A most memorable night

 

Here's a favorite image from a most memorable night spent in Cathedral Valley of Capitol Reef National Park back in late April of 2019.  I had spent most of the night waiting for storms to clear so I could photograph the Milky Way.  I was beginning to lose hope when, at about 4:15 AM, the clouds started to part. Eventually the Milky Way did come out and it was soooo beautiful... but before that I made several images where the stars were peeking out from these breaks in the clouds. It was definitely lots of fun to photograph with the constantly changing conditions in the sky. 

The Middle of Nowhere is Somewhere

 

A fun find seemingly in the "middle of nowhere" in the southern Utah desert. As I've always believed, however, the middle of nowhere is somewhere. And to those that live there, it's the center of their universe. 

Contemplating the Cosmos

 

I'm workign on some images for a new project and this one definitely stands out as a favorite. From an amazing night spent under the stars in southern Utah, back in May of 2019. 

The Colors of Spring

 

I love the subtle beauty of early spring in the north woods. One of the best examples of that beauty, in my opinion, is the striking color of dogwood. It really stands out this time of year.  Once everything greens up, that color gets largely hidden by the leaves. This time of year, though, it screams "Look at me!"

Proud Ruffed Grouse

 

This guy really put on a good show for us today.  Very flagrant and so proud. Lots of grouse drumming in the woods today. My dad and I spent most of the day adventuring in the woods but seeing this fellow was definitely a highlight. 

A glorious night and sunrise

 

I had my camera going all night last night. I shot two 3-hour long timelapses of the night sky then caught a beautiful sunrise. The night was gloriously clear, with a light breeze kicking up every now and then. It only takes me about 15 minutes to hike to this location not far from my house. I can't stay up all night as easily as I used to, so after starting each timelapse I went back home and took a nap. On one of the hikes back up from the lake a barred owl serenaded me with its haunting calls. On the 3rd and last hike down to the lake to retrieve my camera, I hung around and waited for the sun to rise. It was all so worth it!

Dark and Clear

 

The last two nights were perfect for viewing and photographing the Milky Way. I was out all night on both nights, focusing on capturing some timelapse video for a new project that I'm working on. I did make a few still photographs as well, this one being my favorite. This was in front of my parents house on Lake Superior. The last bit of winter snow and ice clings to the shoreline as the stars pass by overhead. 

Remnants of Winter

 

The last of the winter ice on a small lake makes for some interesting patterns to isolate with the camera. With each passing minute the lakes are constantly changing and soon the ice will all be gone. 

"The Silent Sentinel"

 

The forest is amazing at night. Especially on crisp, clear nights before leaf-out in the spring or after the leaves fall in autumn. I love the shapes that are revealed against the awesome backdrop of stars. Every tree is unique, but every now and then I find one that I am especially drawn too.  This one, which I call The Silent Sentinel, is one such example. 

I first came across the tree almost 10 years ago and ever since then I've wanted to return to it under the cover of darkness to photograph it with the night sky glowing brightly above. Of course, after thinking for so long about what it might look like at night, I certainly had an expectation in my mind. This was one of those rare cases where the reality was more beautiful than what I saw in my imagination.

 The Sentinel itself and the surrounding trees couldn't have been more ideally composed. I love how there is an opening in the tree canopy right above the Sentinel tree, and how all the other nearby trees seem to be gathered around it, as if the Sentinel is telling a story. This is my new favorite place to be under the stars in the northeast Minnesota forest. 

The Calm before The Storm

 

I spent the afternoon in the woods yesterday. And what a beautiful day it was to do that. Sunny skies, brisk temps in the mid 20's with a light breeze. I spent a couple of hours hiking through some really dense forest looking for what is fast becoming, in my mind at least, a mythical pine tree that one of my uncles told me about a few years ago. He told me roughly where it is, or at least, his memory of where it is. He said the base of this giant pine tree has a natural hollowed-out area that you can stand inside of. Hard to believe, as there are few trees large enough in northern Minnesota anymore for that to be possible.  But, this area has several old-growth pines that were somehow missed or left when the rest of the area was logged. 

At any rate, I did find at least 8 or 9 of these old-growth pines, but the mythical hollowed-out tree eluded me once again. I have tried a couple of other times to find it, also without success. I'm starting to think that I may never find it. And that's okay. If, by chance, I happen to come across it some day, it will be a happy surprise. While I was hoping to be successful in finding it today, the outing was a success nonetheless. For I did find plenty of beauty in the forest, as is always the case. 

Back to the title of this image. Its no surprise that this winter has been lame at best, as far as winters go. We have had virtually no snow pack at all, and the temperatures have been very mild. It is the least snowiest winter in my memory, hot on the heels of two of the snowiest winters we've ever had. That being said, if the hype is to be believed, we are set over the next few days to receive one heck of a winter storm. Forecasters are calling for anywhere from 12 to 20 inches of snow and 50 MPH winds. Hard to believe as I sat on the banks of the Pigeon River, listening to the ice boom and crack as the sun dropped below the tree line. But, as is often the case, storms are often preceded by moments such as this. Moments of relative silence before chaos settles in for a few days. 

A hint of northern lights

 

On a cold late winter's night, the stars shine bright and the Aurora Borealis dances elusively on the horizon. 

"The Dancer"

 

My dad and I came across this really intriguing tree a few weeks ago while out hiking around on some frozen beaver ponds.  The tree is dead and has lost all of its bark, leaving behind an incredibly smooth trunk. When I stood at the base of the tree and looked up at it, I knew immediately that I wanted to return at night to photograph it with the stars. The shape reminds me of a dancer striking a pose. I knew I had limited time to capture it at night, as the tree is in the middle of a beaver pond.  Once the ice melts, in order to get these photos you'd have to wade out into the middle of the pond. Luckily, within a week of discovering the tree we had a clear, cold night with lots of stars. I actually spent almost the entire night out in the woods photographing various trees in different locations, but this was the first one that I spent time with. 

More beaver pond explorations!

My dad and I have been out exploring beaver ponds again this past week. The lack of snow and temperatures cold enough to keep the water frozen have made for some really cool hikes to check these places out. A couple of the lodges we found were in old abandoned ponds that no longer had standing water in them. The lodges looked extra huge since we were also seeing the part of the lodge that is normally underwater. 

Golden Sunset on March 2nd

 

My dad and I went for a hike this afternoon/evening to a beaver pond hidden deep in the woods. We were treated to a beautiful golden sunset behind the taller trees on the pond. The clouds were changing a lot and several times we could see the disc of the sun through the clouds. 

February Beaver Lodge

 

Ice walk on a local creek/marsh today. The winter of no snow continues, making for much easier exploration of ponds, creeks and swampy areas than would typically be possible. 

Frosted Cattails

 

Woke up to fog yesterday morning on Lake Superior.  Yep. Fog in February. Usually at this time of year it would be steam, due to the frigid air clashing with the warmth emanating from Lake Superior (relative warmth... usually the air is MUCH colder than the lake this time of year).  This year, however, we are in the midst of a very mild winter and there is much less of a difference between the air temp and the water temp.  

At any rate, it was a very foggy day along the lakeshore but if you went inland a couple of miles it was sunny.  I took a drive in to where the fog bank ended and the sunshine took over. I found some beautiful cattail swamps that must have had fog settling on them overnight. As the fog settled it created a layer of frost on the cattails and the trees.  It was beautiful.  And a great reason to take my Nikon out for a spin.

 I've been pretty busy these past few months promoting the Spirits Dancing book and that means I haven't done much photography.  I'm going to make it a point to get back into the habit of taking the "big" camera out (rather than just using my phone) to create some images. 

Ice Abstraction, North Shore of Lake Superior

 

Ice Abstraction, North Shore of Lake Superior. January 2024. 

It sure has been a strange winter so far.  Very little snow and with the warmer than average temperatures that we are expected to experience for the at least the next week, what little ice we have is melting as well. I was out along the shoreline yesterday and came across this interesting piece of melting ice. The shape reminded me of a gecko or some other type of lizard. 

Winter is finally settling in

 

After a very mild start to the winter 2023-2024 season, we are finally getting some weather that is more appropriate for the time of year. Currently we are getting a decent dumping of snow with high winds and cold temps to follow, according to the forecast. Here are a couple of photos that preceded the current stormy weather. A very calm and peaceful sunset over a beaver pond. 

Otter Tracks

 

I love finding nice track imprints in the snow, and my favorite tracks to find are those made by otters. You can really see their curious and playful nature in the tracks that they leave behind.  Seeing such distinct paw prints is always cool but I especially love seeing the tracks made as they slide along on their bellies. 

First Sunset of 2024

 

The end of the first day of 2024 was a beautiful ending to a beautiful day.  I'm going to take it as a good sign.