Wisconsin
A Distant Hope
In the midst of winter, beyond the horizon is hope for a brighter and warmer future. This is a winter sunrise view of the Kewaunee, WI pier and lighthouse – located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
This is a view from the winter of 2014. This was taken from the shore, above the beach.
I was in the mood for a sunrise but the conditions have not afforded me much of an opportunity to a good one lately, so I browsed the archives and found this worthy contender. You can view another another image that was taken earlier the same morning. I titled it, “Icing On the Lake”
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Resistance Is Futile
A glimpse of the cold reality of nature – photographed during a light snow fall in rural NE Wisconsin. This Cooper’s Hawk swooped in to capture a red-winged blackbird. The blackbird’s only option is to resign to his humble position in the food chain.
The hawk is holding the red-winged blackbird down on the ground and, when not checking his surroundings as you see here, is plucking his victim. I believe the blackbird is still alive at this point.
This image turned out much better that I had hoped. Still, it is technically deficient. Let me tell you how I got this shot.
There was a light snow falling as I puttered around my home. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird pass by the window. I didn’t really see it, but something about the movement by the window registered in my brain as different. I thought it was just a large mourning dove flying down from a tree to pick up seed underneath the bird feeders. Still, I decided to take a look.
It was in the vicinity of our bird feeders, but that was no dove. I noticed the hawk standing on the struggling blackbird. Of course, I thought to get my camera but realized shooting through the window and screen from above, through the snow fall, wouldn’t produce a worthwhile image. I watched for a time until it noticed me at the window then it flew to the right – out of my sight.
It didn’t seem like the hawk was going far, just out of my sight…in fact, I thought, it might still be close to the house. I went to another window and could see them, but all the same obstacles still blocked a good shot. Then I got the idea to see, if by chance, it was close to a basement window. I grabbed my camera and headed to the basement. Sure enough, the drama was playing out about six feet from one of the windows.
I was careful to be quiet, grabbed a bucket to stand on, positioned my camera lens in the corner of the small, basement window and tried to be inconspicuous. I was able to snap off several shots before the hawk took note of me. After all, it was a bit preoccupied and I was being my best stealthy self. The shot you see here, was when he finally noticed me…and in a moment he was off; flying to a distant spot in the farm field to the south of our home.
As I said, this turned out better than I had hoped for because the basement windows are not clean. They are ground level windows so they accumulate dirt and leaves and grass clippings, etc. The basement is unfinished so we don’t spend much time down there and never really think of cleaning the windows. Aside from the dirt, these are triple-paned windows and they have a slight tint to them. Thankfully, only half the window has a screen over it, so I was able to shoot from the unscreened side, trying to find a less dirty area.
The final hurdle was the light. As I mentioned, it was snowing, so the sky was dark and dreary. I had to kick up the ISO (800) and lower my shutter speed (1/250), and try to hold my lens (set at 130mm) steady enough to get a sharp image. The raw image didn’t look so hot, but I was able to tweak it enough to create the final product you see here. If you were to enlarge it, it’s not as tack sharp as I’d like and there’s plenty of noise, but it turned out to be a shot worthy of sharing.
If you’d like to see a larger, more detailed version – which I highly encourage – click on the photo and a full-screen version will open in another 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.
The Coldest Lonely
Sub-zero temperatures and open water create an interesting blend of ice, frost and fog around the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse and pier. Kewaunee is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan.
I took this photo from shore with a telephoto lens which makes the lighthouse appear relatively close to the shore. In fact, the Kewaunee pier extends hundreds of feet into the lake. Of course, the buildup of Ice along the shore also contributed to the closer-than-reality effect.
This is one of the images I captured back in the bitter cold of January, 2014. It was one of the coldest days I’d ever been out shooting. I thought a monochrome treatment would bring out the dramatic fog and cold, lonely feel of this scene.
You can get more of the crisp detail of this image by viewing the full-screen version. To do so, 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.
Splashed Onto the Scene
Even a gentle wave can make a big splash if it encounters a solid obstacle on the shore. Some wood that drifted ashore on the beach in Kewaunee, WI, provided a splash point for the waters of Lake Michigan. Not exactly sure, but It looked like the roof of small small shed.
The Kewaunee lighthouse, seen in the background, was surrounded by scaffolding during its renovation in the summer of 2017. This was a June capture.
If you have a large monitor, take advantage of it to view a full-screen version of this image simply 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.
Winter Coat
A fresh coat of fluffy snow blanketed these dormant plants…and everything else in the woods after a recent storm.
Without the coating of snow, these plants wouldn’t earn my attention. Sometimes bringing two ordinary elements together creates something extraordinary. Keep your eyes open and your camera ready.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the the photo.
One-Eyed Snowy Owl
I spotted this snowy owl perched at the top of a power pole in rural Northeast Wisconsin. It seems to have only one working eye. These owls, along with their beautiful white plumage, have distinctively orange eyes. It also looks like it’s missing a beak, but it’s just hidden by the fine plumage around it’s beak.
I was on my way home in the afternoon when I passed by the owl a quarter mile from my home. I pulled into my garage, grabbed my camera from the house and headed back; hoping it wouldn’t fly away before I got back to take photos. Thankfully, it was still there when I returned and was willing to sit while I snapped a few images. Most of the time it seemed uninterested in me and rarely looked my way. It stayed in place long after I was done and back home.
I took this image at some distance but I really don’t have the kind of lenses that could capture a clear, sharp photo at this distance on a dreary winter day. When shooting, I was far enough away I didn’t notice the problem with its left eye. I thought I noticed the left eye was not open as wide, but didn’t realize the real problem until I could view it enlarged on my computer screen. This isn’t a bad image for the screen, but it wouldn’t make a great large print.
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.
Breaking Views
As the sun was rising over Lake Michigan, the waves were rising over the harbor pier at Algoma, WI.
I got up early and zipped to Algoma in hopes of catching a nice sunrise. The beautiful sunrise landscape image I was hoping for never materialized. However, it was a windy morning with waves crashing over the pier, so I focused on capturing some of the morning wave action.
In the low light conditions, it was difficult to capture the action of the crashing waves in focus. This is one of those shoots where I wish I could spend more time experimenting on the technical aspects.
To view a larger, full-screen version of this image, 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.
Kewaunee Consummation
Lines, angles, clouds, color and light converge on the Kewaunee lighthouse and pier to create a panoramic morning view.
This is the compilation of three separate images, stitched together to create a wider view than would be possible with a single frame.
Just looking at the photo, you get the impression that it was a warm morning. That was not the case. It was a very cool, fall morning; near freezing.
You can get a better, more detailed, full-screen view 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.
Dawn Patrol
On any given morning, you can find Canada geese and sea gulls patrolling the area around the Kewaunee, WI lighthouse. They seem like a vigilant group; quick to sound an alarm when intruders are detected.
This was the scene yesterday morning from the beach just north of Selner Park, on the shore of Lake Michigan. I was able to get out early and snapped a number of nice shots. I’ll try to post more from this morning in the near future.
You can get a better view by clicking on the image. When you do, a larger, 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.
Deep Red Down
A bright, red maple leaf found its final resting place on the white stripe of a wet, city parking lot. The contrast in colors and textures caught my eye.
This is a rare posting from my cell phone’s camera. I don’t usually post cellphone photos because I prefer the higher quality of my DLSR, but I didn’t have my DSLR with me.
I was in Appleton for work and had just finished a quick lunch at a Panda Express. It was a cool, gray, drizzly day. While leaving the restaurant, I noticed this bright spot on the ground next to my vehicle. The only camera I had with me was my Samsung S6 cellphone. The leaf was resting on a stripe of the parking lot.
You can view a larger version of this photo by clicking on it. 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.