Butterflies are loved by everyone! Their beautiful colors, their daintiness, their lovely shapes are all very attractive features of the many species of butterflies found around the world. Unfortunately, butterflies are reducing in numbers due to habitat loss, chemical pollution and climate change.

This is a beautiful Swallowtail butterfly. I took this photo with my f2.8 Macro lens. The nice thing about this lens is that, when the aperture is opened up fully to 2.8, the background becomes a lovely blur. (Witness the green leaf very much out of focus on the left hand side of the image). It's an unusual composition since normally one sees a butterfly looking down. I was very fortunate to catch this pose with the right setting and with the right lighting.

 

This photo is one of my all time favorites. The monarch butterfly is nicely focused while nearly all its surroundings are out of focus. The contrast between the yellow/green surroundings and the orange of the butterfly really makes the insect stand out. Again, almost certainly taken with my f2.8 macro that makes the portion of the photo in focus quite narrow.

Monarch butterflies live in North, Central, and South America as well as Australia, India and Western Europe. This butterfly species is famous for its annual migration up and down the Americas - an amazing feat for such a small animal.

Legend holds that Prince William of Orange (later King William III) was so adored by some early European settlers to North America that they bequeathed the name “Monarch” to our very orange and regal butterfly in his honor.

 

 

 

Here is another photo of a Monarch butterfly. Again,  think the colors throughout the image make for very pleasing, soft, combination. The butterfly's proboscis is clearly seen too - its the instrument used to gather nectar from flowers.

Here the butterfly appears to be readying itself for take-off!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly this butterfly is known as a Leaf butterfly. It is one of many species of this butterfly, all keying off the camouflage associated with looking like a dry leaf. I came across this particular butterfly when staying at Fort Worth, Texas for an Evangelical Theological Society meeting in 2021. The camouflage is remarkably good, with even the leaf veins simulated (perhaps they serve as the veins for the wings too). This wonderfully designed insect points clearly to a remarkable Designer.

I was travelling back from a photo workshop in Michigan's Upper Peninsular one Autumn day in 2013 when I thought I would explore a small side road. It was misty, and I stopped the car to see what might be around to photograph when suddenly these group of horses came rumbling across the field to see who the visitor was! I immediately recognized that the ghostly figures peering through the mist would make an interesting photo. I discovered that horses are very inquisitive animals!

  

 In 2013 Liz and I had taken a holiday in Switzerland to see some of her family near Berne. We were walking by the river Aare when I looked down and saw this Common Merganser with her ducklings riding along on her back. These little balls of feathers looked so cute, and the mother didn't seem at all fazed by her ducklings struggling to climb up her back! Apparently there are a variety of Mergansers including Reb Breasted, Scaly Sided, Brazilian, and New Zealand Mergansers.
 

 

This handsome fella is a Meerkat. He was photographed in the Racine Zoo in 2014. The Meerkat is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. They are typically around 15 inches tall and weigh about 1.5lbs. Their lifespan is around 12-14 years. They live in burrows and spend much of their time in the wild digging these burrows. They are very agile and can move quickly to escape danger (often from the air).

While they look cute, they do not make good pets as they can be aggressive and have very sharp teeth!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This photo was taken at a visit to Yellowstone in 2014. It's quite a remarkable sight to see these huge, majestic animals walking around freely on the prairies. When leaving Yellowstone around 2am for my return trip home via Jackson Hole (approximately a 2 hour drive), a buffalo appeared out of the dark about 50 yards in front of me. The road was narrow at that point and the animal lumbered about 3 feet past my driver's side window! Its size was very apparent!
 

Leaves are marvelous constructions. Of course they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors - which makes them especially attractive to photographers.

Take the photo on the left for example; the most striking thing about these leaves is the warm golden color made possible by backlighting the old leaves in Autumn. I love backlighting! Many of my photos of plants are backlit. This is where the subject is interposed between the camera and the sun. The details in the leaves - their veins and shape - are often clearly visible by this method. Autumn is a particularly good time for photographing leaves - the vivid colors are most prominent during this season. 

Often, with backlit subjects the background is darker due to the fact that it is in shadow and, to properly expose for the bright leaf, the background is underexposed. This combination however, often leads to the leaf of interest being prominent in the image, without any distracting background elements.

The photo below on the right was taken at a conservatory in Madison, W isconsin. The lighting was soft and ideal to avoid harsh shadows. This image highlights another feature associated with photographing leaves - the beauty of patterns. Here, the leaf veins segment the leaf (and photo) into lovely shapes with subtly changing shades of green. In a real sense, this photo is a study in shapes. In addition, the lighter portion in the center of the top third provides a sense of three-dimensionality.

This photo is of another autumn leaf set - this time hanging down and not backlit. The rich variety of browns, both of the leaves and the background make for a color palette that is easy on the eye. I especially like this photo because of the curves of the leaves. I absolutely love curves in nature. One doesn't often see them, but they are beautiful when spotted. If you look closely you will also see the remnants of a spider web - adding yet another sense of age to the photo. The water droplet at the tip of the left hand leaf is a nice touch.

 

Here's another photo of a series of leaves - again in Autumn - that are partially backlit. The veins stand out clearly and are quite interesting in their own right. The background color variation adds to the Autumnal scene and makes the photo interesting.

I hope this photos of leaves will encourage you to slow down and look out for specific leaves - they are all part of God's wonderful creation which he has graciously provided for our enjoyment.

 

I love paths! Apart from their obvious function as a means of getting from one place to another, paths often have a certain beauty and magic all of their own.

Take the photo on the right for example. The photo was taken at a nature preserve in Illinois in 2022. The pathway leading through the forest has a certain beauty of its own in the way the path curves as it moves along. But in  addition, the trees have very interesting shapes and textures. Their arching over the path to form a sort-of-tunnel makes it very intriguing - there is even an air of mystery waiting to be explored as one walks along this path!

 

  The same sort of dynamics exist with the photo on the left taken in Autumn at another nature preserve in Wisconsin. Here, the path is accentuated with beautiful curves that lead the eye into the distance. Photos of paths like this cause one to wonder what is round the bend, what lies just out of sight. In addition to the grays of the path itself, this time of the year has a rich range of colors - the browns of the leaves, the greens and yellow of the grasses, the dark vertical lines of the tree trunks and branches.

The golden colors of the leaves in the forest in the photo below accentuate the season. The sun shining through forming a pool of light in the middle distance makes for an interesting contrast with the darker, moodier foreground. Once more the lovely splashes of colors are pleasing to behold - various shades of green, smatterings of red leaves, and the gold of the leaves glistening in  the sun. I always take my tripod in circumstances like this. The tripod forces me to take my time and get the composition right. The dark areas of the image call for longer exposure times - again a tripod helps by holding the camera steady.

 

This photo is included to remind ourselves of the obvious - paths take us places, and some of those places are beautiful. This photo was taken early one misty morning in Summer. As a vlogger I follow once remarked: "If you want to take beautiful pictures, you've got to stand in front of something beautiful"! Paths enable us to do just that.

Fences are interesting landscape features to photograph. A main attraction is the sense of perspective they often bring and the associated depth to the image. The photo on the left is typical. Taken in January 2020 at Bong Park, the dark wood receding into the distance contrasts nicely with the white snow. The mist in the distance conveys the feeling that the fence continues on forever. Often, though certainly not necessarily always, fences have quite a character with the wood being gnarled and not straight, and leaning off at various angles. All these features appear in this photo.

The photo on the right was taken about a mile down the road from where I live in SE Wisconsin. It is a favorite spot, and I have many photos of this particular fence and tree combination. In this case, the fence rises slightly as viewed from right to left, providing a slight diagonal to the image - always a desirable photographic element. This photo was taken soon after the sun rose and the lighting is a beautiful soft, golden color. In the summer this photo would be impossible to take since the fence would be hidden by 8 feet high corn stalks grown in the field in the foreground.

This is one of my favorite photos. Taken during early-Summer at Bong Park, it almost has a painterly feel to it. The wild flowers in the grass add a pleasant dimension to the photo and supplements the old fences well. These fences look good in winter too when snow is all around. Its a very simple, but elegant image.

In sharp contrast, the photo below expresses well the bleakness of winter. Again, fencing comprises the focus of the image, but this time it has a clearly
functional aspect; the horses are allowed to roam only within the confines of the fence. The simplicity of the fences serves to supplement the starkness of the scene.

Photographers are always on the lookout for patterns in nature, and fences because of the repetitive nature of their construction often provide interesting patterns.

      Due to a distinct shortage of Giant Anacondas and Alligators at Bong Park here in SE Wisconsin, I find myself photographing somewhat more plentiful subjects - trees. Trees are beautiful things in their own right. I'm not sure what it is exactly about them that I, and many other photographers I've noticed, find so appealing - perhaps the variety of shapes and sizes and colors (when not Winter). Here are four photos in which the main subject is a tree or a group of trees. (These four were whittled down from thirteen candidates taken last year, and all sit on my "Blog Photos" gallery).

      This photo on the left was taken early one morning with the sun trying to penetrate the mist over the lake. The perfectly calm water reflected the dominant tree beautifully. This is one of my favorite lakes in Bong Park, one at which I've photographed on many occasions, including time-lapse sequences. (These can be seen on my YouTube channel: gdr1948). The photo conveys the sense of peace and tranquility very well. Being there and enjoying such sights together with the quiet broken only by bird songs, reminds me why I get up at 5am and head out to Bong!
 

As many of you know, I love simplicity in my photos - especially landscape photos. The photo on the right here was taken in mid-Summer last year (2020) in south central Wisconsin. Evening was approaching and these two trees on the top of a hill caught my eye together with the 'alpenglow' often seen after the sun has set. The contrasting colors of the trees coupled with the gradation from blue to pink in the sky makes for a beautiful square-cropped image.

      Last year I discovered a lake in Bonk Park that I'd never been to before. (Google Maps helped here!) To my delight I saw a favorite juxtaposition - birch trees at the waters edge. The trunks of these trees contrast very well with their surroundings, and when reflected in the water usually make for a beautiful composition. With the Autumn approaching, the variety of colors created by the leaves, tree trunks, and pastel colored reflections in the water was a truly sight to behold! (I went back later and took a time lapse of the dawn at this site). If the lighting direction and type (soft) is right, the beauty of the scene is clear.

      The final image shows the setting sun about to drop below the horizon. This photo was taken with my (relatively new) Canon 100-400 IS II lens - a wonderful lens. Even though this lens was designed for wildlife use primarily, I find I can get some great close up compositions when taking landscape photos. Once more, a tree anchors the image and, with the sun on the left, the composition is nicely balanced. To avoid overexposing for the sun, necessarily the tree becomes a silhouette; but in this case the combination works well.

Minimalist photography is, as the name suggests, a photograph in which the components or elements in the photograph are a minimum. Often such photos are beautiful in their own way because of its intrinsic simplicity and slight air of unreality often associated with such compositions. Usually, but not necessarily always, a minimalist photo is made when a uniform background is available. That background could be water, fog, sky, snow, clouds, and so on.

   This photo on the left was taken in January 2020 when my camera and I spent nine days driving around Death Valley in CA. Most of Death Valley comprises rocky mountains, wide valleys, and at least one large crater. There is one place called Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes covering an area of about six square miles. This photo was taken early one morning when the sun was just skimming over the sand on the slope of a large dune. Again, the simplicity and starkness of the scene appealed to me, with the ripples in the sand made clearly visible by the sun. The details of the vegetation appearing out of the sand is made more clear by the pool of darkness around the bushes.

Once more, the simplicity of the spider sitting in his web appealed to me. The grass on the right is a crucial element and yet is a very elegant arc used to support the web. In a photo like this it is vital to align the plane of the elements (spider, web, grass) with the plane of my camera's sensor to ensure all the elements are in focus. (When taking close up photos the 'depth of field,' the portion of the image that is in focus, is very narrow. For an image like this one, the depth of field probably wasn't more than quarter of an inch). Once more, the uniform background serves to isolate the subject very well, and enables all the spider's details and web to be seen. Almost certainly, if I had taken this photo against a vegetation background, the web would have disappeared.

  Getting up early one morning when visiting Door County in north-east Wisconsin, I came across this fisherman at work. It was a foggy morning and the way the water blended with the background appealed to me. The fact that the fisherman appears almost in silhouette adds to the simplicity of the photo. The way the fisherman and his boat appear in the scene adds a magical quality to the scene as they appear to be almost suspended in space. The minimalist photo adds to the sense of peace and tranquility to the fisherman's activity.

 

Finally, here's another minimalist photo taken in Florida on a photo trip in 2018. The light just caught these few water lilies nicely. The deep blue water of the lake forms a nice contrast to the lilies. Interest is enhanced by the fact that one or two of the lilies are on the surface whilst the rest are below the water. Simple, elegant, serene!

(As always, all these blog photos are elsewhere in this site in the "Blog Photos" section).

Reflections are beautiful things. They can convey a sense of symmetry as well as powerfully enhance an image. They can also be fun photos. Below are four photos - all taken from my Favorites Gallery - that reflect (no pun intended!) - each of these elements.

  This photograph on the left was taken at my favorite lake at my favorite Park (Bong) not far from where I live. It was taken around dawn, hence the subdued tones. The still of the morning air allowed the water to be completely unruffled thus perfectly reflecting the tree on the lake side, and the clouds in the sky. I particularly like the cloud as it serves to provide a bit more interest to the image. We could call this a landscape reflection. The mist in the distance serves to help bring out the starkness of the tree - a starkness that is reinforced by the reflection in the water.

By way of contrast, the photo on the right we can call an abstract reflection. Water again is the medium used to reflect the unseen objects above, in this case an autumn woodland scene. The colors, textures, and subtle hues are all expressed and provide a beautiful palette of colors reminiscent of an artist's palette. The vertical line, the reflection of a tree trunk that has caught the morning light, provides a focal point of interest and provides context for the surrounding autumnal hues.

Often, for a photo with good reflections, it is necessary to have the water be perfectly calm. However, in this case the slight ruffle in the water serves the positive function of adding texture to the image and actually makes it more enjoyable - almost a work of art!

 

  Rather unusually for me, the photo on the left was taken from a bus whilst travelling through Vancouver in Canada. I just happened to see the reflections of the adjacent tall buildings in the glass windows of this particular skyscraper. We can call this architectural reflections. The clarity of the reflected buildings is what caught my eye. The reflections comprise an interesting blend of realism and distortion. This seems a classic case of 'double take' - one can choose to focus on the building with its windows, or one can choose to focus on the reflections in the windows! It seems difficult to do both at the same time!

Finally, the image on the right, one of my favorites, we can call a mirror reflection. Of course, it is very simple, but to my mind therein lies its beauty. The morning sky is perfectly reflected in the water adding an additional dimension of interest. The reed out of the water is perfectly mirrored in the water itself. Look closely and you will see a slight shimmer of the reflection in the water - showing something both real and beautiful at the same time.
 

I love to take photos which are very, very simple - usually highlighting only one subject at a time. Below are some examples taken from my "Favorites 2016" (the first three), and my "Favorites 2017" (the final photo).

The photo on the right was taken during a visit to the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California in October 2016. I was partaking in a photo workshop along with 9 others, all of us led by a professional photographer by the name of Michael Frye. I stayed a few more days after the workshop and explored the area by myself. On my way to visiting a place called Bodie Historic Park I came across this beautiful Autumn scene of Aspen trees glowing in the late afternoon sun. Notice the simplicity. What makes the photo attractive is the single subject matter portrayed against a uniform background - in this case rolling hill scrubs. The background is interesting in its own right, but primarily serves to draw our eyes to the trees. The diagonal shadows help to add interest too.

  The photo on the left is also characterized by simplicity. There are only three basic elements in the photo: the moon, the lighthouse, and the water/sky. This photo was taken late one evening at Kenosha Marina in SE Wisconsin in May 2016. The simplicity is helped by the fact that the sky and water are almost the same color and texture and tend to blend into one another at the horizon thereby allowing the two main elements of interest, the moon and lighthouse, to become prominent. All the colors are muted which, again, helps the key elements to stand out.

The photo of the lone swamp cypress tree in Lake Atchefelaya in Louisiana was taken on another photo workshop in 2016. I love swamps and I love fog - here we have both! Once more, simplicity is gained by having the primary subject on its own against a background that is pretty uniform. The photo was taken in early morning and the sun had not yet risen. A close look at the photo will bring out the subtle mood of the time and location as well as the inherent beauty in the tree and its elegant shape. (Curves in nature are wonderful!) The smooth water, flatness of the lake, fog, and isolated tree all contribute to a strong sense of peace, tranquility, and solitude - lovely!

The photo of the spider on its web, taken during a trip out to Washington State not far from Seattle, illustrates again the power and beauty possible gained through simplicity. I used a flash to illumine the spider, and cast its background very dark. Just enough of the web is lit up to provide a context for the insect. Again, the uniform, uncluttered background serves to isolate the point of interest.

All these photos are part of the "Favorites" Gallery as indicated at the beginning of this blog. If you look carefully through those galleries you'll be surprised how often I take these sorts of photos - single subject against a uniform backdrop - because I love the simplicity of the resulting image.

   Mist is a wonderful medium that compliments any landscape photograph. It is formed whenever the humid air over a body of water cools to the point where the moisture condenses and becomes visible. Typically, this happens when a warm day, which warms up a lake for example, is followed by a cool, clear night where the temperature drops rapidly. Often the result is a misty early morning. This phenomenon is quite common in the Autumn. 

  The photo on the left was taken last November at dawn at Falls Lake Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had got up before dawn and driven to this park which had lots of lake water. As the sun rose, the leaves on the tree lit up,and the mist added a surreal element that was quite enchanting. Not only were the trees lit up by the sun, but so was the mist - making the latter quite visible.

  One effect of mist to create separation. The mist in this photo can be seen behind the land jutting out into the lake, and separating this little peninsula from the forest in the distance behind it. Dawn is always a great time to take landscape photos because the light is 'soft' with no harsh shadows; this photo is no exception.

  Another advantage of a sunrise (or sunset) photo is the golden hue formed by the sun's rays as they skim over the horizon. (Sunrise and sunset is often called 'The Golden Hour' by photographers). The photo on the right, taken at my favorite local park here in SE Wisconsin (Bong Recreational State Park) illustrates this 'golden' effect nicely. Again the mist lying over the fields exaggerated the effect by itself being lit up by the sun's rays. There is a mood of tranquility and peace with the early morning sun captured in this photo. The mist helps to provide that sense of stillness and quiet. Note the softness of the light in the lower left hand corner - again the mist is affecting the light here.

 

 

  In January 2018 I grabbed my camera and headed out to warmer climes! Since I love swamps, I decided I'd spend a day in a Kayak on the Chassakawitzka River near the Gulf of Mexico about an hour north of Tampa. This river had several sidestreams that could be explored by kayak. The day I arrived, the morning was unusually cool (42F), but the water was a balmy 70F. The result was a lot of mist rising off the river. Once the sun rose sunbeams were created as the light filtered through the trees on the river bank. The mist made these sunbeams very easily visible. Furthermore, as the sunlight contacted the water, pools of bright light formed - again accentuated by the mist on the water. It was wonderful floating silently in my kayak in the midst of all this mist!

 

  Finally, in the photo on the right we see another effect that mist makes possible - namely, the creating of a pattern that seemingly vanishes into infinity. Here, the fence posts, which themselves have an interesting texture and shape, can be seen to continue down the field only to disappear into the mist. The effect is to make the viewer wonder what lies at the end of the fencing, Mist here functions to contribute to a sense of mystery as well as to cause the viewer to focus on the nearby posts themselves, the shape, color, texture of the wood.

  In all these photos we see how mist can be used by the photographer to create a sense of wonder, beauty, and yes, even magic!

  In mid-April of 2017 I took a flight to a place in the country I had always wanted to visit and photograph - the Northwest coastline. So, armed with my trusty Canon 60D camera and usual set of lenses (standard 15-85mm, 70-200mm, 150mm macro) together with my tripod, I set off to Port Angeles on the northern coastline of Washington State, about 80 miles and a 2.5 hr. drive west of Seattle.

Olympic National Park lay just south of Port Angeles, but roads into the park were still closed for the Winter. Port Angeles is only 9 miles south of the Canadian border and just 22 miles south of Victoria in Canada itself.

I knew this State was blessed with lots of moisture - which, to me meant misty mornings, and dew covered foliage. But I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of moss covering trees, logs, and boulders. On Thursday April 21st I came upon a magical scene at a place called Madison Creek Falls. I had stopped to photograph the waterfall, but was entranced by the beauty of the sun shining on the moss that covered the trees on the path leading to the waterfall. This photo just gives a hint at the phenomenon and does not really do justice to spectacle of a whole grove of large trees covered in moss and illuminated by the sun.

Later that same day I drove to a point of interest  called La Poel which I'd identified on Google Map. This place was a beautiful spot - just a small park on the edge of a lake called Lake Crescent. No one was there, so I was free to explore the area. Whilst wandering around I began to hear the sound of running water in the distance. Moving towards the sound I came across this lovely creek with beautiful moss covered stones all around. Another magical place - I couldn't believe my good fortune! I stayed at this spot for probably an hour, experimenting with different exposures and compositions. By varying the exposure time I could make the water appear sharp and detailed, or more ethereal; this photo is an example of the latter. The creek fed directly into Lake Emerald.

  Seventy miles and 1.5 hr drive west of Port Angeles and on the north-west coast itself was a very interesting beach called La Push. I knew that off the coast of this part of the country were "sea-stacks" though I had never seen one before. Sea stacks are mini-islands that jut out of the sea just off the beach. I was looking forward to seeing them. I was not disappointed. Arriving in late afternoon on Friday the 21st of April, I immediately sensed the beauty of this scene. After a walk of perhaps two hundred yards from the spot where I had parked my (rented) car this amazing scene unfolded before my eyes. These mysterious outcroppings were indeed like small islands, often with trees growing on top. The sky was both threatening and beautiful, with the reflection of the sky adding drama to the scene.

Last November we had a 'supermoon' - the day when the moon is full and also closest to earth in its orbit around the earth. I decided to go out that morning to my favorite place to photograph the moonset. The moon was setting that morning at around 6:30am, so I got up around 5:30am and made my way to Richard Bong Recreational Park here in SE Wisconsin. I took some photos as the moon slowly descended to the western horizon, but was a bit disappointed since the atmospherics were not especially good that night. Once the moon had set I thought about heading home again, but then realized that, being a full moon, it wouldn't be long before the sunrise would take place.

I knew exactly where to go.....my favorite lake in the Park. It was still quite dark when I reached the lake, with the faint glimmer of light on the distant eastern horizon. Soon, as the sun made its way up over the horizon around 6:55am I couldn't believe the sight slowly unfolding in front of me! The magical combination had occurred - clouds over head with a clear horizon. The sun progressively lit up the underneath of the clouds above but also, and this is the magic, there was a perfect reflection of the glowing deep oranges and reds and pinks in the clear, perfectly still water in front of me!

Turning my camera round for a more sideways look at the lake a few minutes later and I shot this lovely photo with the amazing array of different hues of soft pinks. Again the beautiful sky was perfectly mirrored in the glass-like water. Magical. 

The moon was disappointing, but this sunrise more than made up for it!

My equipment consists of a Canon 60D body with 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 image stabilized lens on a Giottos Carbon Fiber legged tripod and Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head.

Recently a camera manufacturer called Light Company has sought to obtain high quality images like these from a cell phone sized camera. The advanced technology camera actually utilizes 16 lens modules and then integrates the images into a single high resolution image. The photos taken here with my Canon equipment would be good candidates for the Light l16 compact camera. I am proud to be part of Light Company's #VantagePoint project!

The images here and others like them can be found in the Favorites Gallery and in the Year 2016 folder.   

 

In October 2016 I flew out to Reno, Nevada, rented a car and drove the 150 miles due south to a small town called Lee Vining in Eastern California at the foothill of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Lee Vining is about 200 miles due east of San Francisco and about 25 miles from the Nevada State border. The area may be characterized as high desert with Lee Vining itself nearly 7000 ft above sea level. The attractions are the beautiful snow covered Sierra mountains, and the gorgeous yellow leafed Aspen trees that grow in 'groves' in the area.

Wednesday October 19th: Lee Vining is located right next to a large lake called Mono Lake. The lake is a large, shallow saline soda lake that was formed at least 760,000 years ago. The lack of an outlet causes high levels of salts to accumulate in the lake. These salts also make the lake water alkaline.

The lake has been a water source for Los Angeles and, as a result, water levels have fallen dramatically in recent years exposing formerly submerged 'tufa towers'. According to Wikipedia "Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of ambient temperature water."

These towers are most prominent at the southern end of the lake, but exist throughout the lake just below the surface. 

This early morning pre-sunrise photo shows off the calm beauty of the lake and some tufa towers about 50 yards off-shore. The limestone is very porous and fragile and care needs to be taken to avoid damaging the environment.

 

Thursday October 20th: The photo on the right was taken not far from Lee Vining at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Highlighted is the juxtaposition of the mountains and a grove of Californian Aspen trees. (Colorado is the other State famous for its Aspen trees).

Being late Autumn, the leaves are a lovely golden yellow, which together with the white trunks and branches make them a thing of beauty. Unfortunately the day before I arrived a severe storm had passed through the area and had blown a lot of the leaves off the trees.

Space prevents me showing here, but I discovered a place where the magic of Aspen trees, a local lake, and mountain were all in the frame - magical!

I believe the bushes in the foreground were dogwood. 

 

 

Sunday October 23rd: The photo workshop I participated in lasted only a four days (October 17-20), but in order to make my travel across the country worthwhile I decided to stay on a few more days exploring the area by myself.

I had heard whispers of Bodie, a nearby "Ghost Town" so decided I would explore this place for myself. I went more out of curiosity than out of a hope of photographing anything interesting since, as you know, I generally seek out beauty in natural landscapes or close-ups - not in hulks of dilapidated buildings and rusty cars! I was pleasantly surprised and found many things that were intriguing and definitely nostalgic.

Bodie, about 30 miles north-east of Lee Vining, was a thriving gold mining town in the late 1800s. In 1876 several rich gold veins were discovered there by a William S. Bodie and this precipitated a kind of gold rush into the area. However, by the beginning of WWII, all the gold was depleted and the town was abandoned. It is now preserved by the California State Park system. At one time the town boasted 65 saloons!

Friday October 21st: About 50 miles due west of Lee Vining is the famous Yosemite National Park. I devoted a full day to visiting this national icon of American landscape. It was well worth the visit! (Unfortunately about 9,000 other tourists also thought so that day!) I actually had my first ever sighting of a wild bear on my way to the park. Its about a 2.5 hr trip to get to the park due to the winding roads. 

The photo on the right was taken on the way back at a place called Tuolumne Meadows. I parked the car and walked the 150 yards along a stream to this beautiful spot which immediately caught my eye as a place of tranquility - made all the more beautiful by the clouds lit up by the slowly declining sun. I stayed until it was nearly dark!

It was exactly one year ago on this day that my Sweetheart went to be with the Lord, and this peaceful scene made the memory all the more poignant. You can see all these photos and many others of my trip to Lee Vining either in the slide-show photos at the Home page or in a dedicated folder under Places. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Lake Windemere, The Lake District  Lake Windemere (left) is a beautiful lake in the Lake District of NW England. In early September 2016 I had the privilege of spending five weeks in England. I had always wanted to visit the famous Lake District but had never had the opportunity until now. The District consists of 11 lakes set in the rugged hills of the County of Cumbria close to the border with Scotland. The weather rained for most of the nine days I had allocated to visit the area! Nevertheless, I did manage to get some spectacular photos during the two days I spent travelling around the valleys and hills of the District.

The photo on the left gives an idea of the strange combination of grand scale, beautiful vistas and rugged terrain that is characteristic of the entire Lake District. The beauty of the place is especially poignant when the sun bursts through the clouds and lights up the surface in beautiful patches of light. The whole experience conveys a sense of peace and tranquility.

         I had worked at a town called Derby in Central England for several years. I lived there when I left school in Sept 1967 to join Rolls Royce (Jet Engine Division) as an Engineering Apprentice. Just north of Derby, in central Derbyshire, is a beautiful area known as the Peak District National Park. I remember going there as a young man and taking long walks in the beautiful English countryside. I decided I would devote one day to visiting the Peak District, and specifically Chatsworth House only 22 miles north of Derby. According to the House's website: "Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and has been passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family." This historic house sits on about 1000 acres of rolling hills, and in addition to the more than 30 rooms that the public can access, consists of a large very well kept garden - including a full size maze. (I didn't even try that one since I get lost easily without asking for it!) The House is huge and is home to many works of art, both modern and ancient. It also has many sculptured works from Rome and Egypt, spanning over 4000 years. In one room (right) I photographed this proto-beatle in action seated on plush red seats and surrounded by wood panels.     

 My brother and his family live in a small village called Orlingbury located about 50 miles north of London in the county of in Northamptonshire, . It is a quaint village dominated by the Anglican church. On the road to the church from my brother's house I saw this beautifully thatched roof house (left). This, together with the stone wall, is very characteristic of the housing in the area and reflects the obvious pride with which these ornate roofs are constructed. Historically, a variety of materials have been used, but it seems thatching straw is the most common. In a strange combination of ancient and modern one can see advertisements for the thatcher's service on the internet! Apparently, there is a comeback in demand for thatched roofs now in England.

In May 2016 I, along with 5 other amateur photographers made our way to Lafayette, about 60 miles SW of Baton Rouge. I was on yet another photo workshop. This one was with Gordon and Cathy Illg - the same professional photographer couple with whom I had gone to New Mexico the previous December. 

White Heron taking off as we approached. Rather than reinvent the wheel the following is taken from a blog written by Gordon himself - he can describe the scene much better than I. (His website is:  http://www.advenphoto.com/)

"This part of Louisiana is a watery maze of flooded cypress, tupelo and buttonbush forests, and its one of the most fecund ecosystems in the world. The biodiversity and sheer amount of life swimming, crawling, flying, buzzing over and through the water is one of the great natural wonders on this planet..... There's definitely no shortage of wildlife to photograph here, especially wading birds. Some of the largest rookeries (maybe the largest) in the country are in this part of the country. We cruised for miles surrounded by nests - mostly cattle egrets, snowy egrets, little blue herons, white ibis, and white faced ibis - some nests full of chicks of varying ages, some with only eggs, and some with both. 

The photography is not particularly easy. The birds are tolerant enough, but between the low light, the messy environment" and the movement of the boat getting decent photos was a challenge. The above photo was taken at Mills Lake one early, misty morning; the white heron took off as we slowly approached in our boat. (There were three boats in total, each with two photographers and the driver).

Atchafalaya Lake was another beautiful lake that we spent most of the day photographing from our boats.

 The combination of mist, water, cyprus tree forsts was quite magical (right). Occasionally we would see an alligator slowly swimming across the lake, their noses and eyes just above the water line. More often we would see an ibis or heron or roseatte spoonbill gently flying low over the water.

Later, again on Atchafalaya Lake we enjoyed the spectacle of watching Ospreys guarding their nests in between times of hunting for fish. These graceful birds of prey made a distinctive calling sound, which our boat drivers - who knew the lakes like the back of their hands - could mimic. The photo below shows an Osprey landing on its nest. These nests would be made on the top of isolated trees in the middle of the lake. The wildlife, and enchanting scenery afforded yet another opportunity for all of us to experience the amazing variety and beauty of God's creation!

Bosque (meaning 'woods' in the American Indian Apache language) comprises the terminal point for Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese migrating down from the north during Winter. They come in their thousands! Many photographers from all over the world come to this place to watch the morning 'fly-off' when the birds lift off en-mass at dawn to begin their foraging for food in the surrounding fields. The photo on the left captures a sense of the large number of birds (in this case Snow Geese) taking off at the same time - with loud sounds of wing beats and honks!
 

Bosque itself consists of several large ponds only a few inches deep created by overflow of the nearby Rio Grande river. In the past the overflows used to be quite natural, but nowadays the water flows are controlled by a series of small canals and water gates. The birds roost overnight in the ponds for protection from coyotes that view them as ideal meals!
 

The Cranes are beautiful birds that stand about 4 feet tall with a wingspan of about 6 feet. Unlike the Snow Geese, the Cranes fly very gracefully. (The Snow Geese have a higher wing loading and so have to flap a lot faster!). The photo on the right shows a Crane flying a few feet above the water shortly after taking off. I panned the photo in an attempt to keep the moving bird in focus - hence the blurry background. The blurry background serves to both focus attention on the subject (the flying Crane) and also conveys a sense of movement. I also like the low contrast throughout the image.
 

There were plenty of opportunities to photograph birds in silhouette as most of the action was either at dawn or dusk. Here's a Crane coming in for landing - undercarriage fully extended and wings generating lots of lift as the bird looks down intently trying to identify a suitable landing spot. Again, the low contrast soft background I find very pleasing and forms a nice backdrop to the descending bird.
 

Bosque is about 70 miles southwest of Albuquerque, the capital city of New Mexico. The morning were very cold in mid-December - typically about 20F (-7C). The birds didn't seem to mind, but it was a bit of a challenge for the photographers - especially this one, who managed to forget his gloves one morning!
 

In December 2015 I joined a small group of keen photographers like myself on a Photo Workshop with Gordon and Cathy Illg, a husband and wife professional photographer team. The trip, which lasted 6 days, entailed visiting two sites of photographic interest, both were some miles south of Albuquerque in New Mexico. The first place was White Sands National Monument, a desert of pure white gypsum dunes. The second, the subject of the next blog, was at a place called Bosque del Apache about 50 miles south of Albuquerque.
 

Strictly speaking, the 'sand' at White Sands is actually a material called gypsum - the dried out remains of a former huge lakebed in the area - but we'll call it sand just for convenience.
 

The photo on the left, taken early one very cold morning, shows the red glow of the rising sun on the horizon. Plant adaptability in the area was quite amazing as indicated by this Sumac (I believe) plant which seemed to just sprout from the sand. The ripples in the sand is caused by the blowing wind over the surface. The dawns and dusks in this place of extreme solitude are often spectacular. We visited for three dawns and two dusks - with beautiful lighting on each occasion. The sand dunes would be constantly, though imperceptibly,  on the move due to wind forces.
 

To the west of White Sands lay the San Andres mountain range, captured in this long shot of the sand dunes and mountains in the distance (right) . (To the north of White Sands lays the famous White Sands Missile Testing range. Apparently, at test firing times the White Sands area is shut down and visitors prohibited from entering the area). The gently undulating sand dunes - and the shadows they create - are clearly seen in this photo on the right. The early morning sunlight moving across the mountains is clearly seen and brought out the ruggedness of the mountain range very well. The range itself was about 20 miles from where the photo was taken.
 

As mentioned earlier, the sunsets and sunrises at White Sands are often beautiful. This photo on the left captured one especially beautiful dawn with the shades of pinks, blues, oranges, contrasting very nicely with the shades of gray in the dunes below. I love both color in and curves in nature - and here we have both in one photo! Incidentally, the best time to get good sunrise or sunset photos is when the there are some, but not too many, clouds and there are no clouds on the horizon. This combination happens surprisingly often if one looks out for it.
 

One other advantage of visiting a desert like White Sands is the total solitude. The nearest town is 16 miles away (Alamogordo, not far from where the first nuclear weapon was tested back in July 1945). One night we stayed late and were able to photograph the milky way - the lack of light pollution made this quite feasible. Just imagine looking up into the inky black night sky absolutely full of stars! (No wonder the Psalmist could say that "The heavens declare the glory of God..." (Ps 19:1). Indeed!
 

Recently I have started experimenting with exploiting the lovely shades of colors that emerge when a photo is taken that is quite out of focus. This was prompted one day recently when strolling along in Bong Park with my Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro lens photographing the wild flowers growing along a path. I had accidentally left my (manual) focus at the wrong setting, but was quite pleased with the resulting image!
 

On the left here is an out-of-focus shot of a group of Yellow Echinacea Coneflower flowers. One can enjoy the image by simply noting the shading of the colors from patches of yellow to surrounding hints of purple and a variety of shades of green. The overall effect is quite a pleasing soft-toned montage of colors.
 

Here is the same photo but this time focused on most of the flowers. This image is quite bland with poor composition and lacking interest. Though all the same color elements are present, the photo overall does not serve to bring out the colors.
 

 

   Here is a favorite of mine taken the same day (left). While one can just make out the shape of the purple Coneflower, the dominant feature of the image is the pleasing shades of purple, dark red, yellow, greens. These soft gradations of color provide a mood of calm and tranquility and the sheer beauty of the colors stand out to be enjoyed.
 

The same image, but this time taken properly focused (right), is certainly more technically correct of course, but the overall impression one is left with is a photo of yet another flower - no particular interest. In fact the out-of-focus coneflower on the bottom of the image is a bit distracting, whereas the same coneflower in the deliberately out-of-focus image on the left actually contributes to the variety of colors overall.
 

To take photos like these one has to work with manual focus of course. Many simpler cameras (point-and-shoot, cell phone, tablet) don't have this feature; single lens reflex cameras do. Furthermore an SLR camera allows for full control of all the parameters that go into a properly focused and exposed image. In addition these type of cameras also allow for lens interchangeability - hence a macro (close-up) lens that makes these sorts of photos possible.
 

I love moonlight! Especially when the moon's light is reflected on water. I have an app (Best Photo Times HD) that tells me the precise angle at which the moon will rise over the horizon, and the precise time, relative to any position I specify. There is one evening in the month in which the moon rises about the same time the sun is setting. (It usually occurs at the beginning of the
 

  month). This is a desirable time to photograph because one can photograph the moon together with some of the surroundings. (Most other times of the month when the moon is visible, the surroundings are much too dark to photograph and one is left with a bright moon and nothing else). So, typically I consult my app to get the moonrise times and angle for that month, and if there are no or few clouds I position myself to photograph a rising full moon. That's what I did on June 2nd 2015. The sun set in the west at 8:24pm and the moon rose in the east at 8:23pm. The location chosen was the west edge of Lake Michigan  just south of Milwaukee at a park called Grant Park.
 

The weather conditions were perfect for the kind of images I was seeking. I generally like landscape photos with minimal clutter.  So, for example the image on the left shows the moon a few minutes after it had risen over the eastern shoreline. I love the fact that the water and sky almost blur into one another - just two different shades of blue. The moon is orange because it is so low on the horizon. It also appears fairly large at this angle. The glow of the reflected moon li ght is seen in  the rippling water surface. Simple, serene, peaceful.
 

 

The photo on the right was taken at the same location but this time a little later in the evening and taken with a wide angle lens that showed a portion of the lake-front beach to provide a bit of reference for the scene. Again, the colors are majestic, and the blend between sky and water is beautifully faint. The high sirrus clouds provide some additional interest, as does the sharp contrast between the deep blue of the water and the golden line of reflected moonlight extending all the way from the horizon to the beach.
 

 

  The photo on the left is similar to the one above, but some more foreground is shown - again to provide yet more interest and spatial reference. The darkness of the tree and log underscores the fact that the photo was taken late in the evening. Of course, to provide adequate exposure in these low light conditions several seconds of exposure was needed. This in turn made use of a tripod essential.
 

You too can get photos like these - just get the app, identify the best evening, go to your favorite spot, hope for a cloudless sky, take your tripod and photograph. The photos are well worth the effort!
 

Silhouettes are created when there is a high degree of contrast in the image - usually caused by a bright background. Typically this will occur at sunrise or sunset when the sky is relatively bright behind the subject of interest. This photo on the left was taken one evening soon after a storm passed through our area one evening and I knew the lighting could be fairly dramatic. Sure enough, I happened to pass by this old, rugged tree with the branches clearly outlined against the bright but moody sky. The silhouette is formed by exposing the image for the sky and allowing the subject (the tree in this case) to go dark. (One could expose for the tree, in which case the sky would look very bright). In this case the contours of the dark branches reinforce the drama in the sky. This particular photo also has two compositional features that are usually quite desirable: (1) placing the subject off center, and (2) incorporating a diagonal in the frame. The former is especially important - try it next time you take a photo of an interesting subject!

 

The silhouette photo on the right was taken in Spring before the leaves came out on the trees. The location was at my usual favorite nature photography park not far from where we live (Bong Park). I happened to see these trees against a beautiful sunset with the cloud bases being lit by the setting sun. I was immediately struck by how the trees silhouetted against the bright sky appeared to resemble flames shooting upwards from the ground! Perhaps the intense yellows near the bottom of the frame made me think of fire.

Notice how this sky is quite different from the sky in the photo of the isolated tree above. That's the thing with nature photography - the variety of moods, textures, colors and patterns in the sky alone can vary tremendously. Each is interesting and enjoyable to observe in its own right.

 

 

Finally, the photo on the left was again taken at Bong, this time along one of the several lakes in the park. I love to see the reflection of the sun (or, more generally, the sky) in a lake. Here it was late evening and the sun was a soft gold ball low on the horizon, its brightness diffused by thin clouds. I saw some bulrushes along the waters edge so I aligned myself such that the sun's reflection formed a beautiful golden backdrop to the bulrushes now silhouetted against the water. The mood is one of somber solitude - nature getting ready to sleep for the night!

 

If you wish to see these photos in a larger format just visit the blog gallery where I keep all my blog photos. Till next time, bye for now.

 

I really enjoy photographing on a misty morning or evening. There is something mystical about a simple scene with mist present. Mist occurs when small droplets of water are suspended in air, and often arises when relatively warm, humid air encounters a cold surface or environment. (It is called fog when visibility is significantly reduced).

 

The photo on the left here was taken early one winter morning last year. Snow was everywhere, and looming from the mist was this beautiful old oak tree - almost in silhouette. I liked the way the foreground snow and background mist made the horizon almost disappear. (More photos taken during this trip can be seen on the Seasons/Winter gallery).

 

 

The photo of the horse in the mist was taken a couple of years ago when I was exploring a remote country lane in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan early one morning in late Autumn. As I got my tripod out to prepare to photograph the rising sun in the mist this horse, along with several others in the field, bounded over to see what was happening. I don't know who was more excited - the horse or me! Anyway, the ethereal quality of the horse appearing ghost-like in the mist is one of my favorite images.

 

 

On the same occasion as photographing the horse (above) I waited a little longer until the sun rose in the early morning mist. The mist diffused the lovely orange glow to give a real sense of a new Autumn morning - full of anticipation of the day about to unfold. The dew covered grasses in the foreground, the receding fence posts, the field beyond and the distant tree line - all saturated in mist and the sun's glow, made for a memorable moment captured in the camera (and now shared with you!).

 

Next time you see a mist appear - over a lake, in a woods, in a field - grab your camera and snap some shots; you may be pleasantly surprised at the magic of the scene!

 

 

A few weeks ago I had the luxury of being able to spend a few days at Yellowstone National Park. I flew out from Milwaukee Airport on the afternoon of Sunday Sept 7^th, and arrived at Jackson Hole airport in Wyoming late Sunday night. It was a three hour drive from Jackson Hole to my very modest motel in West Yellowstone in Montana, just outside the national park. I was up early on Monday morning after 3 or so hours of sleep.

Travel around the Park is accomplished mainly by driving ‘the main loop’ road system – basically a giant figure eight about 40 miles high and 20 miles wide. Travel off the main loop road was possible along numerous trails that go off into the countryside, but with many warnings about bears (both black and grizzly) I dared to venture off the road only twice! (When driving I constantly hoped to catch sight of a bear; when outside the car I constantly hoped I would not see a bear!)

On the East side of the Park is a large waterfall known as the Lower Falls (photo). This waterfall is about 300 feet tall and can be viewed from several vantage points specifically located to enjoy this magnificent sight.

On the south west part of the Park,  known as the Upper Geyser Basin, is a large hot water springs area containing many geysers – including the most famous, Old Faithful. This is because Yellowstone Park sits on top of a huge volcano that erupted many centuries ago. There are a total of about 150 geysers in this area alone (and the Park has at least 5 distinct areas of geysers comprising about 60% of the world’s geysers). Of the 150 geysers in the Upper Basin only 5 vent predictably. Most of the geysers bubble gently, but quite a few bubble more obviously (photo), and some send up a water spray 20-40 ft in the air.

 

 

 

I got up very early on the Friday morning I was returning back and drove the 3 or so hours from the Park to Jackson Hole. The city is adjacent to a lovely range of mountains known as the Grand Tetons. As planned I arrived in the Jackson Hole area at dawn and was able to capture something of the grandeur of the Grand Tetons during the morning. One particularly beautiful spot was Schwabachers Landing. This place had streams that ran into the nearby Snake River. The polarizer filter on the lens really brought out the reflection of the blue sky in the water (photo).

Recently (mid-August 2014) I took my trusty tripod and Canon 60D digital SLR camera down to the nearby pond that's within walking distance form our new home in Wisconsin. It was about the middle of the day and I knew the dragonflies would be active. Most of the pond edge was inaccessible due to various types of shrubbery, but there was a strip about 10 feet long that gave direct access to the pond edge, and hence to the dragonflies.

I took my Canon medium-long zoom lens (70-200mm f4L) and added a 1.4 multiplier which increased the magnification by 40%. Most of the photos were taken at full zoom (280mm). I also attached a circular polarizer to the lens front to remove unwanted reflections and improve the color rendering of the images.

 

The photo on the left shows a Widow Skimmer (top) and Great Blue Skimmer resting on a piece of reed on the pond's edge. (The male Widow Skimmer is recognizable by its white bands part way along the wings - the female lacks these bands). Widow Skimmer (Top) and Great Blue Skimmer Resting (1/320, f11) Dragonflies are creatures of habit. Most of their time is taken up with patrolling their piece of the lake edge from any other dragonflies. Typically, they would patrol a strip about 40 feet wide. However, they would need to rest quite frequently because of the heat, and they would invariably rest at the same two or three resting spots. All I had to do was wait for the dragonfly to arrive at its resting spot, quickly focus, adjust the  polarizer, and take the photo. Here's a close-up of the Widow Skimmer. They would only rest for a few seconds usually, so I had to work fast to capture these images. Focusing turned out to be the biggest challenge; I ended up discarding about 60% of the photos taken because focusing wasn't quite right. The photo below shows a male and female Great Blue Skimmer mating - quite interesting! That's the thing with macro nature photography, one often sees aspects of nature that one wouldn't normally notice. Its a beautiful thing to be able to capture in image form.

 

I, along with nine other amateur photographers, had the privilege of participating in a photographic workshop between August 11th and 16th in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula. The workshop was led by the professional nature photographer Rod Planck. Despite getting up every morning at 4am it was an exciting time as we would be taken to lakes at sunrise and then on to dew-covered fields to photograph dragonflies covered in dew (and therefore very conveniently unable to fly off!). On the way home I was able to capture the beauty of a lovely orange dawn over mist covered fields. One of the fields had some very inquisitive horses! Enjoy!

In June 2013 Liz & I went to beautiful Switzerland for a three week holiday. The main purpose was to visit friends and relatives. While there I did manage to squeeze in 1400 photos! Only a small fraction of the photos are shown here. I selected these particular photos both for the beauty and interest of the places visited and for the variety of subject matter. Most of the photos were taken around Berne and Thun Lake. I hope you enjoy viewing these photographs. As always, if a particular photo strikes your fancy it can be easily bought at this site. Enjoy!

In 2012 Liz & I went for a 3 week vacation to the East coast of Florida. Several of the photos in this album were taken there (the fountain, the bridge, the sunsets.

On the way to Florida, we passed by an old (1930’s?) pick-up truck parked in an equally old barn. Usually, these sorts of objects don’t do much for me but I know a lot of people like them. The sepia-toned photo seeks to reflect the way photos looked back then.

Also, a bit unusual for me, is a still life of bread, wine, cheese and grapes – the lighting adds mood to the picture.

The final two images are of an experimental nature – reflected moonlight at a nearby lake. I sought to capture the serenity, peace and calm of the reflected moonlight in the water.

Should you like your own print of any of these photos they can be ordered at any size from this web site.

Again, varying aspects of nature are shown in some of my favorite photos taken in 2011. Leaves, trees, birds, grasshoppers, waterfall, reeds all appear here.

Rather unusually for me, I have also included some photos of a very nice, but unfortunately more or less empty, shopping mall not far from where we lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. I love the perspective these images portray with the wide angle lens used.

Several of the photos were taken at a Photo workshop I participated in during October 2011 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (near Munising). Being October we were there to capture the beauty of the Autumn colors – especially near lakes.

Any of these photos can be bought as a print of any size through this web site. Enjoy!

I love close-ups of flowers – their soft colors, smooth textures, gently varying hues and, of course, their variety of shapes and sizes. Many of the photos here reflect these different aspects of flowers and plants. I also love leaves – especially backlit leaves where the sun shines through the leaf (or flower); several of the images here are backlit.

In central Ohio there’s a place called Hocking Hills characterized by caves and waterfalls; the waterfalls in this collection were taken there.

Insects are remarkable creatures – many of my photos include dragonflies, butterflys, and beetles. As always, any image may be printed to nearly any size you wish if you want to buy a photo.

In early March 2013 I presented all these photos in print format at a Craft & Art Fair held locally here in SE Wisconsin. They represent some of my favorite photos taken in the past and more recently. As you can see the locations and photo content vary considerably, though nearly all reflect my interest in capturing the beauty found in nature. I hope you enjoy the photos. If you would like your own print of any of these images, this web site makes it easy to purchase whatever size print you would like. Enjoy.