I never expected this....



Steam fog blowing off of Day Lake just before sunset



It was 40 degrees near Clam Lake Wisconsin with steam fog rising from Day Lake and blowing across the road we were on.

The weather was really different, with the air colder than the water and steam fog rising from the lakes. But the sun never made it through the clouds, so we decided to get up early the next day and hope for similar conditions and some light.

We made it back to Day Lake by 6:20am but the sun didn't. Just dark gray and gloomy clouds and a steady rain. I wasn't very optimistic about getting good photos, but I was with my dad and he was. So I started driving west towards Namekagon and was hoping for some light.

I don't know what flower this is with fog steam obscuring the trees and lake in the distance.



 

The rain let up, I glimpsed a sliver of blue sky through a crack in the clouds and saw some small pink flowers by the road. 

 

 

I haven't looked them up yet and don't know what they are, but it was nice to find some color. 

 

 

I was happy to find this blue flag iris looking it's best near some water by the road.

 

And even more excited by this female hooded merganser with her ducklings resting on a log in a small pond.

 

 

 

 

It was fun watching the baby ducks pile on top of each other, stretch their wings, and briefly nap, before jumping off of the log into the water. 

 

 

 

 

 



 

I didn't expect to find much to photograph with the way the day started.

 

 

On the way home I stopped to shoot a patch of wild lupines growing along the road. 

 

 

It was overcast and the colors were really vivid, but the mosquitoes were more than I could take. 

 

 

I had bugs on my eyes and in my ears and heard an almost incessant buzzing by my head as I tried to make these images. It was a struggle to keep the pictures sharp with a breeze moving the flowers and the bugs moving me.  

 

 

Yet, in the end it all worked out better than I could have hoped. Some days are luckier than others I guess. Hope you had a good day too.

Looking for Wisconsin elk

One afternoon my dad and I drove to the Clam Lake area looking for elk.

Just a few minutes into our drive we saw a group of mallard ducklings and I was able to get this image.

 

Once we got to Clam Lake we started driving some of the roads hoping to find elk. It has been my experience that the only way to get decent Wisconsin elk photos is to locate them from the roads and shoot from the car.

We found this painted turtle soon after we started driving around. I learned a long time ago to photograph the subject I do have when there is good light. So on this day, the turtle in the hand was worth two or more possible elk in the bush.

The turtle wasn't particularly patient with me so we left her to find an appropriate place to lay her eggs and got back to elk.

No elk, but we did see lots more painted turtles. I kept an eye on the clouds and sky planning for possible sunset shots and located a patch of wild lupines that would still be in sunlight later on.

The shadows were getting long and there were still no elk to be had when we headed to the lupines.

As I walked into the patch of flowers it was quickly apparent that a black bear had been there too. Flowers were knocked over and every couple of feet there were bear sized areas where all of the plants had been flattened as the bear sat on them.

I was glad the bear had walked through first, as I could follow its path and knock down a lot fewer flowers myself. I tried to create some decent images before I lost my light.

 

I silhouetted this lupine as the sun got low on the horizon.

 

I was optimistic as we headed for Day Lake hoping to capture some good sunset photos. It turns out, the light never really showed up, but quite a few mosquitoes did as I watched the sun dip below the horizon.

I made only a few images and sat down to enjoy the view as daylight slipped away.

Here I am watching the colors fade after a fun afternoon photographing elk with my dad.



What the duck?

My kids and I went out looking for more gosslings, but found this hen mallard and her family instead.

The ducklings did a great job of staying with their mom as they fed and swam.

The little ducks seemed like cute little fluff balls on the water.

My kids started to get antsy and the sun was in and out, so it was time to go.

The hen watches her little ones as we left.

On our way back to the car a young red-tailed hawk flew just above our heads and alit on a pole nearby.

My son Zach saw it first, just after it flew over our heads.






It was lucky for me that both kids like hawks enough to happily wait a few more minutes as I took these photos. Kids, ducks, and a hawk, another afternoon well spent.