Jan 1, 2021 | AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon D3x, Yellowstone
Fine Art Portfolio | Yellowstone First Snow Yellowstone’s first snow of the year in mid November made for a great day to capture images along the Yellowstone River. This Yellowstone image is one of my favorite images. In particular, the dark contrasts against the snow enhanced contour. The rock seems almost majestic against the sky. And, the depth of the valley adds perspective.
The Back Story This particular Yellowstone visit was very short; only one day. The park was officially closed except for the north entrance and the road to Cooke City through Lamar Valley. A snowstorm had fallen the night before, covering everything in sparkling fresh snow. The Yellowstone River, flowing north out of the park, was not frozen due to the thermal features of the park. Actually, we only had a few minutes to capture this image between snow showers. Although it was midday, the sun was shining through a thin cloud layer softening the light. Blowing snow and the calming sound of water ripples from the river enhanced the experience. Not expecting deep snow in the week before Thanksgiving, I was not dressed properly and got very wet. In fact, light snow was still falling shortly before capturing the image. The skies just opened for a few minutes, the sun peeked through the clouds, then it quickly closed up again and snowed on us the rest of the day. For the record, I did not fall into the Yellowstone River. For more about Yellowstone NP, see Yellowstone NP Wild | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | Yellowstone photo drive during and after first snow |
| Location | Yellowstone National Park near north entrance |
| Date/Time | 11/19/2011 12:55 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy | 14°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Climb down to the river bank from road. Position camera on a rock at a low angle. |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with 17-35mm lens, Tripod used as walking stick, Rope. |
Oct 10, 2020 | AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Daily Image 2020, Farming, Illinois Harvest, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon D3x
Illinois Harvest | Big Illinois Sky After the harvest, fall paints northern Illinois fields in shades of gold accented by reds, yellows, and greens. For the whole story with all images, see Illinois Harvest | a 7 Image Story.
Oct 4, 2020 | 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.4-5.6 PD-Zoom, 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6, 7 Image Stories, Action, AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Farming, Illinois Harvest, Nikon 1 V3, Nikon D3x
Illinois Harvest | a 7 Image Story Harvest time in northern Illinois is not your grandfather’s harvest experience. Farming in northern Illinois, like most other parts of the country, has become largely a corporate experience. The number of family farms continues to decline. Even the few remaining family farms outsource their harvest to larger operators. Corn and beans are “custom combined” by these operators using large, expensive machines.
Big Round Bales The round bales standout big against a mostly sunny sky. Custom Combining What an amazing sight! These combines cut a huge swath through the bean field. And, they rarely stop since they can offload to the wagon while continuing to cut beans. While watching this operation for a couple of hours, only one combine stopped only once and then for only a couple of minutes. Into the Semi Then, from the wagon the beans go right into the semi. The wagon can unload faster enough for one wagon to keep up with two combines. Pretty slick operation! Disked Under The farmer can almost immediately disk the field under before winter. Small Bean Field Why so many John Deere images? My dad was somewhat partial to John Deere equipment. My first tractor driving experience as a kid was on the John Deere H model. Corn Header Just change the cutter head and the combine will cut, husk, and shell corn. Big Illinois Sky After the harvest, fall paints northern Illinois fields in shades of gold accented by reds, yellows, and greens.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Illinois Harvest.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Sep 25, 2020 | AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Daily Image 2020, Nikon P7000, Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP Wild
Yellowstone NP Wild | Mammoth Hot Springs This Mammoth Hot Springs image was captured during a rain shower. Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northwestern part of Yellowstone NP, is a large complex of hot springs on a mound of travertine, a form of limestone, created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. The spring’s energy comes from the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas. The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line. The water temperature at the spring hovers at about 170 °F (80 °C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green. For the whole story with all images, see Yellowstone NP Wild | a 7 Image Story.
Sep 21, 2020 | AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Daily Image 2020, Nikon D3x, Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP Wild
Yellowstone NP Wild | Yellowstone River Yellowstone’s first snow of the year in mid November made for a great day to capture images along the Yellowstone River. A snowstorm had fallen the night before, covering everything in sparkling fresh snow. Actually, we only had a few minutes to capture this image between snow showers. Although it was midday, the sun was shining through a thin cloud layer softening the light. Blowing snow and the calming sound of water ripples from the river completed the experience. The Yellowstone River, flowing north out of the park, was not frozen due to the thermal features of the park. It does not look like much of a river in this image, but it becomes a nice size river as it travels further north. There’s nothing like Yellowstone in the winter. Yellowstone always provides perspective and introspection. Every time I go to Yellowstone, the experience changes with new vistas, wildlife, challenges, and accomplishments. For the whole story with all images, see Yellowstone NP Wild | a 7 Image Story.
Sep 20, 2020 | 7 Image Stories, AF 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR, AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, AF-S PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED, Bison, Coyote, Elk, Nature, Nikon 1 V1, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Nikon D3x, Places, Raven, Yellowstone, Yellowstone NP Wild
Yellowstone NP Wild | a 7 Image Story Wild describes the essence of Yellowstone. It’s a vast wild place providing habitat where Bison, Wolf, Elk, Coyote, Pronghorn, and Bighorn Sheep as well as Bald Eagle and Raven call home. Life’s survival in wild Yellowstone is always challenging with winter being the hardest. Yellowstone is a land of fire and ice while beautiful and harshly wild. Yellowstone’s habitat is also beautiful scenery no matter what time of year. It contains contains 45 named waterfalls and hundreds of unnamed waterfalls. It’s not known for its rock formations, but it does have a few nice ones. Yellowstone’s thermal features keep the rivers from freezing in the winter and provide unique beauty year around.
American Bison This Bison image comes from Lamar Valley on a cold February afternoon. Notice his heavy winter coat to protect him from Yellowstone’s hard, long winter. Bison are year round grazers requiring water every day. They eat primarily grasses, but will also eat flowering plants, lichens, and woody plant leaves. In the winter, they sweep their heads from side to side to clear the snow. Bison lose so much weight from fall to spring just trying to survive the Yellowstone Winter, over nine percent of adult bison die during the winter.
The American Bison, also call Bison Bison, is our National Mammal and symbolic of the Great Plains. It’s largest land animal in North America. At one time millions roamed in herds across the grasslands of The Great American Prairie. A mature Bison stands 5-6 feet tall weighing 1,800 to 2,400 pounds. They can reach speeds of 30 miles per hour. Just like much of the Great American Prairie has gone the way of the plow; so most of the Bison have gone. Today, small herds are live in Canada and the USA; mostly in state and national parks like Wind Cave NP, Custer State Park, and Yellowstone NP. With about 5,000 Bison, Yellowstone NP has North America’s largest population of wild Bison and is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since the prehistoric times of the last ice age. Also, see American Bison | a 7 Image Story for more information and images of the American Bison.
Yellowstone River Yellowstone’s first snow of the year in mid November made for a great day to capture images along the Yellowstone River. A snowstorm had fallen the night before, covering everything in sparkling fresh snow. Actually, we only had a few minutes to capture this image between snow showers. Although it was midday, the sun was shining through a thin cloud layer softening the light. Blowing snow and the calming sound of water ripples from the river completed the experience. The Yellowstone River, flowing north out of the park, was not frozen due to the thermal features of the park. It does not look like much of a river in this image, but it becomes a nice size river as it travels further north. There’s nothing like Yellowstone in the winter. Yellowstone always provides perspective and introspection. Every time I go to Yellowstone, the experience changes with new vistas, wildlife, challenges, and accomplishments.
Coyote This coyote is taking a break from hunting voles during the first snow of the year in Yellowstone. Coyotes are very good at finding the voles. They can hear them in their underground burrows. Winter in Yellowstone can be harsh. The coyotes seem to be well suited Yellowstone’s 20+ below zero cold. For more information on coyotes, see Coyote | a 7 Image Story.
Yellowstone Rainbow A few rain showers in the distance yielded several rainbows. This rainbow ends near Mammoth Hot Springs and Mt. Everts on the north part of Yellowstone NP. It’s difficult to show the vastness of Yellowstone. Although Yellowstone is not necessarily known for its mountains, the rocks help put the rainbow in perspective.
Raven Portrait Ravens tend to hang around the parking areas in Yellowstone. Ravens are among the smartest of all birds and have accompanied people around the Northern Hemisphere for centuries by following their wagons, sleds, sleighs, and cars looking for a quick meal. Ravens are really quite amazing birds. They can fly over 20,000 feet. They adapt to a very wide variety of habitats including the harsh climate in Yellowstone. They adapt to living around humans quite well. They’ll eat a wide variety of foods. They even befriend wolves while still sharing in the wolves bounty. Yes, amazing birds!
Mammoth Hot Springs This Mammoth Hot Springs image was captured during a rain shower. Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northwestern part of Yellowstone NP, is a large complex of hot springs on a mound of travertine, a form of limestone, created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. The spring’s energy comes from the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas. The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line. The water temperature at the spring hovers at about 170 °F (80 °C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green.
Elk Cow & Calf Yellowstone is all about its wildlife. It’s hard to miss the affection this mom Elk has for her baby; well her bigger baby now. Yellowstone has thousands of wildlife stories every day. It’s a real privilege to witness just one of those stores.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Yellowstone NP Wild.
Click any image below for a slide show.
Jul 29, 2020 | AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Daily Image 2020, Nikon D3x, The Moment Before the Click, Yellowstone
The Moment Before the Click | Yellowstone Early Snow Yellowstone’s first snow of the year in mid November made for a great day to capture images along the Yellowstone River. A snowstorm had fallen the night before, covering everything in sparkling fresh snow. Actually, we only had a few minutes to capture this image between snow showers. The Yellowstone River, flowing north out of the park, was not frozen due to the thermal features of the park. There’s nothing like Yellowstone in the winter. Yellowstone always provides perspective and introspection. Every time I go to Yellowstone, the experience changes with new vistas, wildlife, challenges, and accomplishments. This particular visit was very short; only one day.
As we drove south from the north entrance, the road crossed over the Yellowstone River in several places. Just after crossing a bridge, a turnoff offered us a chance to stop. The snow was knee deep in places as I slid down the river bank toward the river. After clearing through some trees, the river bank offered several great views. One vista was a majestic mountain. After capturing several images of the mountain, I turned around to this more serene view. Although it was midday, the sun was shining through a thin cloud layer softening the light. Blowing snow and the calming sound of water ripples from the river completed the experience. My reaction was immediate. Click! For the whole story with all images, see The Moment Before the Click | a 7 Image Story.
Jul 26, 2020 | 7 Image Stories, AF 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR, AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, AF-S DX 12-24mm f4G IF ED, AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED, Badlands, Gallatin River Ranch, Grand Tetons, Michigan, Nature, Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Nikon D3x, Platte River, The Moment Before the Click, Yellowstone
The Moment Before the Click | a 7 Image Story When photographing landscapes in just the right place at just the right time with just the right light, there comes a moment when you know the scene in front of your lens becomes just the right image. It’s that moment when all is right with the world. The camera setting are set correctly. You’ve moved around enough to get the right angle and the composition is set. The camera is focused on the scene with perfect exposure. You’re calm. The calm only a photographer can feel; the moment before the click. Click! Each of these images has its own back story on my journey to that moment.
Yellowstone Elk After a long day enjoying Yellowstone NP in late September, we were driving toward the west end of the park to call it a day. As happens often in Yellowstone, the next bend in the road provided another beautiful scene. The Elk were bugling in this small herd across the field. After a short walk through the trees, the scene opened up. At first, it was not clear to me what my subject would be. Normally, it would be the Elk. This time the new tree growth through the burned forest seemed more overpowering to me. So, I decided to make it a landscape with wildlife included. After wondering a bit to get the right angle and focusing with a long lens to condense the background, the scene in front of my lens came into focus. The late afternoon light was perfect. The scene was classic wild Yellowstone. The perfect end to a great day. Click!
Gallatin River Montana While crossing the small bridge into the Gallatin River Ranch, it’s not uncommon to see someone fly fishing. In fact, the Gallatin River is a top fly fishing destination for Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and an occasional Cutthroat Trout. With the setting sun behind me, this scene began to unfold. At first, it seemed like the fisherman might be the subject, but as the light changed, it revealed nice landscape image. So, I decided to make it a landscape with a human included. After walking up and down the bridge a bit to get the composition with beautiful late afternoon light, this scene came into focus. The scene is classic Montana with Gallatin fishing. The only sound breaking the calm came from water ripples in the river. A nice way to end the day! Click!
The Shore Line @ Oxbow Bend OxBow Bend is located along the Snake River near Great Tetons NP. It’s one of the most photographed places in the country. In this image, Mt. Moran stands majestic in the background. To capture this image, I arrived at the the Ox Bow Bend turnoff a little before o’dark thirty. A light snow cover greeted me at the turnoff. Just after first light, I climbed down the slightly frozen river bank to river’s edge. Upon setting up my tripod behind several rocks, I waited for any wildlife that might amble by my position. Several coyote packs could be heard in the distance. Also, black bear, grizzly bear, moose, elk, and wolves call this area home.
Unfortunately, the wildlife did not appear except for a couple of river otters. However, the crisp, cold morning air, the light spring snow cover, and the calm, no wind quiet of this remote place made me appreciate the scene in front of my lens. As Mt. Moran became reflected in the Snake River and the morning shadows began to change, this composition appeared. Click!
Yellowstone Early Snow Yellowstone’s first snow of the year in mid November made for a great day to capture images along the Yellowstone River. A snowstorm had fallen the night before, covering everything in sparkling fresh snow. Actually, we only had a few minutes to capture this image between snow showers. The Yellowstone River, flowing north out of the park, was not frozen due to the thermal features of the park. There’s nothing like Yellowstone in the winter. Yellowstone always provides perspective and introspection. Every time I go to Yellowstone, the experience changes with new vistas, wildlife, challenges, and accomplishments. This particular visit was very short; only one day.
As we drove south from the north entrance, the road crossed over the Yellowstone River in several places. Just after crossing a bridge, a turnoff offered us a chance to stop. The snow was knee deep in places as I slid down the river bank toward the river. After clearing through some trees, the river bank offered several great views. One vista was a majestic mountain. After capturing several images of the mountain, I turned around to this more serene view. Although it was midday, the sun was shining through a thin cloud layer softening the light. Blowing snow and the calming sound of water ripples from the river completed the experience. My reaction was immediate. Click!
Lone Tree on the Badlands Nothing says Great American Prairie like a lone tree on the rolling mixed grass prairie of the Badlands. 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. Like many photographers, the lone tree is one of my favorite subjects. Actually, unlike many of my images, I visited this site in Badlands NP many times before the clouds provided a nice background. Then, I moved around the tree to get the right angle on the composition until this basic image filled my viewfinder. The wind was making the leaves on the tree move too much so I waited and waited and waited. All the while, the clouds were moving as well. So, I waited longer. The early morning light was beginning to change. Finally, everything lined up. The clouds looked nice. The wind calmed down a bit. Everything was right with the world in front of me. Click!
Evening on the Lake What a beautiful end to a nice day on the lake! Just enough light remained to cast both color and shadows on the lake. The air was calm but small waves persisted on the lake. A long exposure would hopefully smooth the water. From the dock, I experimented with different exposures while waiting for the best shadow and color. With everything dialed into the camera, the calm wait for the best composition was quite pleasant. Then, C…L…I…C…K…!!! Actually, I captured several long exposures before leaving.
Platte River Sunset Platte River sunsets make beautiful images. Each year, the Platte River in central Nebraska, during late February, March, and Early April, beckons us to come and experience Sandhill Cranes by the thousands. The black dots in the sky are Sandhill Cranes coming to roost for the night on the swallow sand bars of the river. Over a couple of months, over 500,000 Sandhill Cranes will make their annual visit to the Platte River. They’ll feed, rest, and gain weight for their flight back to Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. This image was captured near one of the bridges crossing the river. The weather was warm for early April with a very light breeze. A few other photographers waited with me along the river’s bank. As the sun set, the clouds lit up. Click!
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category The Moment Before the Click.
Click any image below for a slide show.
