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.