Came across this cute little painted turtle while driving around the backroads of Northwestern Ontario last week. A good reminder to always pay attention, even while driving along desolate dirt roads. These little creatures can easily be mistaken for rocks and it saddens me whenever I see one that has been run over by a vehicle.
A layer of fog blankets the horizon as the Milky Way rises over Pete's Island and Lake Superior in Grand Portage, MN. I am incredibly fortunate to have this view right out in front of my house!
As I was coming back from Thunder Bay, Ontario this evening I noticed the fog looked really cool over the Susie Islands. So, I made an unexpected stop of about 45 minutes to watch the changing conditions and do some photographing of the fog. The bugs were AWFUL, and I came away with from the experience with blood all around the bottom edge of my hat, as the gnats tend to cluster there. Maybe I should invest in a head net. The photos were worth it, though. The fog was so beautiful and just got more beautiful as the sun gradually set behind me.
Yes! I am so excited! I finally was able to save up enough to purchase a "night" lens for my new camera. For years I have used Nikon's F-mount version of the 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, which I absolutely loved. I just picked up the new Z-mount version of the lens and if my first few shots are any indication, I'm going to love it just as much if not more than the F-mount version! For one thing its quite a bit lighter. And the surface area of the glass is smaller, which I like. The old lens had a huge piece of glass. And, my first shots reveal that the sharpness of the images is very good. This photograph was just taken from my backyard, looking at the Milky Way over my house. I'm really looking forward to getting out a lot more with this new lens!
Things warmed up considerably the night before last when a large line of thunderstorms moved through northeast Minnesota. The following morning Lake Superior was covered with a thick blanket of fog. I stopped on my way to work to make these photographs of the fog rolling over Francis Island, one of the islands within the Susie Islands archipelago.
Last week I went for a backroads drive and while passing by a favorite beaver pond I just had to stop and make a photograph. The fresh green colors of spring were so vibrant it seemed unreal. Another thing that was unreal were the bugs. I had wanted to sit by the pond for a while and watch the beavers (if you look closely you can see one of them swimming out in front of the lodge). However, as soon as I rolled down my window I was swarmed by a horde of mosquitoes. I only made 2 or 3 photos then I had to get out of there. I had to drive with all of my windows down for the next several miles to flush all of the mosquitoes out of the car.
A June view of the Fisher constellation, as it is known to the Ojibwe people. Also known as Ursa Major, the Great Bear. Or, as it is most commonly known, the Big Dipper.