Casper the Yellowstone Ghost

I took this shot a couple mornings ago and thought of the ancient TV show. Dawn to dusk in the mountain air is exhausting but also very refreshing. Happy Halloween!

Almost Gone

There's not much color left so its time to think about winter. I will be heading to Yellowstone tomorrow to get a jump on winter and hopefully get  some moose rutting behaviors, more excited about the latter than the former. You might say why head to Montana when there are opportunities for great moose photography here in MN. Check out these images: Paul Sundberg Photography

This image was taken on 10/30/13.

Hidden Gems

Most county parks are developed and maintained for recreation but every now and then I find one with wild space that has been preserved. Caron County Park near Big Woods State Park is one such example.

Minneopa Waterfalls

It should be called a water trickle. Autumn is great for dramatic color but definitely not for dramatic water shots. Soon ice will bring water back into the spotlight as great subject material. Technical: A 2 stop ND filter was used to keep the sky within dynamic range.

Another Perspective

The crawl space under the waterfall was just big enough to get to the edge of the water without getting wet.  A completely different image of the same waterfall as yesterday using the same lens. Lightroom was used to coax the maximum dynamic range from the file.

Hidden Falls

Big Woods State Park is a traditional autumn and spring photo location because of its unique maple hardwood forest and variety of spring ephemerals. One of the highlights is this waterfall at the bottom of the big hill. The low water allowed trying multiple points of view. Can you see where I'm going for the next shot?

Autumn Creek

I  recorded as much fall color as I can last week. It has been a refreshing return to landscapes I have ignored for the last several years. Seven Mile Creek Park in Nicollet County is one of those areas that has both great scenery and is an excellent songbird location because of the normally flowing creek.

Peaceful Morning

A calm, peaceful morning is energized with the rising sun hitting the autumn leaves. It was also cool and gloves were needed for the first time this year. 

In Plain Sight

I was walking in the woods yesterday and ducked under a low hanging branch. The branch caught on my neck and then it started moving. I put my hand up to brush it off and found a stick bug attached to the branch that had broken off, talk about a coincidence. I put the bug on a tree where it rested for a couple minutes before slowly made its way up the side of the tree. The image shows the power of the diagonal line and contrast.

Looking Up

This could be taken both literally and figuratively with the strong line and bright green leaves.  The warm greens were maples just starting to turn yellow last week, a much different woodland than today. Tree trunk lightened with the shadow tool in Lightroom

Autumn Ferns

I rarely use the technique of framing in composition but I couldn't resist putting these ferns on the lower edges to frame this October scene. The lines seem to form a diamond in the woods. This was taken along a country road in the Minnesota River Valley which is an often overlooked autumn location for color.

Migration Motion

I've shown frozen flight, resting birds, and now the real thing. The constant motion of birds was impressive to watch and record. Changing the focal length to mix up the point of view was fun. The bright sky and neutral foreground made exposure a challenge but exposure was balanced out in iMovie.

Taking a Break

Even migrating birds need to rest every now and then.  The challenge in this shot was creating a composition making the most of the lines in the trees using the 70-200 lens.

Migration in B & W

During a walk yesterday we were under a million blackbirds, not necessarily an exaggeration, and took some time to photograph and film them. Sometimes you just can't fight the light. The stark trees and blackbirds with an overcast sky are a case in point so I converted to black and white. 

Uplifting

I like the sweeping diagonal lines of the clouds and the road leading into the horizon. Upward and onward is the message I see in this image.

Confined & Editing

I had cataract surgery Tuesday and have been confined indoors this week. I had a huge number of image multiples and have spent time deleting them as well as catching up on key wording. Key wording is boring but necessary if looking for a specific image. I found this image from last October that reflects my longing  to get out and do some shooting, only a couple more days to stay out of the wind.

Fish Lake Sunset

This was shot near the cabin after I raced out for sunset but in trying to find a good foreground missed the hot orange clouds that I originally saw. In rapidly fading light I managed to get a few images using a ND filter.