N a t u r e

Grand Tetons | a 7 Image Story

Grand Tetons | a 7 Image Story

Grand Tetons | a 7 Image Story  Are the mountains calling you?  Rising sharply from the flats, the Grand Tetons contain pristine lakes, alpine terrain, and incredible wildlife.  Fall brings deep colors to accent the already magnificent Grand Tetons Mountains.  These...

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Coyote | a 7 Image Story

Coyote | a 7 Image Story

Coyote | a 7 Image Story  Coyotes are savvy, clever, and wild members of the dog family that have adapted to changing American landscape.  They inhabit forests, mountains, prairies, and deserts as well as cities and small towns.  In fact, they can be found in most...

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Gators Galore | a 7 Image Story

Gators Galore | a 7 Image Story

Gators Galore | a 7 Image Story   The American Alligator resides in the southern United States particularly in the Everglades near Everglades NP.   Clearly, the Everglade's environment is an alligator’s playground.  It remains the iconic animal of the Everglades and...

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Storm Clouds | a 7 Image Story

Storm Clouds | a 7 Image Story

Storm Clouds | a 7 Image Story  Storm clouds fascinate many people including me.  Most of us can not just go out and find a nice storm to photograph.  Good storm images tend to be captured on the fly while photographing something else.  The photographer happens to be...

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Minolta XTsi to Yellowstone | a 7 Image Story

Minolta XTsi to Yellowstone | a 7 Image Story

Minolta XTsi to Yellowstone | a 7 Image Story  This trip to Yellowstone was my first.  My newest camera at the time was the Minolta XTsi Maxxum.  It had several new electronic features, but the basic camera was more consumer than the more professional Minolta XG-9. ...

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Summer Walkabout Flowers | a 7 Image Story

Summer Walkabout Flowers | a 7 Image Story

Summer Walkabout Flowers | a 7 Image Story  Sometimes, my walkabouts bring to mind simple pleasures.  The walkabout might not run across any wildlife or even nice landscapes, but simple flowers always brighten my day on summer walks.  On this walk lilies seemed to...

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Kodak Signet 30 to Garden of the Gods | a 7 Image Story

Kodak Signet 30 to Garden of the Gods | a 7 Image Story

Kodak Signet 30 to Garden of the Gods | a 7 Image Story  My first trip to the Garden of the Gods with my first camera, the Kodak Signet 30, was an intense learning experience.  Luckily, a few photos turned out reasonable well.  In the Garden of the Gods, on a clear...

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Nesting Robins | a 7 Image Story

Nesting Robins | a 7 Image Story

Nesting Robins | a 7 Image Story  The American Robin is one of the earliest bird species to lay eggs in the spring,  Female robins choose the nest site; typically in the lower half of a tree.  They also nest in gutters, eaves, light fixtures, etc. as well as a...

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Pleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story

Pleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story

Pleasant Lake Kayaking | a 7 Image Story   Paddling along Pleasant Lake's shoreline generally turns up watercolor and wildlife.  The Water Iris line the northwest shoreline.  Naturally, the Swallowtail Butterfly visits them regularly.  These magnificent large...

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The Bald Eagle | a 7 Image Story

The Bald Eagle | a 7 Image Story

The Bald Eagle | a 7 Image Story   The majestic Bald Eagle, national symbol of the United States of America, resides only on North America.  Bald Eagles are just magnificent creatures.  The B&W format forces attention to the features of the eagle and its...

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Minolta XG-9 to Maui | a 7 Image Story

Minolta XG-9 to Maui | a 7 Image Story

Minolta XG-9 to Maui | a 7 Image Story  My first trip to Maui was also my first trip with my new Minolta XG-9 SLR camera.  The XG-9 replaced my SRT-102 as my top camera.  The SRT-102 was a great camera and a hard act to follow.  The XG-9 was smaller and a bit easier...

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Spring 2019 Hodgepodge | a 7 Image Story

Spring 2019 Hodgepodge | a 7 Image Story

Spring 2019 Hodgepodge | a 7 Image Story This year's spring was colder and wetter than normal.  Trees budded later than usual.  The flowers seemed to be a bit later in blooming.  Migratory water fowl passed through a little later.  These images were all captured on my...

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Depth of Field | a 7 Image Story

Depth of Field | a 7 Image Story

Depth of Field | a 7 Image Story  Depth of Field: the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects in acceptably sharp focus in an image.  Seems like a simple enough concept!  Applying this simple concept might be a bit more difficult than it seems.  To help...

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Common Snapping Turtle | a 7 Image Story

Common Snapping Turtle | a 7 Image Story

Common Snapping Turtle | a 7 Image Story  The Common Snapping Turtle is a very large turtle.  Its top shell, called a carapace, generally grows to 10 – 20 inches long while the turtle can weigh 15 – 55 pounds.  Their colors are usually dull brown to black with a large...

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Nikon 1 V3 for Insects | a 7 Image Story

Nikon 1 V3 for Insects | a 7 Image Story

Nikon 1 V3 for Insects| a 7 Image Story  The Nikon 1 V3, and the V1 before it, captures a wide variety of image types quite well.  With the right lens and a little patience, it will capture really nice insect images.  The camera body and lenses are relatively small...

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Spring Snow | a 7 Image Story

Spring Snow | a 7 Image Story

Spring Snow | a 7 Image Story  Hopefully, this Spring Snow will be the last of the winter season.  It's one of those wet, heavy; here today, gone tomorrow snows.  Still, while it's here, it's fun.  Jokingly, some folks say spring snows are warmer than winter snows. ...

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American Pelicans 2019 | a 7 Image Story

American Pelicans 2019 | a 7 Image Story

American Pelicans 2019 | a 7 Image Story  Every year in early spring, a small flock of American Pelicans stop to rest and fish in a nearby lake along my walkabout trail.  They usually spend 10 days to 2 weeks on the lake.  Spring is clearly here when they arrive. ...

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Midwest Seascapes | a 7 Image Story

Midwest Seascapes | a 7 Image Story

Midwest Seascapes | a 7 Image Story  Seascapes may seem like a stretch.  In the Midwest, we have no seas or oceans, just lakes; big lakes, small lakes, lakes of all shapes and sizes.  Perhaps, we should call these images lake-scapes.  Several  images are long...

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Rock Formations | a 7 Image Story

Rock Formations | a 7 Image Story

Rock Formations | a 7 Image Story  A simple concept, a simple word like "rocks"  easily grows into complex shapes and colors for images.  We flat land photogs travel far and wide to capture the essence of rock formations.  The seven presented here come from my western...

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The Lone Tree | a 7 Image Story

The Lone Tree | a 7 Image Story

The Lone Tree | a 7 Image Story  Lone tree images convey sense of quiet solitude.  They remind us how a solitary figure stands tall against all odds.  The lone tree provides raw strength to the image as well as a sense of resilience and perseverance.

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Solitude @ Wind Cave | a 7 Image Story

Solitude @ Wind Cave | a 7 Image Story

Each national park has a character of it’s own. “Solitude” describes Wind Cave NP above the ground, particularly in the off-season. At solitary Wind Cave, it’s all about the land and its wildlife; a nature photographer’s heaven.

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Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story

Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story

Nikon 1 V3 for Birds | a 7 Image Story   The Nikon 1 V3 makes bird photography possible for amateurs who do not specialize on birds.  As an amateur, who captures mostly wildlife, landscapes, and aviation, investing in very expensive 400mm - 600mm telephoto lens just...

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First Snow | a 7 Image Story

First Snow | a 7 Image Story

First Snow | a 7 Image Story  This fall seems to be a bit colder than most and the first real snowfall a bit sooner than usual.  It’s a wet snow so it sticks to trees and bushes. The temperature has hung around freezing.  A little snow, like 8 inches, a little sun and...

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Morning Dove Posing | a 7 Image Story

Morning Dove Posing | a 7 Image Story

Morning Dove Posing | a 7 Image Story  Morning Doves tend to stick around for winter. With the leaves off the trees, sometimes they make great images.  They don’t seem to mind the cold and snow.  It probably helps that they have plenty of seed to eat from my bird...

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2018 MI Fall Color Tour | a 7 Image Story

2018 MI Fall Color Tour | a 7 Image Story

2018 MI Fall Color Tour | a 7 Image Story  Northern Michigan trees tend to show more reds than southern Midwest.  This year the reds seemed to be somewhat muted; not as many and not as brilliant. Still, peak color is always beautiful.  The highways northwest of...

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Midwest Fall Color | a 7 Image Story

Midwest Fall Color | a 7 Image Story

Midwest Fall Color | a 7 Image Story Northern Illinois fall color doesn’t contain as many reds as farther north in the U.P.  Late afternoon light in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula adds to the soft flow of the river and a bit of fall color.  As the afternoon drags, the...

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Elk | a 7 Image Story

Elk | a 7 Image Story

Elk | a 7 Image Story  Today Elk live primarily in western North America in mountainous areas such as Wyoming’s National Elk Refuge near the Grand Tetons NP and Yellowstone National Park NP.  Elk are related to deer but are much larger.  Male elk are called bulls and...

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The Great American Prairie | a 7 Image Story

The Great American Prairie | a 7 Image Story

The Great American Prairie | a 7 Image Story  Thunderstorms rumble over the Great Plains frequently during the summer months.  In fact, they are almost one of the trademarks of the Great American Prairie; ranging from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest and from Canada...

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Great Blue Heron | a 7 Image Story

Great Blue Heron | a 7 Image Story

Great Blue Heron | a 7 Image Story  Why do I like Great Blue Herons?  The Great Blue is a big beautiful bird.  It’s common in many parts of the country so there are many photographic opportunities to capture images with multiple poses.  And, my nightly walkabout...

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Big Island & Kilauea B&W | a 7 Image Story

Big Island & Kilauea B&W | a 7 Image Story

Big Island & Kilauea B&W | a 7 Image Story  The Big Island of Hawaii is a land of sharp contrasts; naturally made for black & while images.  Recent news headlines are filled with an erupting Kilauea volcano.  These images show a more peaceful Hawaii with...

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Simple Click Wildflowers | a 7 Image Story

Simple Click Wildflowers | a 7 Image Story

Simple Click Wildflowers | a 7 Image Story  Of course, a simple click can come anywhere, anytime.  My spring walkabouts tend to turn up many simple clicks, particularly when spring wildflowers are in bloom.  So, what is a simple click?  The term gets used extensively...

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Snowy Rain | a 7 Image Story

Snowy Rain | a 7 Image Story

Snowy Rain | a 7 Image Story  A little snow, a little rain, and early morning light help make dramatic images.  Add a few rocks in a mountain stream and little luck with the weather, you might find the image in your dreams.  The opportunity came my way on a fall...

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Spring Walkabout | a 7 Image Story

Spring Walkabout | a 7 Image Story

Spring Walkabout | a 7 Image Story  Hey, it’s spring.  After a long winter, spring walkabouts bring a fresh perspective.  Color slowly begins to reemerge.  Sure, rain and snow showers make for muddier boots.  Does April snow bring May flowers?  Enough with the snow,...

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Snow B&W | a 7 Image Story

Snow B&W | a 7 Image Story

Snow B&W | a 7 Image Story  Black & white images seem to go together with snow, quite often.  As winter gives way to spring, it's time to reflect one last time on winter snow.  My black & white images tend to highlight contrasts.  Snow provides contrast by...

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American Bison | a 7 Image Story

American Bison | a 7 Image Story

American Bison | a 7 Image Story  The American Bison, also call Bison Bison, is our National Mammal and symbolic of the Great Plains.  The largest land animal in North America; at one time millions roamed  the grasslands of North America from Alaska to Mexico in...

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Sandhills on the Platte | a 7 Image Story

Sandhills on the Platte | a 7 Image Story

Sandhills on the Platte | a 7 Image Story  Every year from mid February to the first week of April, most of the planet’s Sandhill Cranes converge along 75-mile stretch of the Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska.  The gathering represents the closest thing to the...

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