My dad and I spent all day in the woods this past Sunday, exploring some trails and bushwhacking our way though dense forest to enjoy the tranquility of some remote beaver ponds. Along the way we were lucky enough to share the company of a pair of swans, a little frog hiding out in the leaves on the forest floor from last fall, and one of the most nonchalant beavers I've ever seen.
My parents had seen some of my recent Milky Way images and really liked them, so they asked me to come by their place in order to make some photographs of it from their property. I did not know until I was getting into my car that an aurora storm was brewing! As I drove to their place, I could see a glow on the northern horizon then I could see pillars stretching upward into the sky. When I got set up with my camera and tripod on the Lake Superior shoreline in front of their house, the pillars were quite strong. I stood out on their point for about an hour, making photographs the entire time. Out of a fairly significant number of images, the two shown here emerged as my favorites.
Boy, was last night an awesome one for some Milky Way photography! I was out from 11 PM to 3 AM making photos. These are my 3 favorite images from the outing. Similar to last month's new moon, the dark sky quality was some of the best I've seen. The airglow was impressive too, adding a little extra color and pattern to the sky filled with the Milky Way.
With the cold and windy weather we've been having lately, I've been daydreaming about some comfortably warm and calm summer days. Conditions like those shown in this image are what I am longing to bask in. This was taken last summer while exploring some Ontario forest roads in my Jeep.
It was a fun day of watching ships in Two Harbors, MN yesterday. The Algoma Bear was approaching the breakwall and I got to see it do a 360 maneuver to turn and face into the wind. Once turned around, it held position... presumably waiting for the Walter J. McCarthy Jr. to depart, which was loading at the ore docks. These photos make it look like a warm summer day, however it was actually pretty chilly with a brisk wind and an air temp in the mid 40's. Always fun to watch the Lake Superior ships!
Most days, if I have time, I take a drive after work past a favorite pond which is bursting with life this time of year. My hope is to capture some decent photos of the various birds that hang out there. This week I was lucky enough to get a shot of the elusive kingfisher, which is always flying around but rarely lands close enough to the road to get a decent shot. Then, a very cooperative grackle stayed perched long enough for me to slowly work my way fairly close, allowing me to get some frame-filling shots showing the subtle yet amazingly beautiful colors that they have. And, of course, the ever-present red-winged blackbirds were putting on a good show as well. It's been a great week so far!
