Water
Dreamer’s Dawn
They sky was alive with exceptional color yesterday morning, as you can see from this photo taken from the beach in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
Lake Michigan was calm and the clouds seemed to direct our attention to the tiny lighthouse silhouette on the horizon. This was taken just before sunrise.
I don’t normally get out to capture sunrises during the work week, but when I first woke up and saw this developing, I made an exception and headed for the beach.
To get a better sense of the majesty of the morning, click on the photo and view the details of the largest version.
Lake Effects
Horizontal Rainbow
The early morning hours is the best time to catch a sky full of color. The best moment is just before the sunrise.
This is the beauty I found this morning at Kewaunee, WI. The time-stamp from the camera reads 4:49 am. Sunrise was at 5:09 am.
To get a better view, click on the photo and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
Clandestine Candlepower
The early morning sun seems to be hiding behind the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse. I always try to get the rising sun close to the lighthouse. Occasionally, as in this case, I’m able to get the sun directly behind the lighthouse. It doesn’t always make a great image because the sun will overpower everything in the frame. The sun was hidden enough by the lighthouse – along with some camera and post processing wizardry – to create an interesting image.
April Awakening
A very calming morning scene on Lake Michigan as the sun prepares to rise behind the lighthouse and pier at Kewaunee, Wisconsin. This morning’s sun has a “tell” for exactly where it will breach the horizon. That little pink area to the right of the lighthouse is marking the spot where the sun will appear.
You can view a larger version of this image by simply clicking on the photo.
Break of Dawn (vintage)
This is an image that dates back a few years. I was searching for it on this website and was surprised that I had never posted here. It’s a digitally enhanced version of one of my most popular images – Break of Dawn. (See the original HERE) The original is a wonderful color image. It would be my favorite of the two, but I also like the aged look this one receives from the monochrome and textured effects.
To view a larger version of this photo, click on it.
Heaven’s Lake
Splishin’ & Splashin’
This little duck was having a grand ole time, splashing up a storm, celebrating a sunny, early spring day after a long, hard winter.
I happened to catch this character and its joyful display at the N.E.W. Zoo – about 10 minutes from Green Bay, WI.
To get a better view of the splashing fun, click on the image and a larger version will open in a new browser window.
Fire Painters In the Sky
This 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.
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.