Category Archives: Photos

Experimenting with Composition

Earlier this year, when places all over the world were entering quarantine, I turned to photography as a method of meditation. While looking through the viewfinder, I would begin to focus on what I was photographing and for a brief period find a place of calmness from the pandemic. Unfortunately there wasn’t much available outside in nearby parks as winter had turned to spring but nothing was growing yet. Instead I decided to create a scene. Some of my plants were in flower so I wanted to try using these while capturing their reflection in a small pool of water. Once I had them set up I misted portions of the flowers with water in order to catch the background in these little droplets. I was not getting the shots I was attempting to achieve so I added a new element. Ladybug beetles had started moving again from their winter hibernation so I captured one of these and placed it on a flower. It was a good sport and wandered curiously all over these blooms sprinkled with water providing some entertaining photos. It was a fun couple of hours and helped expand my photography skills.

A ladybug and its reflection

The Hunt Continues…..

Enjoying some success in finding different orchids the day before, I was excited to look for more hardy orchids. This time I headed to a different location also known to have orchids. The sun was out bringing with it warmer temperatures combined with higher humidity making it feel quite warm for wandering through the swampy woods some of these orchids call home. Even though I was doused in bug spray, the mosquitoes didn’t seem to care. They attacked from time to time anyway. Carefully watching each step, trying to avoid wet feet and stepping on a native orchid, I slowly moved through the forest on my hunt. It felt familiar, like I was stalking something during the hunting season. Only this time what I was searching for was on the forest floor hidden among the leaves and branches.

Goodyera repens

After 15 or 20 minutes of searching, the first one was spotted. It was the Goodyera repens, otherwise known as the Rattlesnake orchid. I couldn’t believe how small it was. Each multicolored leaf was about the size of my thumbnail. It would have been easy to walk right past it. In fact, I probably walked past several of them. The flower stalk was growing but it was a little too early for the blooms to be open. Even as I continued my hunt finding several more, the flowers were all a few weeks from opening. Success! Here was my 4th orchid new to me. While scouring the woods for more orchids I spotted more Coralroot seed heads along with more Hooker’s orchids.

Platanthera aquilonis

The next day I continued my quest for orchids and saw the Northern Green Bog orchid along with the Blunt leaved rein orchid for new sightings. Once again the Hookers orchid and several Lady Slipper’s were spotted on this day as well. At the end of the 4 days looking for orchids I managed to find 10 native to Minnesota. Six of these were species I had not spotted before which is the number I was shooting for.  That brings the total for 2020 to seven species of native orchids new to me. I’m not expecting to do much more searching this year but have begun thinking about which orchids I’d like to find next year. There’s still several more in this area that I want to find so another adventure to Northwestern Minnesota will need to be made.

Platanthera obtusata

Stormy Nights

Recently there have been some good storms rolling through producing fantastic lightning. Unfortunately that has also come with tornadoes, hail, and high winds for some. Thankfully for me it’s been rain along with thunder and lightning with only a few small branches to pick up but the light shows as they’re moving by have been amazing. Unlike something I’ve seen in a really long time. The timing has been perfect with the shows arriving just as the sun would set on nights where I didn’t have to work the next day. Often the lightning just appeared to crawl among the clouds spreading out over the sky with very little noise leaving me in awe at the spectacular sight overhead.

Here comes the storm

For this latest series of storms, I was working on some projects around the house after work on a Friday afternoon and began getting alerts on my phone. As the afternoon turned into evening, my wife called to me saying I should take a look at the radar. Several severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings had been issued for areas several hundred miles away heading in our direction. I continued working on my projects now beginning to think about possible locations to watch them as they continued in my direction.

The first storm cell was overhead while I quickly ate dinner. What I thought would be the better show was a cold front right on it’s tail. That’s the one I wanted to be taking pictures of. Grabbing my camera and gear I headed for a nearby spot and set up. Just as I got the camera into place the rain began falling again. I was too late! Packing up I moved to a sheltered area still outside watching the storm.

The rain poured down

The rain began to pour and the wind started blowing fiercely. I continued to back further and further under cover but the wind was now blowing rain everywhere. I opened up the umbrella hoping to keep the camera dry as the wind started to grab at it. My umbrella began to bend backwards briefly, offering little cover from the rain. At that moment the sirens started to blare and my phone was now buzzing with a tornado warning. Theses storms have had a history of tornadoes and strong straight-line winds and could very well produce either now. Well this seems like a brilliant idea I thought to myself.

Unable to pull up the weather radar quickly on my phone I decided to call my wife to see what the news was reporting. Unfortunately the television was currently unable to broadcast leaving me wondering what I should do. I kept watching the sky trying to decipher what to do seeing only heavy rains. Soon the rain began to ease up and the sky turned more yellow. Here’s where a tornado could show up. As I continued talking with my wife I was trying to determine if there was a direction I could look for one and possibly capture it on camera. It was unlikely that a tornado would pass right where I was but maybe I could see one from here either to the North or East.

Sunset as the storms passed

The sirens quieted once again and the rain began to let up. Soon there was light near the horizon. This could turn into a spectacular sunset now! Glad I stayed here. With a light shower now I began to explore under the cover of my umbrella, searching for a great composition to capture this sunset. Every once in awhile there would be a bright flash behind me with a low rumble. I would turn around and watch for a short time wondering if better shots existed behind me. Continuing to focus on the setting sun, I chose a spot and got the camera ready, snapping a few pictures as the sun sank below the horizon. Unfortunately the sunset I had imagined never really materialized so I packed up and decided to head to another place and see if there were any nice views of the passing storm.

Lightning behind the clouds

Arriving at a nearby lake I was in luck. Lightning was crisscrossing through the sky in an amazing show. I once again set up the camera and began working on the best settings to photograph the splendor before me. There was still a fair amount of light in the sky making it challenging to actually get good pictures of this lightning. I continued to work on different settings along with the focus on my lens. Fortunately these storms continued like this for a long time so I had time to find the best camera setup. I was able to get some nice photos filled with lightning.

This lightning would begin in one place and just crawl across the sky, sometimes making its way from one horizon to another. Over the next hour I continued to take pictures of this spectacle in front of me, adjusting as it got darker and darker transitioning from day to night. The temperatures were now dropping and so was the humidity reminding me that I should have grabbed a jacket before I left. Typically I carry one in my vehicle but had taken it out a week earlier and haven’t put it back yet. The show I was watching was enough of a distraction I didn’t really care that I was beginning to shiver a little. Eventually these storms moved east far enough I decided it was time to return home as the best pictures were now behind me. What a great beginning to the weekend!

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Illuminating Jack in the Pulpit

One late spring night I decided to continue playing with the idea of photographing illuminated flowers. Since doing this with tropical lady slippers, I’ve wanted to try it with other flowers as well. The curiosity of how they might look at night lit from unique angles was in the back of my mind for several weeks while I waited for flowers to open as spring arrived. Once the sun started getting low in the sky I began to get set up with the camera, tripod, and remote shutter. Since the lighting is so low except for the LED light used to illuminate the flower, a slow shutter is necessary to capture what light there is. It has to be dark enough for the light to have an impact otherwise it will be overpowered by natural light. I do like how this turned out but I need to continue working on this type of photography. I always struggle with how to handle the lights. Do I tear a hole in the back of the flower to insert the light so the wires don’t show or are those wires small enough so as to be only a minor distraction? I like to hide them when possible without risking damage to the flower or plant itself. Something fun to work with when photographing flowers.

Jack in the Pulpit flower illuminated

Finding a Few New Orchids

With the sun higher in the sky as the day approached noon, it was time to head into the woods and continue the search for more orchids. Along the way I spotted another plant that I didn’t know existed in Minnesota, Indian Paintbrush. While they are not orchids, they’re still amazing to see. These were growing near the roadside also and were growing in two different colors – orange and yellow. Stopping near some of these I got to examine their blooms more closely and discovered how beautiful they are with the green leaves tipped in either orange or yellow hiding their little flowers from view. Realizing I had been distracted by another beautiful flower, it was time to search for these orchids I came to find.

Calypso with seedpods

Talking with a local DNR employee earlier, he pointed me to a few locations to begin my search. Arriving at the first one I stepped out of the vehicle, grabbed the camera, and disappeared in the woods. Within a few minutes I came across some markings placed by other people and saw the little leaves they led to. It was the Calypso orchids holding their seed pods high above them. Unfortunately the blooms were done but it was still fun to find an orchid I had not seen before. If they were not marked I’m not sure I would have found them. Their single leaves are so small and grow very close to the ground. Once I spotted these I looked around and saw several others in the area. It must be beautiful in this place when they’re blooming.

Hookers orchid

While looking around at these Calypso’s, I began to slowly move forward a short distance when I spotted something else that appeared to be an orchid right as my foot was nearing the ground. Quickly shifting my direction, I almost lost my balance but managed to stay upright while avoiding stepping on this plant. Bending over to look closer, I realized it was another orchid. The flower stalk was growing but the flowers had not opened yet. I took a few pictures and continued exploring for more of these. After a little while I came across one of these orchids with the blooms open allowing me to get pictures of its blooms. Examining the flowers made me almost positive it was Platanthera hookeri. Eventually I confirmed that ID and added another new orchid to my found list. Slowly meandering through the woods I came across a few additional orchids past their bloom time. One was the early coral root which at first I thought was Corallorhiza odontorhiza. Further research confirmed that would be the Autumn coral root and what I actually found was the seed head of early coral root. Several of these were found in a few locations last year. The other new orchid was the Ram’s Head Ladyslipper. This was the one orchid at the top of my list to spot on this trip. Unfortunately the blooms were all done so there were just leaves and seed pods to see for this year. Another trip during their bloom period is in order. What a successful day of orchid hunting find 3 orchids I’ve never seen before! Now it was time to get some food.

Ram's Head orchid past bloom with last year's seed pod still visible

Surrounded by Orchids

I’d heard about. I’ve even ready about it. But I was still completely surprised to be driving down a road and see the roadside exploding with beautiful ladyslipper orchids. In a portion of Northern Minnesota they grow as though a common weed. There were places these ordinarily rare hardy orchids would number in the hundreds. While these weren’t the orchids I was here to see, they were very impressive. The timing couldn’t have been better as they were in peak bloom. Having attempted on multiple occasions to grow this hardy orchid in my own yard without success, I now understood why I had such difficulties. They were never provided enough sunlight and water. With this newly understood knowledge, I’m ready to give it another try. It would be well worth it as beautiful as these orchids are. These conditions could never be duplicated in my yard so enjoying this environment was a must. I never got used to seeing these just growing by the roadside in many areas I traveled.

A Showy Ladyslipper orchid flower up close

Often I stopped to get out and admire these beautiful plants and would notice other orchids mixed in with the Showy Ladyslippers. Occasionally the large yellow flowered cypripedium would be seen still in bloom. These usually are in flower a little earlier than the showy so I didn’t really expect to see them with such nice blooms and was pleasantly surprised from time to time. Another benefit of taking the time to walk along the road to inspect these wild orchids was to enjoy their subtle fragrance. I enjoy this nice, sweet scent but you have to get somewhat close to the flowers to smell it which can be an issue in their habitat. Often times they are growing in very wet places and this place has had above average rains at this point in the summer making it a bit more challenging to get near the blooms.

Large flowered yellow lady slipper

Slowly moving along the road, I caught the sight of another Cypripedium flower peaking out from the dense vegetation. It was the small yellow ladyslipper. Another orchid I expected to be done blooming by this time but here it was with some plants still in flower. Being certain this was a different species was a little challenging as it didn’t appear there was much difference between the large and small yellow ladyslipper. Coloration, size of bloom, and the tendrils provided hints that this was a third hardy orchid to be seen on this adventure. It was all so fun to find and worth battling the thousands of mosquitoes that also thrive in such habitat. While I was enjoying these ladyslippers, these were all orchids I’ve seen before and weren’t adding new ones to my list of Minnesota hardy orchids found. My count was still at 1 for this year.

Small yellow ladyslipper

While driving to another area where more types of native orchids were supposed to be growing, I came across a variation of the Showy Ladyslipper I haven’t seen before. An all white form. It was a matter of luck since it blended in so well with the numerous other Showy’s growing along the road while driving by. It didn’t add any new orchids to my list but was still fun to see. Unfortunately there was an area of loose dirt nearby which I suspect was someone digging out and poaching one of these more unusual protected orchids. They can be found for sale at several orchid growers which is the legal method of obtaining hardy orchids. The morning was beginning to turn towards noon and I had not seen any new orchids yet but what a nice start to my native orchid hunting adventure.

All white form of the Showy Ladyslipper

On the Hunt for More Orchids

With a goal to find 6 orchid species I had never seen before I headed to Northwestern Minnesota. Earlier in the spring I found one orchid, the Showy Orchis. Now to find five more. Daylight was just beginning to show in the morning sky. The summer solstice had come and gone the day before announcing a new summer season full of promise for native orchids. My car was packed the day before so all I needed to do was take a quick shower and load a few essential items along with my frozen food to begin another week long adventure. It was 4:30 am as I left the driveway for the 6+ hour drive which would end near the Minnesota – Canada border. Almost an hour later the sun began to fill the morning sky with a beautiful display of oranges, pinks, and purples. What a fantastic beginning to this journey!

Fog began to cover the landscape

While I continued to drive North, the sun climbed above the trees revealing a beautiful foggy morning landscape. This didn’t last very long as the fog dissipated quickly under the warm summer sun. There’s just something about a mysterious fog hovering above the ground that brings a smile to my face. What may be hiding in the mist that will be soon revealed as these clouds disappear? Over the next few hours the daylight grew bringing light to every corner I could see with the occasional deer grazing in a field off to the side of the road. As I got closer to my destination, Showy Ladyslippers began appearing near the roadside. Sometimes by the hundreds. I’ve seen pictures of this and read about it but that didn’t come close to seeing this for myself. Here are orchids growing like weeds in this area while they remain a specimen plant in most areas. Eventually I made it to my first stop along the way – Big Bog State Rec Area. And what adorned the entrance? Of course Showy Ladyslippers. Bogs are an eco system I’ve not seen before. Or at least realized I was seeing one. A bog provides a different sort of mystery with it. This place has a mile long bog walk so people can explore the area without getting wet and also destroying the plant life. As I walked along watching the forest transition to small black spruce trees surrounded by moss growing everywhere, I was hoping to see a Dragon’s Mouth, a Rose Pogonia orchid or pitcher plant but nothing.

Sundew

Finally one of the clumps of living moss captured my attention. I think it was more the lichens growing on what seemed to be soil that caused me to pause along the boardwalk and kneel down for a closer look. As I studied these for a minute or two I spotted a small, interesting plant not far away. Immediately I recognized it as Sundew, another of Minnesota’s carnivorous plants. I needed to look a couple of times at this plant and its surroundings to finally believe that it what it really was. I was not expecting to see this plant here. Nor was I expecting it to be so small. Each leaf was only the size of a single chocolate M&M covered in tentacles each with a sticky sap at the end. The overall size of a single plant was equivalent to a small Lodge Pole pine cone. They are such interesting plants with a clear drop glistening at the end of each red hair. Once I spotted one, it was amazing how many more were growing in the green moss all around.

Bog Cranberries

As I continued to inspect this little micro landscape I noticed several red berries which seemed to just grow out of the moss. Eventually this was identified as a bog cranberry and those were last years fruit. Nearby, this year’s flowers had just emerged to create next years fruit. I could see more and more fascinating pieces all growing together to make a bog. But still no orchids or pitcher plants. I continued to walk further into the bog when I finally spotted one. These beautiful red leaves emerging from the moss in the form of a pitcher full of water. Their colors and patterns combined to create a plant more interesting than much of its surroundings and contrasted beautifully with the moss growing around it. The further I walked, the more of them I began to see. It was such a treat. By this point the mosquitoes where making their presence well known. Occasionally after swatting one, I would carefully drop into a pitcher for the plant to consume. A bit of satisfaction for these irritating pests. I wished I could be there when these pitcher plants were in bloom. From pictures I’d seen the blooms where quite amazing and unique.

Pitcher Plant

Studying a few of these fun plants, I turned around and saw what I didn’t expect to see. Pitcher plants in bloom. My research indicated they bloomed about a month earlier so I would not have the opportunity to see them on this trip. These dark burgundy blooms stood high above the moss covered ground showing off these beautiful petals. Scanning over the bog near the end of this walkway revealed blooming pitcher plants dotting the area. I could have stayed here for quite a bit longer photographing and studying the bog further but I had a mile long walk to get back and it was time to eat. Getting back to my vehicle, I grabbed a sandwich and an apple before continuing north to what would be my campsite for the night and base for the pending orchid hunt, Hayes Lake State Park. Stopping at Big Bog was definitely worth a few hours to begin this adventure!

The blooms of pitcher plants

Lighting Up Orchids

Orchids are a flower I really enjoy and recently one of my tropical ladyslippers began blooming again. This is a plant that has consistently bloomed every year for me and one I really enjoy. I’ve wanted to photograph them but my struggle has been how to create an image that is unique? Finally I came across the idea to light them in a unique way. From inside their pouch. With such small LED’s now this is possible in a way that hasn’t been before. My concern was the flower would get knocked off while inserting the lights. Fortunately that did not happen which surprised me a bit as I really had to twist and turn some of the parts of these flowers to get the lights where I wanted them. It took me a couple of hours one afternoon to get this all set up but I had fun and enjoy the results for the most part. There are hopes to be able to do more of this in the future with other flowers.

Phragmipedium in bloom

A Spring Afternoon Surprise

After completing some tasks around the house for much of the weekend I needed to get out to an area park and enjoy the sun’s warmth. A few days earlier I had found the first native orchids to bloom at one park. Now I wanted to locate it at my favorite park to go for some nearby solitude. A place I’ve spent hundreds of hours exploring. My plan was to hike some of the spots that seemed most likely for the Showy Orchis to grow. These would take a little bit to get to as they are over a mile away from the parking lot through the woods. It was ok as I had set aside the entire afternoon to conduct my search. After a few hours of looking without success, something moved just ahead of me. I was looking towards the ground off to one side and only caught this motion out of the corner of my eye. My mind registered something dark about the size of a cat. It was late afternoon and I was trying to figure out what would be moving this time of day at that size. Logically it must have been a squirrel which went up the tree appearing larger than it is. Returning to my search for this orchid I dismissed that movement as nothing unique. I was now on a lesser used trail which I discovered several years ago one late fall afternoon. Continuing forward on this little trail I noticed a patch of newly emerged grass which appeared to have been matted down and somewhat brown. That seemed strange for this time of year. Taking a few more steps I once again noticed movement but this time I saw what created it moving away from me. A PUP!

Fighting with a sibling

Soon after I saw it, it saw me and took off towards the other pups. It seemed unsure though of what I was. And then there was another walking on the trail right towards me. Fortunately my camera was out and ready now for a quick shot before this one also decided to take off. As I looked around I realized I was right in the middle of their den. My next action was to scan the surroundings for their mother. Coyotes typically will stay hidden unless their pups are in danger and here I was so close to their playground. While I didn’t see a full size coyote, I kept listening for any off sound while watching these pups scatter back and forth. What to do? I could find a nice spot and set up for possibly some better pictures as the pups would likely return in time or I could find an exit and continue on my search for orchids. I decided to move up near a log close by and wait for a little while. A couple of pups did come back and started to play briefly. They scattered again and I decided it was time to return to my hunt. After looking around I found the direction I wanted to escape from to try and reduce my impact on this place for these coyotes. I started walking in one direction and there was a pup right in front of me. I turned to go another way and there was another laying under a shrub. It seemed I couldn’t get out of their place without causing a disturbance. Finally I made it away after waiting a few times for the pups to find their way without me scaring them too much.

Looking for the danger to be gone

Finally I was back on the hunt for wild orchids in an area I haven’t spent much time in. About an hour after discoveries these pups I decided to take a rest and grab a little water. There was a nice log for me to sit on and set my gear next to while I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the woods. I was looking around to see the surroundings and what’s growing nearby when something caught my attention up the hill from me. Watching closely in the direction of the sound I soon saw an adult coyote. That seems weird for this time of day I thought. I was now quite far away from the den I found earlier. Wow, multiple coyotes in a single day? After thinking about this for a few minutes I realized what most likely happened. One of the parents had been stalking me for this entire time. Over an hour I was being followed. The only reason I saw it was because I stopped making noise for a long enough time causing it to search in the last spot it heard me. I was quite impressed with how nonchalantly it walked through the woods in sight. Like it didn’t even know I was there. It barely looked in my direction but a quick glance once or twice. I’m quite certain this is far from reality. It knew where I was and figured I was likely no longer a threat and retreated to the den area after being spotted by me. This coyote no longer had the edge of being hidden while following me. After thinking about all of this it became a little uneasy knowing I was being stalked for such a long time without hearing this coyote. Another humbling experience in the woods. Unfortunately no orchids were found on my adventures this afternoon but the pups were a more than adequate substitute.

Checking on the dangerous threat

Getting the Shot–A Boundary Waters Sunrise

This photo is so mesmerizing to me. Well, actually it’s the picture below that really captures my attention but that doesn’t work very well as the post photo because it’s in the portrait orientation. Fortunately I really like them both. The overall scene just appears so relaxing and calm to me. You have the fog lifting from the warm water into the cool morning air dispersing the soft morning light as the sun nears the horizon. That fog separates this lone tree from the forest behind it allowing you to see the interesting shape of this silhouetted evergreen growing from a tiny island surrounded by boulders and water. I really begin to wonder how this tree is able to grow  in that spot. You have the cool colors created by the early morning low light and fog separating it from the warm colors above the tree line behind producing yellows and oranges. Having all of the trees in silhouette creates a scene that my mind keeps wanting to watch expecting the sun to show illuminating these trees and water.

Portrait orientation of this foggy sunrisegives a different look to the picture

The main difference in these two pictures above is, of course, the orientation in which they were shot. Switching to portrait allows for the trees reflection to become visible showing off the calm water adding to the relaxing scene. However, this photo doesn’t highlight the small island with boulders around it like the top picture does.  Notice I did not center the tree, the main focus of this image. Is it obvious that the tree is the main subject? As I studied the tree I noticed a lower branch, or second tree, coming off the right side angling up adding a little more overall mass to this side. Because of that, it needed to be situated to the left in pictures. If I had centered this photo it would feel off balance to the viewer as you can see below. It’s not bad but it not as relaxed as the picture above. You can also see that making the tree fill the entire shot does not allow the viewer to step into the scene as well.

Tree centered in the photo

Looking at the top photos, it’s easy to think I just rolled out of bed and five minutes later captured these amazing photographs. Let me take you through what was involved in getting this shot. I arrived at this cabin on East Bearskin Lake. An entry point into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Taking a short path from the cabin to the waters edge and you’re looking out into the deep wilderness of evergreens, birch, maple, granite, and water. It’s so quiet most of the time. If it weren’t for the multitude of mosquitos, biting flies, and gnats it would feel like you’re in a dream. While first peering out at the landscape in front of me I saw this one tree emerging from a small island. I wanted to concentrate on that one piece and find a way to capture it’s interest separate from all the other incredible and scenic pieces putting together this spectacular place. There was just something about it that spoke to me. Prior to this I was struggling to find any motivation to even pick up a camera. There was just no excitement in photography which had been going on for a couple of months by this time.

Scene from the shore near our cabin

I walked back to the cabin to begin unloading the camping gear and arranging it inside. Once complete, a meal was prepared with the intent the rest of the day to just enjoy quiet time with my friend I made the journey with. As we sat down to eat, rain began to fall chasing us inside for awhile. Not exactly the start I was hoping for but weather is to be expected during the spring in Northern Minnesota. From time to time my mind would return to the lake in front of us trying to envision what type of photograph would really bring out this tree growing almost from just out of the water? I struggled once again to come up with an idea and decided it was time for a fire and to let this picture go. My mental photography block was still in place. Maybe there just wasn’t a shot suitable using this little island and I should concentrate on something else. The stars began to shine overhead and it was a long day of travel so off to bed I went expecting to awake before dawn and try again.

Sunrise over the lone tree without any fog

Light began to show through the window just above my head. I was still tired and unmotivated to get up. After a few minutes of fighting with myself I got out of my nice, warm sleeping bag, begrudgingly got dressed and headed outside. The camera was in the vehicle and that’s where I wanted it to stay. But what if there’s a moose down by the lake? I grabbed the camera, a tripod, and a couple of lenses and headed to the lake just outside of this cabin. NO MOOSE! I should go back to bed. I decided to stay and work with composition on this lonely tree. You can see the results in the two photos above. Nothing really outstanding. I just couldn’t isolate this tree the way I really wanted to. The next morning I did this again, not really expecting anything more than just trying to enjoy the day beginning over this beautiful place. The second day I did spend some time moving down the shoreline a ways and noticed the difference in how that island appeared. It still was blending into the background too much but at least I could see water all the way around it now. Before the background trees blended in too well with a portion of it. I tried a small lens and moved all the way up to my 200-500mm lens looking for different compositions. Still no really good shot like I wanted. And my motivation to keep holding this computer with glass would not return. I should also mention that the camera was not working properly and the shutter button worked intermittently which may have been much of my problem.

Overall scene of the sunrise

On my third and final morning I once again forced myself out of bed and went down the the lake. What I found was a gorgeous scene! My inspiration returned immediately. I wrote about this some time back. You can read it here. If you click on previous post at the very bottom from that one you can read my description of this morning. The fog on the lake was perfect to create separation between the tree and the background. I moved on down the shore to where I had noticed water visible around the tree and set up the camera. You can see the view in the picture above. This tree was quite a distance away requiring my longest lens, which is visible in the lower left hand corner of the above shot, to accomplish the task I wanted. There were moments I needed to wait as the fog drifted around the tree to show off it’s interesting shape but for the most part I snapped away. Every few minutes the light kept changing as the sun continued to rise creating a slightly different look to the photograph. I couldn’t believe the colors in these pictures as I was taking them. They were just so amazing and made these pictures even more spectacular.

Sun beginning to peak through the tree tops

The sun began to peak through the tree tops behind this little island and the fog began to be disappearing causing me to believe my time capturing this scene, I had been trying for days to figure out, was over. And then it returned as the sun was rising above the trees casting a beautiful warm glow once again. I now switched the tree to the right side as it was no longer the main feature of the photograph. The sun and it’s rays going through the fog changed the scene. The brightness of the sun shining through this thick fog casting rays which protruded to the left of the tree now dominated the scene requiring me to adjust my composition slightly. The rays are subtle in this picture but are there which your eye picks up. It would feel out of proportion if the tree was still to the left of center now. It took three days and a lot of luck that the fog emerged for this picture to work. If I had not been focused on getting a photograph of this tree and the small island it was growing on, I would not have been prepared to capture this moment which only lasted a short time. These pictures have become inspirational to me whenever I go out to capture a scene now as they remind me a it becomes spectacular under the right circumstances as long as I’m prepared to photograph them.

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