I just wanted to make a few images.....

It had been a while since I made any images. So off I went to a nearby lake, hoping for some clouds and a little light at sunset.

It was still 80 degrees and very humid at 7pm when I got there.

I parked and walked to the shore of Lake Wingra.

The mosquitoes found me immediately, but the clouds and color were worth it.

I set the tripod at the edge of the water and got to work.

I used a split neutral density filter to balance the exposure of the sky and foreground.

The clouds made interesting patterns as the sun dropped below the horizon.

The bugs were persistent and I was sweating quite a bit.

So I just kept shooting.

In the distance I could see kayakers heading towards the beach where I was standing.

So I made a few more images before they got into frame.

As they brought their boat to shore I put my camera away and stayed just a few more minutes more.

Glad I knew it was there..

A month ago I was driving on a highway just a bit faster than speed limit and came up behind an unmarked police car. Rather than risk a possible problem, I got off the highway at the next exit and drove to a nearby lake.

 

That day it was overcast and windy and I didn't take any pictures, but I found a new place.

 

 

So jump to last night, and I find myself driving the opposite direction on that same stretch of highway near sunset.

 

 

There were a few clouds in the sky and the sun was getting low, so I got off at that exit and drove to the lake.

 

 

I pulled into a gravel parking lot at a boat launch, grabbed my camera, and went to get my tripod from the trunk, but it wasn't there.

 

 

I'd forgotten it at home. No problem though, I'd just pay attention to the ISO and shutter speed and do the best I could.

 

 

As I stood there shooting; the clouds were getting more interesting and the breeze started to die down.

 

 

The sun came out from behind the clouds and poked through the trees on the right side of the frame.

 

 

Compose, check focus, shoot. Compose, check focus shoot. Repeat.

 

 

There was a pier out into the water that I started to use in the foreground.

 

 

I tried different compositions, always paying attention to the clouds.

 

 

 

I couldn't believe my luck.

 

 

As the sun dropped lower, the sky got more and more pink.

 

 

I kept shooting until the shutter speeds were too slow with no tripod, then put the camera away and watched the sky for a few more minutes. It was pretty unlikely, but I'm glad I knew it was there.













 

 

Finally....

It all came together and culminated in this image.

 

About five hours from where I live is a stretch of road with water on both sides that I had noticed several years ago.

 

 

I thought I may be able to make some decent images if I could ever be there at sunrise or sunset on a calm day with a few clouds.

 

 

The problem was, I very rarely traveled to that location and never specifically for photos. So several years passed and the opportunity never presented itself.

 

 

Until just the other day. The whole world conspired so I happened to be within a few miles of that place with a camera on Wednesday evening. There were clouds to the south and I was feeling optimistic.

 

 

I realized I didn't have a tripod once I got there. Hopefully it wouldn't be a deal breaker. I'd just shoot with a higher ISO and shallower depth of field.

 

 

The clouds were moving from east to the west, the water stayed calm, and I kept shooting.

 

 

I couldn't believe my luck. The fact I was standing there making these images made me smile. A common loon flew overhead and then landed nearby. Two trumpeter swan fed along the shore.

 

 

As the sun neared the horizon clouds crowded in.

 

 

I thought I may loose the light and the colors would disappear. Lucky for me I didn't and it all worked in my favor.

 

 

I kept a close eye on the camera settings and used good technique to ensure sharp images.

 

 

I worked on composition and color.

 

 

 

Then I just kept on shooting until the light faded and the colors were gone.

 

 

 

The fact that I was at that particular spot, on that particular day, at just the right time, was such an unlikely event it made me laugh. Being lucky can be a lot better than being good.

 

Sometimes it hurts to do this.....

 

This may look like an idyllic northern Wisconsin lake on a beautiful summer afternoon.

 

 

 

And it is....

 

 

 

but it was also my own personal bug hell. By that I mean that I was accosted by thousands of black flies and then later by hoards of ginormous and persistent mosquitoes.

 

 

 

It had rained the day before and I was lucky enough to have some rubber boots with me so wet feet weren't going to be a problem. The thing is, I was wearing shorts and as soon as I got out of the car I had swarms of black flies buzzing around me and biting any and all exposed skin. 

 

 

 

The sky looked promising and I thought the lake might make for some beautiful images, so I took my camera and tripod and headed off into the woods. So far so good, the bugs weren't that big of deal as I walked towards the lake shore.

 

 

 

It was only once I reached the shore and began to set up my tripod that the real assault began. The black flies were swarming in such numbers that their buzzing started to affect me. The incessant humming up and around my head and face almost made it seem like my body was actually vibrating. Meanwhile dozens of their kind were feeding on my exposed skin. Not only on my thighs, and knees, and upper calves, but inside the boots down to my ankles and up under my shorts. Their bites were painful and caused red welts and marks that lasted more than a week.

 





 

But the light was good, and the view was better so I stuck with it long enough to make these images. Once I made it back to the car I was relieved to be out of the bug swarm but kept shivering (almost like when you've seen something really scary and get the heebee jeebees). I seemed to be having bad feeling flashbacks to my bug experience.

 

Though the light had left my little lake there was still light in the sky as I drove down the road searching for another lake to reflect any possible sunset.

 

At Clam Lake I walked down to the shore and was fed on by an even larger hoard of mosquitoes. These weren't any regular sized mosquitoes, these were super sized.

 

 

Notice the many dots and specks in this photo...

 

 

 

each and every one is a mosquito, and I think every one of them bit me before I finally left.

 

I set the camera on a tripod, composed the image, focused, used my hat to wave it in front of the lens in order to move all of the mosquitoes, and  pressed the remote shutter release. There were just too many, no mater what I did the ridiculous number of bugs remained in the images. All the while an equal or greater number of ginormous mosquitoes were biting me everywhere imaginable. 



If nothing else, this was a new personal record for number of bug bites sustained and discomfort tolerated.

P.S. I don't know if it's true or what it means, but I looked up both species of bugs after I got home and read that it's only the females that bite.

It only lasted a moment

I was looking for elk with no luck when I noticed the clouds and sky.

I grabbed my camera an ran to the waters edge.

Just in time to capture this sunset.

 

 



The light only lasted for moment, but it was enough. 

 

As I looked around trying to find other interesting compositions I saw a mosaic of roots reflected in the water a ways off.

 

I rolled my pants legs to my knees and made my way along the shoreline. I kept my pants mostly dry, but my boots were soaked.



Here's one of the images I made of the trees upturned roots.

 

 

After a few more photos I headed towards shore and walked back through a tangle of pine branches and downed spruce.

 

I paused along the way and noticed this view out to the lake.

 

It was only 45 minutes from the time I stopped until I got back to the car, but what a beautiful night.

 

 

Before leaving the Clam Lake area I walked out among some tamarack trees and made this image of the night sky.