Prairie Sky

Back to sharing Minnesota images. June is a slow month for wildflowers on the prairie but sky drama makes up for the lack of flowers. 
Technical: Dialing to f16 and looking for a sunburst anchors to the sweeping clouds.

Hand of Man

A previous landowner went to considerable effort to create this rock man in the middle of an otherwise featureless prairie, a marked departure from "leave no trace" principles. The marks on the red rock platform are from the last glacier receding. Those marks will remain long after the rock man collapses. The land always survives.

Hanging On

The fierce prairie wind that blew my cap off was also a nuisance for the pollinating green bees. This one was hanging on before it took off to another blossom. 

Prairie Sky and Cactus

The wide open sky draws me to the prairie over and over. This day's intermittent clouds kept the cactus flowers open and added drama to a windy day. 

Technical: On camera flash was used to brighten the flowers.

Cactus Close Up

I was in photographer's heaven shooting cactus on Thursday. Yellow is almost one stop brighter than neutral and would have been a real challenge back in the old days of film. Lightroom has solved the exposure problem although I still shoot yellow at +2/3 or +1. More to come.

Minnesota Cactus

Minnesota has three species of cactus, typically all are in bloom during late June. The brittle prickly pear cactus seen here is the most common and found on exposed rock surfaces along the Minnesota River Valley. These were photographed on Rock Ridge SNA near Jeffers.