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.

First and Last Sun of the Day

Yesterday I saw a hint of sunlight at sunrise. Overcast and raining has been the rule with heavy rain lasting for hours at a time. When the rain stops the autumn color almost glows.

Technical: no change in color saturation, Daylight WB

Sunrise Web

Spider webs were motionless as the sun rose through the ground fog. This web caught my attention and was motionless long enough to get images for HDR processing. My imagination tells me the sun will soon be dropping into the web basket.

December Sunrise

This was taken on the way to my current project site. This tree caught my attention as I was driving by and I just had to turn around. I was reminded of a lesson which I often forget and regret when I do. When the scene inspires it is worth the time to stop. Clouds and fog descended the next day.

Technical: iPhone6, color enhancement with clarity, vibrance, and +2 saturation 

Each one is unique

I was reminded of this when someone said each sunset has been different this week. So is sunrise but few of us see it on a regular basis. This was taken before sunrise last week at a small park on the edge of Madison Lake, MN. 

Technical: To clone the light or not? What would you do?

Sunrise Over Lake Sakatah

I was roaming southern Minnesota lake country and stopped to watch the sunrise.  The tranquil scene was taken from a conveniently located boat landing.

Technical: cropping to 16X9 to emphasize the tree line. WB@6k

October Sky

I missed the fluorescent pink and red dawn clouds but arrived in time to see hundreds of blackbirds flying from one feeding site to another. I am awestruck by the apparent ease these huge numbers of birds fly in tight formation. Another question, "Who decides when the flock should take flight?"

Morning Glow

Prairie color is getting scarce and the morning sun is now giving the best color. It can be rare to see, given recent overcast mornings and high temperatures. I closely watch the forecast and head out for ground fog and golden light if the dew point and morning temperatures are the same. If the wind is quiet an added benefit is dew covered spider webs.

September Morning

Mornings are changing. The yellows of August are fading. This is one of my favorite times of the year for prairie photography. It's much easier to get up for sunrise and the morning dew covered adds a special touch to images.

Technical: HDR using Lightroom 6.  In this image the light area at the junction is ground fog. If you want to upgrade to 6 but not interested in the creative cloud a perpetual license is available on the Adobe website. Click the upgrade button after entering the purchase page.

A Cold Morning

This is the last winter shot, promise. The recent temperatures, change in time, and cardinals singing confirm that winter has been beat. They may be a few inches of snow before the grass turns green but I can handle it. All I can say is, Goodbye Winter!

Terrace Sunrise

This is one of my favorite sunrise locations. There has never been another person, other than my daughter, sharing the moment. Easy to get to, each morning is unique.

Waiting for Sunrise

If the public only knew how much time is spent waiting for something to happen. I enjoy the wait, as long as I can feel my toes and fingers. While waiting for the sunrise over Lamar Valley I looked to the west for this alpenglow. 

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.

Mammoth Terrace Sunrise

On some days you get to see the sun once. There were two cloud levels and we actually saw each layer light up so you could say we saw two sunrises on this day which was mostly overcast after this brief burst of color. What a treat!

A Late Start

We slept in and almost missed sunrise. The original plan was capturing sunrise over Mammoth Terrace but the sun waits for no one so we stopped on the way up the hill to get this scene. One of the challenges photographing in Yellowstone is getting a unique shot of something that millions of people see each year. I'm sure others have photographed this but we were the only lucky ones at the gate this morning.

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. 

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.

Peaceful Morning at Little America

Sunrise over the mountains is unpredictable but never boring. Wildlife is busy in the early dawn, well before actual sunrise so sunrise marks the mid-point of the morning.  After an hour of sweet light it is time to head in for a second round of coffee. Photographed at the boulder parking area on Little America.

Morning Fire

Have you ever seen a sunrise that is beyond the ordinary? One that dances with color, like flames of light moving as the sun rises. Sometimes simple documentation isn't enough to record what you are seeing.

The Sky is Full

My wife has been telling me about the number of birds in the fields she sees on the way to work. This weekend I had a chance to see them and take a couple shots. I am amazed at the organization of flocks.  Who leads? Who gives the fly and land signals? 

Technical: 200 mm focal length on Canon 7D, cloudy white balance. Image chosen from several because corners of frame were filled more than other choices.