and a larger version will open in a new 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.
You’re So Vain
These exquisite orchids were photographed at an indoor, botanical garden. Sorry, I didn’t note the variety.
When it comes to orchids, there is a lot of variety. There are over 28,000 species in the Orchidaceae family. Just do a search for orchid images and you’ll get an idea of the many beautiful, unusual, amazing – and sometimes silly – varieties exist.
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.
Woodland Floor Decor
This was a delightful find on an autumn walk through the woods in northeast Wisconsin. The tallest of these tiny red mushrooms was about 2 inches.
We stumbled upon these while trekking to some waterfall site in Marinette County, Wisconsin. We found a number of colorful mushrooms on that trip.
You can view a larger version of these little beauties 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.
The Autumn Heart
An early morning sunrise, shining behind this leaf on one of our lilac bushes, brought out its brilliant fall color and intricate detail.
This is one of those times where something just caught my eye. I was walking by a window, just about sunrise, when I noticed this bright leaf on a bush. I quickly grabbed my camera, hoping to catch the beauty before the shaft of light piercing the bush moved off this leaf. I was there in time.
I love big landscape vistas. I also love the smaller vistas. As I always say – whatever catches my eye.
You can view much more of the tiny details 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.
Caged Competitor
The season may be over, but this is one baseball player who remains serious about his game.
This is one of my favorites from a recent “senior portrait” shoot. Baseball was an important part of this young man’s high school career so they wanted some photos of him in his uniform.
The basic idea for this shot (ball player looking through the fence) was brought to me by the subject’s parent who saw a similar shot on Pinterest and wanted us to try it. During the shoot, we made a quick trip to a nearby, small town ball field to grab a few shots. I believe the version she showed me was in color but, while I was working on it, I thought a gritty, monochrome style would best suit the players mood.
There are a lot of things that make this a favorite for me. First, the general mood of the shot. You can easily imagine a story behind this image. (In fact, several stories.)
I also like the detail of the ball, glove and uniform. Don’t miss other interesting touches…like the bruises on the player’s elbow (An element that adds to the story), the tufts of grass on the unkempt infield, the way the light poles and the wisps of clouds frame the photo. (I wish I would have thought to throw a bat on the field in the background.)
The one aspect I question… Is the fence too distracting? Of course, it’s important to this scene, but I think it is almost too symmetrical around the facial features. I didn’t try to get it that way, it’s just the stance he took. I think it might seem more natural if the fence didn’t intersect right on the bridge of the nose and chin. If it was just offset a little to one side or another it might seem more natural, less posed. Of course, now I might be just nit-picking. What do you think? (If it didn’t occur to you before I mentioned it, than it is just me being the nit-picky perfectionist.)
You can view a more detailed version of this image by clicking on it. 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.