Waiting on sunset.....

I've been having better luck with sunrises and sunsets lately.

By that I mean there's been light most of the days I've tried to photograph sunrise or sunset. 

Tonight in Ashland Wisconsin was a good example. 

I got to the shore of Lake Superior a couple of hours before sunset with mostly clear skies and fairly calm water.

It looked likely there would be sunlight and just the right amount of clouds for decent photos.

After about half an hour a breeze picked up and I needed to find a more sheltered spot. I drove around looking for a place with calm water near the shore to use for reflections. 

The picture above is from the place I found. It was still early and I got quite a bit of lens flare shooting directly at the sun.

I tried a little different view, but you can still see all the flare in the image. 

There were some clouds and the scene looked pretty to the eye, but I was having trouble capturing it with the camera. So I had to get a little creative.

With the lens I was using I could just barely reach far enough out in front of the camera to focus on my hand. 

I liked the silhouette and played with the placement of the sun on my fingers. A few minutes later with the sun on the horizon I attempted more standard sunset photos.

I hoped for lots of clouds to catch the colors at sunset and was a bit disappointed with what I got.

The clouds just kept disappearing and the colors were a bit muted.

A sapsucker landed in the tree above me and went to work. Pieces of bark fell to the ground near me as I sat at the edge of the lake with my feet right up to the water.

The good news was; I had sun, some clouds, calm water, reflections and a beautiful night.

So I did the best I could with the conditions as they were.

I waited until the last color started to fade, then put my camera away, folded up the tripod and walked back to the car. Though it wasn't the dramatic sunset I'd hoped for, it was a pretty good way to spend a couple of hours.

You never know....

Ten minutes before sunrise I was at my favorite spot in Badlands National Park ready to capture some beautiful colorful photographs.

After two days of great sunrise light I guess I took it for granted that there would be sun, but today there wasn't and this was the view I had.

Rather than the view I had hoped for. Something like this, taken two days earlier.

I actually like interesting silhouettes, but humans see the world in color and I prefer it.

So when I saw sunlight to the west I headed in that direction. When I couldn't find the right scenes to photograph I turned back around.

I went to some rock formations I was familiar with and made more silhouettes.

A bit of blue sky peaked through the clouds, but it didn't look like it was going to clear up. 

So I got back in the car again and drove towards the light. 

After three hours of driving back and forth and starting to feel a little frustrated I parked the car, grabbed a camera, and walked out into the plains.

That's when everything got a lot more fun.

It was 65 degrees with big billowy clouds rolling in on a consistent north wind.

My mood went from not the best to really happy as I walked about choosing foreground hills and cloud formations to photograph.

One of my favorite things about western South Dakota are skies like these.

As shadow and light continually change it's hard to be bored or not have fun. Compose, smile, and shoot.

If you don't like what you're seeing, just wait a minute and it will change.

I was worried the light was getting harsh as it was almost midday.

But the clouds looked so nice and I was having fun so I kept shooting a bit longer.

I found a shed mule deer antler about a half a mile from the road.

Finally, the light seemed played out as I headed back to the car happy with the experience and optimistic about the photos. You never know how things will turn out.

It snowed quite a bit in South Dakota.....

On Friday I mentioned to my dad that the South Dakota Badlands would look great covered in snow.

He called the next day and asked if I wanted to run out there.

I sure did, but couldn't leave until Sunday night.

Sunday came and we drove all night hoping there would still be snow when we got to Badlands National Park.

As the sun lit the beautiful rock walls there wasn't much snow left. Temperatures had been in the fifties in the days before we got there and most of the snow was gone.

Oh well, the light on the rocks was beautiful and it was good to be back in the South Dakota badlands.

The rocks were lit, I had a blue sky with a few clouds and I couldn't stop smiling.

Just smile, compose, and shoot.

Just another beautiful day in the badlands.

P.S. Later in the day I did find a side hill along the park road still covered in snow.

Lake Superior springtime...........

It really is springtime in northern Wisconsin.

But you wouldn't know it by the ice still covering Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior in Ashland Wisconsin.

The only open water was at the west end where Fish Creek enters the lake at long bridge.

I made a few images, then drove north along the lake to see if I could find any open water.

Ice was piled up along the shore and there was a bit of water just beyond it.

I really lucked out, as some interesting clouds worked their way across the sky shortly after I got there.

It was windy and 33 degrees, I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. In order to get the low angles to highlight the ice and clouds I needed to lay on various blocks of ice for extended periods of time.

I was getting wet, cold, and occasionally hurt as some of the ice broke beneath me and I fell into larger sharp pieces below.

The sun occasionally went behind the clouds and it felt much colder as I waited for the light.

Madeline Island is in the distance on the right.

I kept looking for interesting shapes and good color.

Just before sunset, light filtered through the trees to the west and lit a small piece of ice at the edge of the lake.

 I worked quickly as darkness neared.

And just like that. The sun slipped behind the trees and the light disappeared.