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
WI
The Indianhead
When people ask what kind of photographer I am – meaning landscape, portrait, wildlife, etc. – I typically respond by saying, “I just photograph whatever catches my eye.”
On a recent getaway to celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary, Sara and I stumbled upon the Indianhead Motel. We thought the neon sign was very cool…so much so, that we stayed the night. The Indianhead Motel is located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (pop. 13,661).
If you’re wondering why Chippewa Falls may sound familiar, it’s because it is the birth place and hometown of the fictional characters Jack Dawson in the movie Titanic, Grand Slam of G.I. Joe, Dr. Jennifer Keller in the science fiction series Stargate Atlantis and the title character of Annie Hall.
By the way, the accommodations were acceptable and quite reasonable, but not as cool as the sign.
Morning Reverence
But to You I have cried out, O LORD, and in the morning my prayer comes before You. ~ Psalm 88:13
The sun was rising over Lake Michigan on a Saturday morning in February, 2012. I was at the beach at Kewaunee, WI. The sunrise wasn’t quite what I was hoping for so I thought I would experiment with some different different camera settings. I also decided to move into the field of view for a couple of shots.
This is similar to another shot taken the same morning where I was standing, facing the sun. I posted it a couple of weeks ago – Future So Bright.
You can get a better view of the image above by clicking on it.
Boardwalk in the Fog
This was not the image I was going for. I left home very early, hoping to catch a sunrise over Lake Michigan last Sunday morning. The sun was scheduled to rise at 6:07 am. I showed up at the beach around 5:55 am. As you can see, the sun didn’t keep it’s end of the bargain.
It only looks like a nighttime shot. This photo was actually taken shortly after “sunrise.” It is a view of the boardwalk that runs along Crescent Beach in Algoma, WI.
Click the image to see a larger view.
Just the Two of Us
This handsome pair of love birds – or…ummm…bluebirds – showed up early this spring. We have several bluebird houses around our yard and expect these (and more, hopefully) to raise a brood, as they have the last couple of years.
They are sitting on the edge of a stoneware bowl that I stock with a treat of mealworms for them each morning. It’s set on a post about three feet off the ground. As you can see from the lilac bush behind them, the leaves are just starting to sprout in our neck of the woods.
I took this photo remotely. I had my camera on a tripod about 20 feet away from the birds…while I watched from the window in our pantry (probably 40 feet in the opposite direction) and pressed my wireless remote shutter button when I saw the birds at the bowl.
Watch for more of this pair in coming days…and through the summer; now that I’ve got them trained to pose for me.
To see a larger view, click on the image.
Future So Bright
I don’t often take photos of myself…but I made an exception this time. Of course, my choices were limited since I was the only one around at the time.
It was a morning last February and I was on the beach at Kewaunee, WI hoping to catch a nice sunrise. I took several photos and then, for something different, I decided to step into the shot. A tripod and wireless remote for my camera makes this possible. It’s still not easy to get the placement right when you’re not behind the camera.
To view a larger version of this image, simply click on it.
Night Lights of Kewaunee
This nightscape features the lighthouse at Kewaunee, WI – on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The full moon was shrouded behind a layer of clouds.
I didn’t realize it until I was preparing this post…. If you use a little imagination while looking at the moon behind the clouds, it can look like the head of some kind of creepy ghoul. (I see two eyes and an open mouth. Yikes!)
Night Vision
A week ago the moon was full, temperatures were freezing and I was standing in the dark along Lake Michigan’s shore in Kewaunee, WI. I’ve never attempted to shoot the Kewaunee pier and lighthouse from this angle before. I’ll have to try it in the daylight, possibly for a sunrise, sometime.
I worked a bit to try and correct the color of this image. Unfortunately, the mercury vapor lights of the city give everything a reddish tint that I wasn’t able to tone down much without making the rest of the colors look strange.
To see a larger version of this image, simply click on it.
Beacons of the Night
The rising, full moon and the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse were competing for equal billing last night.
I did a little experimenting with HDR techniques. I like the different colors created in the reflections by the orange-ish moon and the yellowish light.
To get a better view, click the image and a new window will open with a larger version.
Pre-Sunrise Pastels
The unpredictably of the sky is what makes sunrise and sunset photography so enjoyable and challenging for me. You never know what you’re going to see…or miss if you’re not there. Another consideration is how rapidly the conditions can change. Sometimes, an usual color or effect will fill the sky and only last a moment before fading. This is a good example. For just a moment the sky, behind the clouds, turned pink. I wanted to get more shots of this effect, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
Keep in mind, this was before sunrise and the low light conditions created a lot of digital “noise” on this image. Sorry about that. I didn’t have time to fiddle with camera settings.
Click on the photo above to see a larger version.
Skylights
The lighthouse at Kewaunee, WI is one of my favorite subjects. This was taken early in the morning, shortly after sunrise. If you look closely, you’ll notice a little bump at the end of the pier. That’s a lone fisherman. I took this photo kneeling at the very edge of the beach while Lake Michigan gently lapped the shore.
Click the image to see a larger version.