Just over a week later and WOW how things have changed along the shoreline! A week ago I was photographing ice all along the shore, this week all of that ice is gone. Its been very warm the past week, much warmer than March usually is. As a result, all of the ice that covered the Lake Superior shore is now gone. Which means, I suppose, that I can get back to photographing the rocks along the shoreline :-) I love shooting ice, but the rocks are fun as well. I am always very "foreground conscious" when it comes to my images... that is to say, I'm always looking for something interesting to put in the foreground of my landscape images. While exploring the shoreline yesterday I found this seasonal stream that only runs in the spring, emptying into Lake Superior. I knew it would be a good location to shoot a sunrise, so I went back there this morning to do just that. 
All that talk about strong foreground elements being said, sometimes I just can't resist a more "simplistic image", such as the one above. 
After shooting the sunrise over Lake Superior, I headed up to Grand Portage State Park to see how High Falls was looking after all the recent warm temperatures. I wasn't sure if I would find the falls still frozen, or running freely. As it turns out (much to my delight), I found the latter. The falls certainly wasn't the fullest I have seen it, but it was running at a very nice level for photography. When you get too much water coming over the falls it certainly is fun to watch, but shooting becomes a hassle. Too much water means too much mist, which in turn means its hard to keep the water off the camera. 
The water level on this morning was just about perfect for making images. There was some light mist which necessitated the occasional wipe-down of the camera, but it wasn't bad at all. Also, when the water level is like it was today, the falls is much prettier (in my opinion) than when it is really raging. When its really running strong you don't get as many little channels of water coming over the edge. Photographing High Falls is something I never tire of... and that's probably because it never looks the same. The lighting is always just a little bit different and the flow is always different. On this particular morning I was blessed with some very nice light and clouds to complement the seemingly "perfect" amount of water :-)
Above: "Winter sunset on Pancake Bay"As much as I hate to admit it, the ice season on Lake Superior is already over. These were the last ice images I was able to capture along the Lake Superior shoreline this year. Only a few days after these images were made, virtually all of the ice along Lake Superior's Minnesota north shore was gone. It just got too warm too early for the ice to hang around. March is usually the best month for ice on Lake Superior, but this year that just isn't going to be the case. At any rate, this weekend was a great weekend for photographing ice. My friend Roger and I had great fun photographing the ice over the weekend. And, thanks to the above average temperatures, we were actually quite comfortable (re: NOT freezing!) when we were shooting this weekend. 
Above: "Crystal Blue", arguably my favorite ice image of this past winter. The center column on my Gitzo tripod actually came in quite handy for creating this image, since I had to get the camera very low to the ground to get the perspective I wanted for the shot. It was also quite tricky to set up, as I was on the slope of a rock that was covered in ice! Below: My tripod setup for capturing the "Crystal Blue" image. (Tripod image captured using my Canon G11 camera).
The above images were made at sunset, the two images below were made at sunrise the same day. We were exploring Red Rock Beach looking for some cool ice formations to photograph at sunrise and were about to give up when I found this small hole in the ice along the shoreline. This little "ice window" was only about a foot to a foot and a half tall, and I spotted it with just enough time to scramble down to it and get a shot of the sun just as it was beginning to poke up over the horizon. 
Above Left: Icy DawnAfter the best of the morning light was gone, we walked out to the end of Red Rock Point and just did some exploring. Almost all of the ice was gone from the point; only a few small patches remained. At one point while walking around on the point I looked up and saw Roger sitting on the rocks, enjoying the view of the lake. I couldn't resist making this image of him enjoying the view. Below: "A Superior View"
This morning was the type of morning that will live on forever in my memory. I only made a handful of images today but more so than the images, it is the sounds of the morning that I will never forget. My friends Roger, Jon and Don were up for a visit and I brought them all down to the Spirit Tree for a morning of photography. It just so happens that this would also turn out to be probably the most magical morning on Lake Superior that any of us had ever witnessed. The morning started out very peaceful. Before the sun rose everything was calm and quiet. The sounds of the snow crunching beneath our boots seemed to echo across the bay. As the sun came closer to breaking the horizon, the sky took on an incredible pink glow. Below: This piece of ice was only a couple of inches tall. I laid down on my stomach and shot with my Canon G11 in macro mode to make this image. 
Sometimes when the sun rises, you have only a few minutes of nice warm light before things become too bright. On this particular morning, however, there was a thin layer of clouds hovering just off the horizon which meant that we had at least an hour of soft, warm and diffused light. Only moments after the sun came up, the ice on the bay started to talk. It started off with just a few barely audible creaks and groans, with the occasional popping noise thrown in for good measure. As the sun got higher in the sky, the wind out on the lake increased. We were sheltered from the wind, but we could tell the wind out on the lake was increasing because before too long the ice was singing. As the wind out on the lake increased, so did the pressure being put on the ice in the bay. Ice can only take so much pressure before it cracks, and when it cracks under such conditions it makes a sound that is almost indescribable. The closest sound I can compare it to is the sound made by high tension wires when they are being buffeted by strong winds. Quite simply, once you've heard it, its not a sound that you will soon forget! Here are a couple of video clips that captured the sounds of the ice... be sure to turn your speakers up to their full volume to get the full effect of these awesome sounds!http://travisnovitsky.smugmug.com/Video-Clips/Misc-Videos/4207197_KrddQ/1/803688816_hDBAt/Mediumhttp://travisnovitsky.smugmug.com/Video-Clips/Misc-Videos/4207197_KrddQ/1/803662676_494cK/Medium
Swan Park looked truly magical with the trees covered in hoar frost!
This weekend I met up with my friend Roger in Elk River and we headed over to Monticello, MN to see and photograph a somewhat unusual animal gathering. Much like the Eagles that I photographed in Homer, Alaska a few years ago, there is a gathering of Trumpeter Swans along the Mississippi River in Monticello each winter. In Alaska, the eagles were fed for many years by "The Eagle Lady" Jean Keene, who tossed several hundred pounds of fish scraps to the Eagles each day. In Monticello there is a woman known as "The Swan Lady" who tosses food out to the swans each day, only in this case its corn and not fish scraps. 
Above: Sheila's neighbor has constructed this photo deck, which can be used (for a fee) by photographers and bird watchers. It gives you a closer view of the birds, and gets you closer to eye-level with the birds on the water. All proceeds go to help Sheila pay for corn for the Swans. 
The day we visited "Swan Park" along the banks of the Mississippi in Monticello, every tree in sight was covered in beautiful hoar frost. The previous night had produced some thick fog which froze to all the trees, creating a white winter wonderland! There are a couple of reasons why Swans (and Geese and Ducks) congregate here in the winter. One reason is the power plant that is just a little ways upstream... outflow from the power plant keeps the river water warm and ice-free all winter. The other reason is the food. Several years ago Sheila "The Swan Lady" started handing out some corn to the ducks that wintered on the river. After a while some Swans started to show up. Fast forward several years later and the Swans now congregate in very large numbers on this stretch of river. The day we visited the river there were easily several hundred Swans, as well as a fair amount of Canada Geese and various ducks. 
Swan Park is a very small city park nestled in between two home sites on the banks of the Mississippi. From the parking area on the opposite side of the street from the park, you can easily hear the Swans as soon as you get out of your car. As you walk towards the park and get closer the river, the sound quickly becomes deafening. We spent about an hour and a half photographing the birds and by the time we left I swear my ears were ringing! To see a video clip of the Swans, click here: http://www.travisnovitsky.com/Video-Clips/Misc-Videos/4207197_KrddQ
As the birds wait in preparation for their daily feeding, several small groups fly in one after the other from down the river. This makes for some great flight shot opportunities, as they usually fly right past you then circle around before landing on the river. 
One of my favorite things to do when photographing birds in flight is to experiment with slower shutter speeds in an attempt to create artsy blurs of the birds. This takes some practice, though. Too long of a shutter speed and the bird won't be recognizable. Not slow enough of a shutter speed, and the photo will look just like an accidental "out of focus" shot. When you can get the right mix of the perfect shutter speed combined with a well-timed panning motion of the camera to match the flight pattern of the bird, the results can be magical. If you're looking for a fun way to spend a winter's day, head over to Monticello to see the Swans. It is certainly one of those experiences that will be with you forever!
