A varied assortment of subjects from this week of photos. Fire trucks, a fisherman, two-story schoolhouse and ice to name a few. We are still being held hostage by Mother Nature and her fit of Winter. Next weeks forecast includes snow as well – booo!
This month’s revisited will be short and sweet in narrative. March was a great photography month filled with all sorts of subjects. At the moment, though, Spring is knocking a bit harder on the door. The forecast-ed full day rain did not come to fruition. Instead, there are blue skies and some clouds and it is 50 degrees. It is time to get out of the house and go for a walk, a drive – something.
Here are my favorite March 2013 shots converted into black & white. Happy Saturday all.
The sunlight was high in the sky, harsh and the shadows it cast where long. A few clouds graced us with their presence overhead throughout the day. It was only in the low to mid 20′s, but with the sun, I would have sworn it was 40. It was one of those Sunday’s that you welcome a drive; some time to be out and about – out of the house.
Today’s mission was simple…some cheese from the Eau Galle Cheese Factory. The outing was different in that we actually planned to go here rather than happening by it an hour early or 10 minutes after it closed. It is a somewhat narrow window to hit on a Sunday, 11-4:30. Blueberry Cheddar, Cranberry Cheddar, Buffalo Wing Jack and even Chocolate cheese…all seriously yummy.
While en route to and the return trip from our destination, we happily took in familiar sites. The drive through Porcupine, WI area and surrounding bluffs and valleys always affords spectacular views. The deer where out in numbers this day – no doubt soaking up some sun. They too seem anxious for Spring, or at the very least look it. These are not your common yard-fed critters.
Our last stop of the day before home was in Stockholm, WI at the Stockholm Pie Company. Oh my. Yes, I would love a slice of pecan pie. Small and quaint place with lots of character.
Another installment of weekly shots. Who knew Mallards were so carnivorous? I certainly did not.
I took a trip around Lake Pepin this afternoon with fellow RWPC member, Kendall Rogers. Today’s mission: eagles. There were quite a few lofting about and sitting lazily on the ice around Maple Springs, just South of Lake City. We drove around spotting eagle nests and scanned for activity. It is somewhat challenging to get a great capture of an eagle @ 300mm. They are either in the branches, 100 miles away or moving @ mach 10. I managed a few reasonable shots for the day. It was a bright sunshiny day and the light was great. I found myself wondering from the target to other shiny or interesting things. Shiny wins every time. All in all a good day.
There is something about a sunrise, but a Winter sunrise has a little something more. It is a special time of day when the first light begins to illuminate the landscape around you. The morning blush. You hope for just the right amount of clouds for the sun to play with. I can never get enough of the soft pastel hues before the sun rises. It keeps me coming back for more, time and time again. In the Winter over a frozen lake with no snow at all, when the sun comes up and blazes it rays upon all of that ice…be prepared to be amazed. It’s like thousands of little diamonds twinkling in the warm sunny glow. It is quite spectacular; I’ll trade sites like this for sleeping in anytime.
A special thanks to my photo companions of the day, Linnae Carlson and Cynthia Mackowick. Always a pleasure shooting with you two lovely ladies.
This Christmas I decided to break away from the holiday norm and head North to a favorite destination of mine, the North Shore of Minnesota. A popular objective for fall color connoisseurs, this track of expansive lands has something to offer after the brilliant yellows, oranges and reds fade. Having never been in Winter I was looking forward to what mother nature would lay before me and lens. I was looking forward to Lake Superior, jagged cliffs, icy rocks and endless shorelines.
There was a light snow falling upon arrival in Duluth. Park Point, across the lift bridge, presented a few shots as did downtown at night and Duluth Harbor for sunrise. Always wonderful; never disappointing.
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The next day it was Two Harbors to Grand Marais. Eighty-plus miles of roadway to cover between
those two points and with a short window of daylight the opportunity to shoot was dramatically reduced. I slippery roadways did not move things along as quickly as I had hoped, but the views more than compensated for any delay. All of the rivers where frozen over so it was easy to just drive by most every bridge. The Spring time is a whole different story. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a great state park to visit on the shore. Ellingson Island provides a wonderful vantage point for shooting the lighthouse and surrounding shoreline.
Another beautiful area is just North of Grand Marais along Devil Track. Once you’ve reached Devil Track Lake, Eagle Mountain (highest point in MN) is not far – not far to the trail head any way. I had a grand plan of hiking out to Eagle Mountain for sunset, but that plan did not materialize unfortunately. I lost track of time a bit over my salmon, cheese and cracker lunch. The hike was still nice with all of the snow in the forest. Another season; another time perhaps.
friendly people. Someday when there is more time I would like to spend an entire week here. There are so many back roads, lakes, and trails in and around the Superior National Forest. A day or two just doesn’t do the area justice.
