Archives
A Sample of Pop’s “Bee” Images

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

A Sample of Pop’s “People” Photo Collection

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

Sunset

The Grand Overview

Mount Jefferson, Pano, View

I was able to capture this spectacular view by being in the right place at the right time. This a view of the Cascade mountain range as the sun was setting (out of view, to the right), looking south from the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon.  The prominent peak in the middle is Mount Jefferson in Linn County. I was able to do a little hiking and sightseeing while in the Portland area for a conference in early October.

This is a massive file because it is about 9 individual photos all joined together to be able to capture the full panorama. It is hard to get the full benefit of this scene without viewing it on a large scale.  You can see a full-screen version of this image (at least as large as your screen will allow) 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 (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.

Sunny Day Done

Sunflower, Sunflowers, Sunset, SkyAs the sun sets over a farm field in rural Wisconsin, the sunflowers seem reluctant to call it a day.

We are blessed to have sunflowers growing in the field across the road from our yard. Yesterday the sunset was beautiful and I thought the combination of flowers and sky would make a great image.

I tried a new technique to create this panoramic image. The sky is so much brighter than the field, so I tried to a different exposure for the one shot of the field and a darker exposure for the three shots that make up the sky and then combined the four different frames into this panorama. There are some areas of the image that I’m not pleased with, but overall, I think it’s a winner.  I’ll need to work on refining the process to clean up some of the rough spots.

You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.

One Minute Sunset – 07-30-17

This is a time-lapse video of a July sunset at our home in rural Kewaunee County, WI.  This compresses about an hour of time into a minute.

Be sure to watch long enough to see the contrails (A trail of condensed water from aircraft at high altitude, seen as a white streak against the sky.)  There are three of them. It is easy to miss the first one. It shows up at about 27-seconds in as a light line coming in from the right side of the tree. The other two you won’t miss at 34 and 42 seconds. They come from the top of the frame and are prominent in the scene.

For the best viewing experience, you’ll want to watch this video at full-screen and high definition. To do so, click the controls in the bottom right corner of the video frame.

Peaceful Opposition

Sunflower, Sunflowers, Sunflower Field, Sunset
As evening began to plot its takeover of the landscape, this field of sunflowers stood in peaceful opposition to the impending nightfall.

Every now and then I go a little overboard with the post processing. When I snapped this image of sunflowers growing in a field near our home, it was late afternoon and the sun was setting behind the flowers. That put the face of the flowers in the shadows. With the use of fill flash, I was able to counteract the back-lighting but it gave the scene a strange, surreal feel. With the unusual lighting, there was no way to get a natural look, so I slipped down the other slope.

My wife thinks the two prominent blooms need a yellow, curved line under them to give the image a smile. I can see that.

You can view a more detailed, full-screen version of this image by simply 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.

Summer Skylight

Sunset, Sunrise, Rural, Sky, Clouds, Reflection
A few evenings ago, the sunset lit up the rural Wisconsin sky with an awesome display of color. Naturally, I stepped out into the yard to record the beauty.

We’ve had a wetter than normal fall this year, keeping the lawns green and, in our case, sloppy wet.  The large puddle in our yard (remaining effects of a recent rain) reflected the early evening beauty.

You can view a larger, more detailed version of this photo 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.

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Fire Painters In the Sky

Sunrise, Water, Ripples, Sky, Trees, Lake, River, FloodThis image is a combination of stunning, natural beauty and a generous helping of digital magic.  Let me share some of the details.

This is one of my earliest photos taken with my first decent digital camera. The camera a Kodak EasyShare DX7590 that I purchased to document my first trip to Liberia, Africa in 1995 .  The DX7590 was a minor step up from a typical point-and-shoot camera with a whopping 5-megapixels. (Pretty impressive, in those days, for a small, consumer grade camera. My current camera provides 24-megapixels.)

This photo was taken in march of 2007.  At home in the early evening, I saw the wonderful colors in the sky out my living room window.  Of course, I grabbed my camera and dashed out the door.

I crossed the road in front of my house to be able to frame up the sky without any interference from the power lines and poles between me and the beauty. I included the dormant tree to add contrast and interest to the scene. I snapped several frames of the incredible sky with the trees and field before me.

If you haven’t guessed by now, the water you see in the foreground wasn’t part of the original scene.  I added the water, digitally, after the fact.  The lovely, rippling reflection of the water in this image replaced a barren farm field, mostly covered with melting snow.  You can see a couple of the original images I took – with out the water effect – in this earlier post:  Fire In the Sky

The farm field was dark and dreary, compared to the sky, so I thought it needed an upgrade.  I had been trying out a trial version of software developed to add a water effect and thought the reflective quality of water might add more interest and color to the bottom of the image.  In fact, I extended the bottom area of the photo, to fit more ripples in the view.

You can view a larger version of this photo by clicking on it.

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Fini

“Fini” means “The End” in the French language. It’s the perfect title for this breathtaking view last Friday evening. The brightest point at the bottom of the frame is the last bit of sun slipping behind the clouds.

My wife, Sara and I were driving home from a very enjoyable day of just spending time together. As we talked, we both noticed the stunning sunset. I held off as long as I could before I had to pull over, grab the camera out of it’s case in the back seat and snap a few frames.

I typically try to include something of interest in the foreground of sunset photos (an old tree, the silhouette of a building, etc.), but the clouds and the color were amazing enough on their own. (At least, I thought so.)

To view a larger version of this beauty, click on the photo.

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