The Moment Before the 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. For the whole story with all images, see The Moment Before the Click | a 7 Image Story.
The Moment Before the 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! For the whole story with all images, see The Moment Before the Click | a 7 Image Story.
The Moment Before the 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! For the whole story with all images, see The Moment Before the Click | a 7 Image Story.
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.
Nikon D200 Potpourri | Badlands Landscape Spring in the Badlands can make for beautiful landscapes. It’s only green a for a few weeks during the last of May and beginning of June. The D200’s exposure in bright sun still kept enough detail to make a nice image. For the whole story with all images, see Nikon D200 Potpourri | a 7 Image Story.
Nikon D200 Potpourri | a 7 Image Story The D200 was my first digital SLR camera. As you can see, it’s a fine camera capable of rendering nice photographs. Of course, my learning course was steep at first, but eventually I began to capture some decent images. These seven images represent some of my better images from aviation, landscapes, wildlife, and an occasional family portrait.
Badlands Landscape Spring in the Badlands can make for beautiful landscapes. It’s only green a for a few weeks during the last of May and beginning of June. The D200’s exposure in bright sun still kept enough detail to make a nice image.
Yellowstone Panoramic Is this image a landscape or wildlife? To me, it’s more landscape accented with wildlife. The fall’s brown grasses studded with Elk provide contrast to the new forest growing through an old burned forest. The D200 picked up the stunning detail in the panoramic.
Portrait Of course, the D200 makes a nice family images. This image uses natural early morning light from eastern exposure windows with translucent shades.
Pugs Spring brings warmer temperatures making it easier on the paws on a long walk. The D200 with a super zoom lens captured the moment.
Black & White The countryside in Montana contains numerous gravel roads running along old fence lines. These gravel roads look much like they did a hundred years ago.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Nikon D200 Potpourri.
America the Beautiful | Badlands Storm South Dakota Thunderstorms rumble over the Badlands frequently during the summer months. In fact, they are one of the trademarks of the Great American Prairie. Nothing can remind us of America more than the Great American Prairie. See The Great American Prairie | a 7 Image Story for additional information and images. For the whole story with all images, see America the Beautiful | a 7 Image Story.
America the Beautiful | a 7 Image Story After the current virus crisis has subsided, our beautiful country will still be here for us to enjoy. These images remind me of the beauty in our country, in particular the Midwest, the Great American Prairie, and the American West. Really, any nice image from any part of the country can remind us of how lucky we are to be Americans.It’s easy to appreciate America while flying north along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. On a clear day, you can see the lake shore forever!
O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
America the Beautiful by John Williams & Boston Pops Orchestra
Yellowstone This Yellowstone landscape,accented with an Elk herd, reminds me of our raw American beauty. In the fall Yellowstone becomes a magical wilderness with fall color and the distinctive sound of an Elk bugling. Fall’s brown grasses provide contrast for the new forest growing through an old burned forest.
Badlands Storm South Dakota Thunderstorms rumble over the Badlands frequently during the summer months. In fact, they are one of the trademarks of the Great American Prairie. Nothing can remind us of America more than the Great American Prairie.
Illinois Tall Grass Prairie Illinois was once covered with tall grass prairie. This fertile land has been mostly converted to farming land. See The Great American Prairie | a 7 Image Story for additional information and images, Although Illinois was on on the far eastern edge of the Great American Prairie, it still contains several restored prairies to remind us of the natural beauty.
Montana High Country The Montana countryside is sky clear and filled with contrasts. This image reminds me of the big beautiful skies in Montana. With hay stacked sky-high, the Bridger Mountains stand many miles in the background.
Wyoming Grand Teton Flats The Grand Tetons get many clear mornings. Low lying fog along the Snake River lingers to make a beautiful American image. Teton country provides many contrasts between the flats and the mountains.
Platte River Nebraska The Platte River provides a beautiful sunsets in March and April each year as the Sandhill Cranes make their annual visit. In the distance, the last Sandhills are landing to roost for the night as the last good light rests in the west. Sandhill Cranesroosting with a beautiful sunset on the Platte River is truly America the Beautiful.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category America the Beautiful.
