Water
October Surprise
I encountered a number of surprises on this early morning visit to the lake shore at Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
The morning light was a very pleasant surprise. The variations of color in the sky, from yellow to blue with a hint of purple on the fringes, was another welcome surprise. The rough water was an exciting surprise – normally the lake is pretty calm in the early morning hours.
The overall result of this image was a very nice surprise. I didn’t think I’d be able to capture as much of the dynamic range as I did. As bright as the sky looked and as dark as the water looked, I thought it would be difficult to see much of the detail in this image.
To view a larger, more detailed version of this image, click on the photo.
Wilderness Waterway
This is a panoramic view of Horseshoe Falls in Marinette County, Wisconsin. It is one of my favorite waterfalls out of the many we visited in Marinette County last weekend. I found the setting and the water swirling in and out of view very appealing.
This is a large image that needs to be viewed large to be appreciated. Thankfully, if you click on the photo, it will open a full screen version in a new browser tab.
I combined five separate shots, holding my camera in “portrait” orientation to create this detailed, wide view. Though it doesn’t seem so from this image, it was a cloudy, rainy day. (I don’t think it was raining at this moment.)
There are 14 waterfalls in Marinette County. We didn’t have time to visit them all, because I can spend a lot of time at each one, trying to find all the angles, changing lenses and experimenting with a variety of camera settings. We visited seven of the 14. Most of them were better than I was hoping for, based on the photos I’d seen on the web or in brochures.
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Morning Dance On the Beach
The waves seemed to be dancing with delight on the western shore of Lake Michigan as the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse and pier greet the new day.
As you can see, I had excellent conditions to try this type of image. Normally, at sunrise, the overwhelming brightness of the sun has a tendency to turn everything in the foreground into a silhouette. On this morning, there was some serious haze in the sky and clouds that blocked the harsh light and gave me enough to work with. The lake was a little rougher than it usually is at sunrise giving me the challenge of capturing a wave splashing on the shore.
There is plenty to like in this scene. The calming color of the sky, the landmark lighthouse with some fishermen on the pier, the texture of choppy water, the refreshing wave splash and reflection of light on the beach. This will be one of my favorites for the year.
If you have a larger monitor, you can view a more detailed version of this image 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.
Abundance of Atmosphere
There was plenty of atmosphere to spare, just after sunrise, above Lake Michigan and the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse. Nothing but miles and miles of beautifully, dramatic atmosphere.
The sky was so interesting, I was compelled to capture the entire horizon. I took six individual shots and “stitched” them together to get this panoramic view. There are a lot of pixels in the compilation file. (22,526 x 3,681, a 58.6 MB file)
It’s a shame, of course, that you can’t see the full majesty of the morning with this small image due to the unfortunate width limitations of this page. However, you can get a better view with the larger version available just by clicking on the photo. That will take you to the full-screen-wide image where you can enjoy much more of the drama and detail. The wider your screen, the better. If you look close, you can see fishermen on the pier and near the lighthouse.
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 Light
The waves seemed to dance on Lake Michigan’s western shore as the sun emerged from behind the lighthouse at Kewaunee, WI.
I snapped this yesterday. It was the kind of morning perfect for an early stroll along the beach. The temperatures were comfortable with a slight breeze, the sun provided comforting color and the fishermen – on the pier and in boats further out – provided points of interest in the distance.
Photographing waves, and capturing the light in them, is a challenge that I still want to improve on. Of course, as you can tell by the relatively calm lake, these were very small waves and tiny splashes. Some good rolling waves might provide a bit more action and, consequently, opportunity.
You can view this image in greater detail with the larger, full-screen version – available 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.
Pure Algoma
The Algoma lighthouse and pier present a welcome sight to shore-side visitors and, more important, the watercraft entering and departing the small Lake Michigan harbor.
This image doesn’t contain the dramatic sunrise elements usually seen in my photos of the Algoma lighthouse. I was there at the break of dawn, hoping for a dramatic sunrise, but it never materialized. Still I like this photo for the clear, clean feel of the blue water and sky…with a hint of sunrise pink on the horizon.
You can get a larger view of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a 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.
Colorful Kewaunee Fourth
A crowd of wide-eyed spectators watch the Fourth of July fireworks show from Selner Beach in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Along with the booming colors the crowd was serenaded by the gentle, rhythmic sound of Lake Michigan waves on the shore.
I enjoy photographing fireworks. I particularly enjoy capturing the fine detail. Unfortunately, you have to really zoom in to see the kind of detail I’m talking about. Fortunately, with the large megapixels of today’s cameras, you can see some amazing detail when you enlarge the image. You won’t be able to see that kind of detail in this image, but you can view a larger version to get a better, overall view by clicking on the photo. When you do, a 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.
Sunrise and Splendor
A magnificent, pre-sunrise, panoramic display by the morning sky and clouds seems to envelop the Kewaunee lighthouse and pier. The warm reflection off Lake Michigan’s calm waters only accentuates the exhibition.
I’ve always believed, the best part of a sunrise is not the sun, but the clouds. The sun creates the light and color, but the clouds provide the character. Not heavy cloud cover, but the light, wispy kind that provide natural texture and interest to a scene. To me, a cloudless sunrise is pretty bland.
It seems I’ve been writing a lot about how I don’t often post panoramic images because their wide-view perspective doesn’t fit well within the typical web site parameters. Well, I must be on a bit of a panoramic kick these days, because I’ve posted more panoramas in the last few weeks than I have in as many years. I guess, when the mood and the beauty hits me, I can’t pass it up. It’s a little more work in processing, but I believe the results are well worth it.
Of course, when I post a panoramic image I must urge you to click on the photo so you can view a much larger version. There are a lot of birds in this photo, but you’ll miss most of them if you don’t view the larger version. Again, just click on the photo and a 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.
Out of the Blue
The deep red color of the Algoma lighthouse stands in sharp contrast to the deep blue of Lake Michigan and the early morning sky above.
I have taken a lot of photos of this lighthouse. On this trip, I was hoping for another nice sunrise. Unfortunately, the rising sun was concealed by a band of clouds on the horizon so a true sunrise photo wasn’t in the cards. I decided to catch a low angle view of the lighthouse across the Algoma harbor. To get this shot, I crawled down on the rocks near the mouth of the Ahnapee River, just off the marina parking lot, and held my camera just above the water.
I like this image for 1) the different perspective, 2) the reflection of the lighthouse, 3) the ripples in the water giving it depth and interest, and 4) the predominant blue color with contrasting red.
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.
Tall Drink of Comfort
The sky above, the water below and the sun rising over its shoulder all combine to make a warm, comforting atmosphere around the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse. This image was captured on the western shore of Lake Michigan, just south of the pier in Kewaunee.
This is a panoramic image. Usually we think of panoramas as being wide, horizontal images. In this case, I wanted more of the sky and water in the shot than a single frame would allow, so I combined three frames (high, middle and low) to create a tall image. The changing hue in the upper sky adds to the interest of this image, as does the sun’s reflection dancing along the ripples of the lake.
As I’ve said before, I don’t normally post many panoramas because they don’t display well within the size constraints of most webpages. This one would be truly awesome if you could view it very large. It is a large file and could be printed as tall as eight feet. Wouldn’t that would be cool!
You can click on the image to view a larger version but, again, because of webpage constraints, you won’t see a much larger image.
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.