Foggy Day in Wisconsin Land

Today was one of those rare foggy days here in N.W. Wisconsin. On my way to and on my way back from Duluth, I took quite a few photos of the foggy landscapes. (I also went to Wisconsin Point and took more pictures of the lighthouse in the fog. I will publish those at a later time.) After taking the photos, I edited them in PaintShop Pro, by using special effects, such as sepia, infrared, or aging them. The process can take an ordinary photo and make it into an eye popping image. The process takes all of a minute or two. Think what could happen if God could transform us in that short of time. God's transformation of us takes a life time. The cemetary was in Wascott and the truck was north of Trego in an open field.

December Harvest Moon

For the past couple of years I have been waiting and wanting to to take photos of the full moon - especially a harvest moon. This seems almost impossible to capture. It is either cloudy or I am too late in taking the photo. The other problem, (one that almost all photographers experience) is that night shots are very hard to take, even with a DSLR camera. I knew that tonight there would be a full moon, so I prepared for it. Just as it was getting dark, I saw in the East that the moon was full and large and ready to be shot. I should have went out about 15 to 20 minutes earlier. By the time I found a place to shoot the moon, it was higher in the sky and much smaller. I did manage to take a few shots, but it wasn't exactly what I had planned. Maybe next month??? Here are a few of the shots I took. Either way we have an amazing God who has given us the blessing of a full moon and a great night sky. These shots were taken over the Earl Bridge about 5:30 pm tonight.

Newpaper Article

The more I get into photography I can see new ways of using this tool to glorify God and to share Christ with others. For that reason, when Diane asked if she could do a newspaper article about my love for photography and my involvement with the area photo Club (Northern Lights Camera Club) I was more than willing to do that. She is a very talented writer and did a great job with the story. One of the things I would love to do with photography is to teach it to elementary kids and teens, along with teaching them about our Great Lord and Creator and the world He has made for us. It would build self confidence in their lives as they work with photos and also help them to realize how great a God we serve.
As we get closer to Christmas I am looking for photo projects that I can make for family and friends for Christmas. If you have any ideas, please let me know. Bargain Bills had these tissue box covers that I plan on painting and add photo to.

The other day I was out taking pictures at Dilly Lake just before dark. The sun was starting to set and as I headed home down Dilly Lake Road the sunset became explosive. As I traveled over each hill I noticed the silhouettes of the trees against the sunset. It was almost like the sun was playing peekaboo behind the trees. I took several shots, but these are the ones that really stood out. Every time I see those big bold yellows, reds and oranges it reminds me of what an amazing God we have. It is like He is playing with His finger paints in the sky. I can take the picture, but God is the real artist. For some reason I really like the last photo, where the sun is peeking around the tree almost like it doesn't want to be seen.

The Humble Sunflower

It seems that every body enjoys photos of sunflowers. They are so majestic and beautiful. It is hard to take a bad picture of these flowers. Last year there was a field of sunflowers on County Road A, but they were not there this year. Last week, when I was driving around, I found a field on Pair of Lakes Road. I have been back to that spot 3 different times. I love shooting them, but this year the mosquitoes were absolutely crazy and blood thirsty. But it was worth it. Linda says that sunflowers remind her of people praying with heads bowed. I like to think of them as Humble Sunflowers, bowing before their Creator. One thing I learned is that I need to shoot photos while I can. They only last a couple of weeks before they start to wither and ripen. I am thinking about using some of these photos for photo cards this year. What do you think? Will they sell them selves? Which ones should I use?

This morning Linda and I went to Duluth to buy a few things for camp. On the way we stopped by the Superior Lighthouse just east of the city of Superior. I am always amazed at this lighthouse. Last winter I took several pictures with all the ice and snow, so I decided to get a few shots in the summer. I tried to take photos from different positions and with different settings on the camera. Maybe next time I will try to shoot it at night or at sunset. It reminds us that we have a "Lighthouse" that is there to guide and direct us daily through every storm of life and even when the waters are calm.

The other day I was reading an article in a photo magazine about "Pinhole cameras". The article was about a couple of "pinhole cameras" that you could buy for a couple of hundred dollars. It also mentioned that a person could simply put a hole in a camera cap and shoot through that. For the fun of it I decided to take an old camera lens cap and drill a 3/8 inch hole in the center, just to see if it would really work - IT DID! At first I took a few pictures without the flash, but then realized that the flash made a sharper and more distinguished photo. I also learned to control the lens manually instead and not leave it on auto focus. You can see the relults in the photos of Linda's flowers and some wild flowers that it works quite well. I am still learning, but the process is fun! let me know what you think or if you would like to try it. It is a whole lot cheaper than an expensive camera.

Hawk Nest

This past winter every time I traveled on County Road K toward Trego, I noticed a large nest on a telephone pole. I always assumed it was an eagles next. A few weeks ago I noticed another nest being built right next to the first one. It was then I realized that this was a nest of a hawk. When ever I stopped to take pictures the hawk would stay at the nest until I got too close. then it would fly to another pole and then eventually back to the nest pole. It will be interesting to see if they actually will lay eggs and then watch them hatch. Anyone want to do a "Hawk Cam"? Like the eagle they are so majestic when they fly and seemingly a very smart bird. God gave them instincts for hunting, building nests and taking care of the family.

Early Spring Flowers

Spring has always been one of my favorite seasons of the year. the snow is finally gone and the wild flowers are starting to show up. Tonight I was down at lake not too far from here called Dilly Lake. The woods was right next to the boat landing and at the edge of the woods these white flowers were growing. I practically had to get down at eye level to take the pictures, but I think it was worth it. If any body knows the name of these flowers I would greatly appreciate it. The blue flowers were down the road a little. It won't be long and the trillium will be popping up along with other flowers. If you know of a place that is a good area for wild flowers please let me know. If it isn't too far, I will look it up and take some pictures. All I know is that God is a great artist and makes our world interesting to look at.

Enjoy the flowers and let me know what you think.

Crex Meadows

Yesterday was quite a busy day and yet somewhat of a day off. In the morning Linda and I went to Chetek to talk with the company that is doing our camp t-shirts this year. The lady that owns the place is a wonderful Christian lady and they do a great job with the shirts. After we got home that afternoon, I decided to take a trip to Crex Meadows, an wildlife refuge, near Grantsburg, Wisconsin. This is probably the 4th or 5th time I have been there. This time of year the sandhill cranes are coming back and the lakes are full of different kids of ducks, along with other animals that are fun to see. It is a about 45 miles from our home, so with the cost of gas, I don't go very often and it takes me around 3 hours to go through the refuge. As I was driving along, enjoying the scenery and taking pictures of what I could, I couldn't help of thinking of how great our God is in making all these amazing animals. The cranes are always interesting to watch. They are not only a little funny looking, but very graceful when they fly. Who would think that such a big bird would be so graceful and then to realize that their migration schedule is the same every year. God has given them a very accurate time table and sense of direction - all without a calendar or a GPS.
Enjoy the pictures and leave a comment about what you think of the photos or maybe you simply want to glorify God's great Creation.

A Walk in the Woods

Today was simply a beautiful day with temps around 40 degrees. About 3 miles form here is a place that you can park your car and take a walk through the woods. The trail follows the Trego Flowage and is easy to walk. The advantages of walking in the woods this time of year, are #1 - NO TICKS or Mosquitoes; #2 The tress are bare so you can see more of the scenery; #3 40 degrees is perfect for walking. There is still plenty of snow on the ground, but the trail is very easy to walk on. I didn't see very many animals, except these squirrels who were enjoying themselves. (I can't upload a couple of the pictures I took, because lets just say it is spring and the squirrels had a smile on their faces. This is a family friendly blog page.)
All I know is that walking in the woods is a perfect time to talk with my Lord and share my heart with Him. Just me and God and a few squirrels. So if you get the chance, head for the woods and spend some time with the Creator. Enjoy all He has blessed us with here in the North Woods.

I'll Fly Away!!!

Tonight we had a camera club in Spooner. Before the club I took a trip out to the experimental farm east of town. In the fields there must have been well over 100 geese walking and honking. I took 70 - 80 pictures of them on the ground and taking off. All I know is that I had to shoot fast and ask questions later. Not all the pictures were usable, but several were. Here are a few that I adjusted and decided to save. The song "I'll Fly Away" comes to mind when I look at these majestic (and messy) birds.