Prairie Evening

I spent a couple hours on the prairie yesterday with some new found friends and left with a renewed enthusiasm for it. It was a perfect evening: hot, calm, sweet light, and no mosquitoes. Even the clouds cooperated as they developed at sunset.

Summer Travel

When you're retired it is hard to say you went on a vacation. We traveled to Glacier National Park last week and did some hiking. We were forced to stay on the west side of the Park since the road over Logan Pass was still closed. We put this disappointment to good use and explored all the trails around Lake McDonald. Avalanche Lake is a high use destination but worth the crowds and a relatively easy hike. This hike seemed much easier the second time. . . wonder why? 

Technical: This was my first hard use of the Sony for landscapes. Its dynamic range makes shooting most HDR sequences unnecessary. The data in dark areas gets pulled out beautifully in Lightroom.

March Clouds

When I looked at this morning's temperature of 6 degrees it was hard to recall the 70 degrees  on Mondaywhen this photo was taken. These clouds preceded a thunderstorm and extraordinary winds.  Is this the new March in Minnesota?

Technical: 1 stop graduated ND used in Lightroom

I love clouds but. . .

The last few overcast days have been keeping me at the computer waiting for some color or weather to give November images some punch. While I was  at the Badlands I was lamenting  crystal clear blue skies, I guess it is hard to make a photographer happy. Does the weather ever make everyone happy?

Blacktail Plateau Clouds

It seems like all I took were cloud photos this time but the animal action was recorded on video.  Wildlife was also scattered and not very common this time so there was time to watch the clouds. These clouds grabbed my attention this image and short time-lapse that can be seen at: Yellowstone National Park Facebook

 

Morning Clouds

Little America Sunrise

I just returned from Yellowstone National Park and had a successful trip despite the weather. Several days had sun, rain, and snow all within the course of a few hours. The rain was the Midwest variety, a real soaking rain.  Snow kept me on the south side of the Park one morning and it was tense crossing Dunraven Pass even when deemed safe for vehicle travel. However, morning clouds were spectacular as this panorama demonstrates.

Watching the Sky

 

I watch weather forecast and radar apps all the time. One morning in early August I pulled into a field driveway and watched the clouds for several minutes.  Looking up renewed my appreciation of them and reminded me of my place on earth. There is something to be said for the real world.

Country Road

This country road is more than an element of composition, it tells a story.  The overhead storm clouds are ominous and the road leads up a small hill.  What is your story in this image?  Are you optimistic or pessimistic?

Passing storm

Watching clouds change reminds me of my size and position on this big Earth.

Two cameras are set up for time-lapse and the iPhone was used while waiting for sequence to be captured.  This is a grab shot from a sequence that has been converted to B & W in Lightroom. The sky is so much more foreboding in black and white.

Storm Chasing

I was chasing the weather Saturday hoping for some good storm time-lapse sequences. While waiting for a sequence to record the iPhone came in handy to catch some still shots of the clouds. I'm still learning storm time-lapsing technique so the morning was otherwise a little disappointing. For the ultimate storm chasing experience and the source of my inspiration check: Vorticity

Technical: This was taken on the iPhone with Procamera8 app and processed with its HDR app.

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.

Clouds over Crex Meadows

Earlier this week I spent an afternoon and morning  at Crex with Gary L. While waiting for cranes to come in at sunset these clouds caught my attention. 

Big Sky Country

I just finished a long day in the car and am thinking about the countryside I passed through. The sky is indeed big  but the land has been filled. This shot summarizes my impression of North Dakota and Montana after a long day of driving. 

Storm Clouds

I normally don't race out the front door to take a picture when my wife says "You have to take a picture of this." However this time I grabbed the first available camera, an iPhone, and shot this storm edge. It was a rare event to have good light and see the edge of the storm. We had wind but no rain with the event. There is something humbling watching clouds miles tall bear down on you.

Sky Lights

I went to the Butternut Valley SNA a few nights ago to photograph the Milky Way in the western sky but clouds moved in and reflected all the ground lights.  To get an idea where the darkest skies are check this website: Dark Site Finder

Technical: WB 2800, shadows opened in Lightroom, light on prairie from farm lights. 2 minute exposure

Merry Christmas

It seems fitting that my 500th post be a Christmas wish.  Have a very merry Christmas and may you follow the light in the east as the wise men did so long ago.

Change of Plans

I arrived at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Mound City, MO, well before sunrise intent on being in place for flocks of snow geese flying in front of the rising sun. On the way in this cloud drama caught my attention and the geese were forgotten about until their voices became overpowering.  Of course by then the best light had passed for my original plan. So much to photograph and such fleeting light, the bane of photography.

October in Yellowstone

The clouds were changing almost hourly making it an excellent time to collect time-lapse footage. The weather went form 70 degrees to 40 degrees one afternoon! Reviewing the bison footage surprised me because each appears to move in synchrony with the others when feeding.

Cloud over Lamar River

With the early arrival of winter it's a perfect time to review images from Yellowstone last month. A bright rim of light on the western horizon one evening encouraged us to stay in the valley after sunset. My daughter and I worked the edge of the river as the color was changing. Shadows were brightened in Lightroom.

Stormy Skies

Not everyday is a blue sky day in Yellowstone, in fact, it would be interesting to know just how few there are. The character of the sky adds to the mystery and excitement of the Park and I prefer the cloudy days which usually bring a little wind with them. Recorded at the top of the S curves.