Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Iceland
I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland. I took advantage of a tour for photographers built around the Northern Lights. Our group also visited other natural sights during the day. The weather didn’t support Northern Lights viewing very well due to being overcast much of the time. But those same conditions were beautiful for the type of photography that I like to do. The volcano, which had been active earlier this year, died well before I arrived. Then the volcano erupted once again, with a vengeance, a day after landing on the Island. We did get to see it, rather spectacularly, after a moderately strenuous hike. It then went dormant about the time I flew back home. Iceland is famous for waterfalls and many other natural phenomena. Seljalandsfoss waterfall was the first of several significant falls I was able to photograph. It had a different feel from all others. Its soft, misty, veil-like appearance was hypnotizing to me. I wanted to stare at its constantly changing character. Finding a position to capture those qualities turned out to be easy. The place where I first was able to photograph them worked well frontally. After several exposures in that position, I walked to many other spots and rephotographed this elegant waterfall. When I viewed this group of images later, it became apparent that my first choice, where I set up my tripod and camera, was the strongest. That is what you see here. These falls also could be viewed from behind, and I had seen many pictures taken from the back, but I didn’t see anything that mesmerized me like what I captured initially. Perhaps I saw such a beautiful spectacle for the first time, and there were more to come.
Distant Storm and Coastline Nova Scotia
Photographing in Eastern Canada the summer of 2019 was pure joy. Beautiful scenery, great weather, and the gracious Canadian people make me want to go back.
After seeing my son Randy’s extensive photographs of Nova Scotia, I knew I wanted to go there to photograph. Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and the Bay of Fundy area offer much to artists.
This image is one of the first that I captured in Nova Scotia. We had just eaten at a delightful restaurant in the town of Advocate Harbour, population 826. This pho- tograph shows shoreline similar to what we would encounter on our way to Belle Cote, our home for the next seven days. The added bonus of a distant storm and clouds provided marvelous complexity that I liked. I made several different (com- positionally) exposures and chose to print the one you see here. I was happy to find out that there would be more similar opportunities to follow.
All of my photographs contain just enough post-processing to achieve what I saw and felt at the time I clicked the shutter. I try to use only as much as necessary and no more. This photograph is the most complex I have made up to this time regarding what I needed to do in post-processing. My wife and I spent two weeks in Nova Scotia photographing, I’m not sure if a lifetime would be enough to do it justice.
Black Sand Grassy Dunes
I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland. I took advantage of a tour for photographers built around the Northern Lights. Our group also visited other natural sights during the day. The weather didn’t support Northern Lights viewing very well due to being overcast much of the time. But those same conditions were perfect for the type of photography that I like to do. The volcano, which had been active earlier this year, died well before I arrived. Then the volcano erupted once again, with a vengeance, a day after landing on the Island. We did get to see it, rather spectacularly, after a moderately strenuous hike. It then went dormant about the time I flew back home. Iceland has countless beautiful, grand views. Its mesas are similar in structure to what you might see in Utah but glow green with moss, covering nearly every square foot. There are black sand beaches with ice forms that would capture anyone’s attention. These black sand dunes, covered with green grasses, are more subtle about fetching your glance. But coming from the Black and White film world, we become aware of what filters can do to a color scene. I am conditioned to look at the landscape with no filters, then re-vision it as if it is seen through a red, yellow, or green filter. In this case, a green filter would be a clear choice, knowing that it would emphasize the contrast between the dark sand and the grass. With a digital camera, deep color filters are not needed. The conversion to B & W is done in post-processing. One difficulty I did have capturing this photo, it was windy. Normal for Iceland. I raised ISO to give me a higher shutter speed to try to stop the grass movement. There is still a bit, but it is tolerable. Thank you, digital luxury.
I was recently honored, as this photo was accepted into an International Call For Art, and was on display at The Dab Art Gallery in Los Angeles California.
Two of a Kind, Lake Manawa, Iowa
I always wanted to photograph the Rock Island Railroad Depot, near where I live. Over the years, I looked at it many times to capture it, but the area surround-
ing the building is, shall we say, messy. Then early one morning, I woke up to a mess concealing fog. It was time to photograph the Council Bluffs Depot, and I did, using my view camera. That was before I had Photoshop. Fast Forward to February 2019, Digital Camera, Photoshop, and Fog. I gathered my backpack containing my camera and grabbed my tripod, then headed down to the Depot. Same building, with different problems. Trees now intruded where they hadn’t before, and a fence was there that wasn’t in the original. Photoshop can do a lot, but this wasn’t exciting to me. I did take several photographs while I was there.
I headed to Lake Manawa to see if the fog was on my side. It was. I drove around the lake and stopped to make several exposures of views that I found interesting. Two of a Kind, a photograph of two large cottonwood trees, is the third image tak- en that day, which I feel strongly about. These two trees are located on the south side of Boy Scout Island.
Similarly to my other photographs, the viewpoint is critical. I moved around quite a bit to find the optimal position relative to the trees. I used my old-fashioned viewing frame to select the tripod position and lens, which was my 24-70 zoom lens. This photograph, Lake Fog and Trees and Boy Scout Island gave me three good images in one day, a first for me. But it took me four years to bring them to life. I often see qualities in objects (in this case, two cottonwood trees) that make me photograph them, and I am disappointed when I view them on my monitor. In this case, I re-imagined what they could become. Being close to the trees eliminated the effect of the fog upon them. The mist brought a unique focus to the two cottonwood trees. That second coming of Two of a Kind is what you now see.
Thank you
Walking In, Bay of Fundy
The tides at the Bay of Fundy, located in northeast New Brunswick, Canada, are not only the highest in the world at 54 feet, but they are also among the fastest flowing. On our photographic trip during the summer of 2019, we were able to experience them. The tides are a daily event for the locals, but it was an experience I will never forget. My photograph, Walking In, Bay of Fundy, shows a slice in time of this event. I spent several days in Alma NB, Canada, which is on the Fundy Coast. During that time, I photographed the shoreline during tide out and high tide. It was like two different worlds. Another natural phenomenon that occurs regularly there is the rolling fog banks. You can see the fog bank approaching from the right and then proceeding up the cliff face to the left. They can come in very quickly. If you look closely at the photograph in the lower center and far lower left, you will see six persons heading back to shore. I believe their urgency would be based more on the incoming fog than the tide. The elements of the active cloud bank, nearly waterless ocean floor, and the people combine for a beautiful scene that was a first for me. The natural ingredients and the human element gave me the best of both worlds. I took many photographs of the water and skies from several viewpoints in Fundy National Park. There were many I liked, but this is the most preferred. This photograph was chosen for the Art League of Hilton Head Island National Biennale Call For Art. I am most appreciative of this honor. Additionally this image was chosen for an International Call for Art recently.
Timbercrest Grasses
I have mentioned scenes that we often take for granted. Things that we see daily and drive past frequently often get overlooked. Timbercrest Grasses is anoth-
er one. It’s beauty taken for granted, except not today. The Covid epidemic has forced us to appreciate what is near and take our minds off other things.
The very short drive up Timbercrest Avenue itself is delightful with its beautiful trees, curvy road, steep incline, freshly mown grass, and yes, graceful tall grass- es. I have not been able to travel much due to restrictions and common sense. This makes us appreciate things nearby.
One morning I decided to photograph the tall grasses at the entrance to The Timbercrest addition. Using my old-fashioned framing card, I moved about for the optimal point of view. Once I found what I liked, I set up my tripod, which unfor- tunately was in the exit lane out. Cars were coming and going, but the people coming my way were extremely patient with me, and I was most appreciative. The light at that time (mid-morning) was mostly hazy sun with a few direct rays.
I thought the light great, except for the blueish north cast, which I could correct later. I attached my DSLR to the tripod and used my 85mm lens to make many exposures as the light was changing rather quickly. After getting the frames I wanted, I headed home, about two minutes away.
Black Church, Iceland
I was traveling in Iceland in September of 2021, exploring its many natural wonders. There were enormous waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, and black sand beaches. We saw many churches while driving in Iceland. They were frequently located at high places near small towns, which made them stand out easily from their surroundings. The Black Church is one of the most iconic in Iceland. It was initially built in the mid-1700s and rebuilt in the mid-1800. It has artifacts dating as far back as the 1600s. The weather when I arrived was perfect, with a variable and quickly changing overcast sky. I was attracted to the stark contrasts of this church and its details.
I chose to set up my camera for a frontal view. I liked the walkway and the church entry door surrounded by black vertical lines. The sky contributed a lot to the overall composition but changed by the minute; no, make that seconds. I made many exposures due to the sky’s constantly changing pattern. I was fortunate because few people were walking around. Earlier, there was a wedding at the church, but most of the attendees had left. After spending a fair bit of time in post-processing, I was pleased with the result. In an earlier post about the weather in Iceland, I mentioned that the overcast conditions negated most of our ability to photograph the northern lights but contributed nicely to my photography. This photo of the Black Church is an example of conditions I favor.
Skogafoss Falls, Near Skogar, Iceland
I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland. In the interest of time, I took advantage of a tour for photographers built around the Northern Lights. Our group also visited other natural sights during the day. The weather didn’t support Northern Lights viewing very well due to being overcast much of the time. But those same conditions were beautiful for the type of photography that I like to do. The volcano, which had been active earlier this year, died well before I arrived. The volcano erupted once again, with a vengeance, a day after landing on the Island. We did get to see it, rather spectacularly, after a moderately strenuous hike. It then went dormant about the time I flew back home. Iceland is famous for waterfalls and many other natural phenomena. Skogafoss waterfall is one of the more famous, also meaning it’s a tourist magnet. The time we arrived was 1:30P, and there were people everywhere. Not an ideal time to take a serious photo of this spectacle unless you were a travel tour photographer. I was, luckily for me, able to get back to the falls early in the morning, this time without the tourists. I found a good vantage position and captured the falls and enough of the surrounding verdant hills to the right. The soft light often makes subjects like this just glow, and it did that morning! My final composition took several minutes because I wanted the area in front of the waterfall, but not too much of it. That area adds a nice bit of support to the massive falls. I could fit in just the right amount of the luminescent hills on the right side, framing my subject. I am so glad for this moment, beautiful light, powerful, even muscular subject. It is a beautiful feeling when your subject performs for you.
The Gangplanks
My wife and I both love Maine and its people. During the summer of 2019, after completing RAGBRAI (The bike ride across Iowa), which has been a tradition for me, we set out on a trip across central to eastern Canada and down into Maine. My primary focus was photography. I also did a bike ride in Maine called Bike Maine. Then, after seven weeks, we headed back to Iowa.
This photograph was taken at the docks in the town of Rockport. I walked with my camera backpack and tripod looking around, hoping for an excellent picture of the harbor. While standing on one of the docks, I glanced to my left and viewed a scene with gangplanks, cables, and very small, primarily rowboats. First, an elderly gentleman walked down one of the gangplanks, got into a tiny vessel, and began making ready to go. I decided to take a photo of this, different for me, scene. It took me a bit of time to compose and set my camera to clearly capture the depth of what was in front of the camera. Shortly after I was ready to click the shutter, another person came walking down the same gangplank. It appeared that this was the gentleman’s mate. I took several photos of them getting ready to go somewhere in the rowboat, which was barely large enough for the two of them. Once prepared, he rowed out to a much larger sailboat that was anchored in the harbor. Of the several exposures, I made I liked this one best. It has the composition that attracted me, plus a bit of human interest in the photograph. A bit of dodging and burning in post-processing completed what I had imagined. I hope the couple had a great time in their sailboat.
Icelandic Coastal Cliffs
I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland. I took advantage of a tour for photographers built around the Northern Lights. Our group also visited other natural sights during the day. The weather didn’t support Northern Lights viewing very well due to being overcast much of the time. But those same conditions were beautiful for the type of photography that I like to do. The volcano, which had been active earlier this year, died well before I arrived. The volcano erupted once again, with a vengeance, a day after landing on the Island. We did get to see it, rather spectacularly, after a moderately strenuous hike. It then went dormant about the time I flew back home. Iceland is famous for waterfalls and many other natural phenomena. Much of Iceland’s coastline is very rugged. The cliff and coastline you see here were taken before we toured Iceland. I arrived a day early and had a rental car. Dan Zafra of Capture The Atlas suggested that I go to an area South of Keflavik not far from our hotel. The drive there pointed out some things about Iceland. No trees, volcanic rocks everywhere, steam coming out of the ground while being beautifully unique. I was on the point of land that juts out into the North Atlandic Ocean. A movie line came to mind, and I said to myself, you are not in Iowa anymore. I moved about with framing card in hand, trying to position the elements before me to say stark, strong, from another planet, and beautiful. I was able to visit this spot two more times during my stay in Iceland. The conditions on my first day were the most conducive to photography, at least for me. I appreciated the first day’s light and my introduction to Iceland.
Top Rock - Pemaquid Point, Maine
During the summer of 2019, after I did the bike ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI), my wife and I set out on a long, driving, photographic trip. We went across central to eastern Canada, then down into Maine. The photograph you see here was taken near the end of our journey while still in Maine.
Pemaquid Point and its lighthouse is a magnet for photographers. Its shoreline, which is a relatively large area of rectilinear rocks, is unique. Most photographers will concentrate on the straight lines, as I had done in 2000. This time I spent quite a bit of time on the rocks, moving from place to place, seeing the typical, beautiful formations. This day while there, I kept coming back to a particular vantage point and finally set up my tripod and fixated on the rock you see here. While I have named it Floating Rock, Pemaquid, it is nicely attached to Mother Earth. The clouds were always changing. Thus I had to be patient to capture a cloud formation that helped express my feeling at that moment. I made several exposures until I caught the combination of elements you see here. Taking this photo could have been done with film as I did in an era before, but I indeed enjoy what I would call the “Digital Luxury” to make many exposures.
Prints exceptionally well in larger sizes also.
Black Sand Beach Ice Crystal, Iceland
I was traveling in Iceland in September of 2021, exploring its many natural wonders. There were enormous waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, and black sand beaches. I was walking on a black sand beach, looking for a shard of an iceberg that had been washed up onto the black sand. The clouds overhead were threatening rain. I spotted a small chunk of crystal clear ice and proceeded to walk around it several times. I was trying to see where the light reflecting off the ice looked like it might make a good photograph. The shape of the ice was not particularly appealing, but its clarity was diamond-like. When framed correctly in my viewfinder, this piece of ice was only about three feet from my lens. I knew that I wanted to preserve the crisp depth and clarity that I saw. I chose to do a focus stack to optimize everything, taking multiple photos at different focal planes and later combining them into one very sharp photograph. Meanwhile, back at the beach, rain began while I was photographing. I quickly packed up, and then it rained for real. It is the only photograph of ice on a beach that I was able to get. With a very sharp photograph of a somewhat misshapen ice crystal, I began to mold it in post-processing into something entirely different from what appeared on that beach. Although I am pretty happy with the final result, I spent many hours in Photoshop and printed many versions before finally settling on the image you see here. The clarity and glow have been well retained. The black sand beach took on a star-like quality that compliments the Black Beach Ice Crystal.
Cloud Bank and Rocky Shore, Fundy
I previously added my photograph, Walking In, Bay of Fundy, to my website. That one has won both national and international recognition. This photograph, Cloud Bank and Rocky Shore, Fundy, is its sister. This photograph was taken on the same day but about four and a half hours later and with considerably more water in the Bay of Fundy. I could have easily enjoyed photographing near here all summer, but that was impossible. Getting a feeling for what nature brings to a photographic scene is one of the benefits of being in an area over several days.
The coastline in this area was pretty harsh while wildly beautiful. As you see in this image, the shoreline was very rocky and, in large parts, a sheer cliff. The area around Alma, New Brunswick, is frequently foggy. When I took this photograph, the sky was filled with beautifully familiar (common in Iowa, see my photography Iowa Corn and Clouds) cirrus clouds. But in the distance on the water is a rolling cloud bank. These cloud banks move pretty quickly, and I have no doubt that my wife Marylin and I would be in a fog before long.
I managed several essential elements presented to me in this striking scene. A beautiful sky, the rocky shore, the tree-lined cliffs to the far right, an incoming fog bank, and the sea needed to be balanced for best effect. Nature gave me those elements. I had to find a vantage point to optimize her features. I set up my camera and chose my 16-35mm lens, wanting to show the large size of the nearby boulders. This took me a while, as your eye/brain doesn’t always see as the camera does. After a bit of looking/seeing, I found what I wanted. I feel the graphic strength of this view supports what I felt when viewing this scene.
Wheatfield, P.E.I.
Near Morell, Prince Edward Island, Canada
We left for Eastern Canada on July 31st, 2019, stopping in Michigan, Toronto, Quebec City, and Fredericton, before arriving on Prince Edward Island. P.E.I., as the locals call it, is the smallest of the Canadian provinces. We spent a week in centrally located Cornwall and took day trips from there. On our first trip to explore out of Cornwall, we passed a wheatfield near Morell. The sunlit field made me turn the car around for a closer look. The golden wheat, blue sky, a unique group of clouds, and I was smitten. I set up my equipment, made a couple of test exposures, a luxury of digital, finalized the camera’s settings and, click. I had what I needed to make the print you see here. The texture of the wheat, the dividing tree line, and the softer clouds provided me just what I needed.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time on P.E.I. and everywhere else in Canada.
Winter Sycamore
I wanted to photograph a Sycamore tree for many years. The trunks value with their medium green to light gray and light greens, with white branches in some cases, I found interesting. I imagine many photographs, but bringing them to frui- tion on the printed page seldom happens.
For several days this winter, mother nature graced us with icy frost in many parts of the Council Bluffs area. In the mornings that I would see these conditions, I would grab the camera, tripod, and other accessories that might help my task and go hunting. This day I went the opposite direction of my usual route. There
is a park with one of the highest points in the City, which I drove up to. The view allowed me to see areas of Council Bluffs that were frosted. Not all areas were. Some not at all, but many places glowed white. Having seen which sites might be interesting, I knew where to go thanks to my vantage point.
Driving into one of the places visible from my previous height advantage, I eventually came upon this beautifully proportioned Sycamore tree. It was nicely shaped and had the gray-white values I sought, and its outer branches were cov- ered entirely in white frost. Even though there were power lines, houses, street signs, etc. I did find a point of view that allowed me to capture what you see here. I made several exposures that were relatively straightforward. Like most of my photographs, several hours in Photoshop, and I had a long-sought-after Image.
Golden Field PEI Canada
Near Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Fields of brilliant yellow rapeseed get your attention. The seed, when processed, makes cooking oil and animal feed, and Canada produces more of it than any other country in the world. I had already seen several fields of it while driving across Canada. Still, none had the right combination of elements to make me stop to photograph them. But this one did.
I took this photograph from a dirt drive not far from the highway and had to go onto private property to get this vantage point, no house in-site to obtain permission. The sun was coming and going, as were the clouds beyond the field. I set up my Canon 5DSR and attached a Sigma Art 85mm lens and over a 30 to 40 minute period of time made all of my exposures. I made 18 different exposures with different light-cloud combinations. It took me quite a bit of time to decide on the one you see here, and most captures were good but not unique enough. This one was.
Clapboard Fishing Shacks
Peggy’s Cove Nova Scotia, Canada
I was photographing in Nova Scotia in the summer of 2019. We spent two weeks on the peninsula, a week in Belle Cote, and a week in Halifax. Each day we would take a day trip into an area of interest. This day we were in Peggy’s Cove, a visually exciting place, but for an overabundance of tourists. If I were to take a photograph I liked, I knew it would be graphic or close up and well contained in scope. I had walked into a dingy fishing shack and looked around, then went outside on the deck. Once out, I looked in every direction for something of interest. I saw these fishing shacks in an unusual alignment and set down my camera backpack. They were a bit of distance away, necessitating the use of my 100-400 mm lens. My wife had my tripod and was nowhere near me at the time. I composed my view of the buildings and made several exposures from a few different viewpoints. This is the one I liked best. The photograph was made hand-held. Fortunately, the image stabilization worked to perfection as it is quite sharp. Many of the buildings in the area are faced with clapboard, which apparently weathers well, but more importantly, to me, it provides texture.
Marilyn Amaryllis V2
Almost two years ago to the day, I made the image of Marilyn Amaryllis. You can see that version which is also on my website. I took it on January 20, 2019. The latest version, seen here, was made on January 23, 2021. They were made at so close a time because this flower only blooms around Christmas time. I am lucky to have a wife that loves to grow flowers, vegetables too. My most recent effort at photographing this magnificent bloom is markedly different from the first, and there will be at least a V3. Our living room has illuminating natural light. I took this photograph in nearly the identical room position as the first, but this one has a roughly equal mix of backlighting to front light, unlike the earlier version. Like the first, this close-up version also uses multiple exposures to get everything into sharp focus, combining them in post-processing. This time I exercised considerably more freedom in re-working the values of the flower to achieve what I felt and saw at that time. The light coming through the petals brought out a softness not seen in the prior interpretation. This photo has been printed in substantial sizes (40 x 55 inches) and holds up perfectly. I am inspired by many painters and photographers of decades ago. After I photographed Marilyn Amaryllis, I looked up Georgia O’Keefe and discovered that she had painted an Amaryllis. I love images taken out of their usual context, different from how people expect to see them. If you look a little more carefully, sometimes it is incredible what you can see. I thoroughly enjoy the process of initial sight, imagining what can be, and producing a finished photograph. A subject like this unique product of nature can give us a series of compelling images.
Poinsettia Patterns
You might say Covid made me do it. During the Holidays we would normally have a Poinsettia plant in our home. This year I purchased several, different from each other, Poinsettias, expressly to photograph. Sticking close to home and indoors during the pandemic allowed me to do projects such as this. Having my subject readily available allowed me to do a lot of experimenting. With several plants to choose from, wonderful available light (changing hourly) in my living room, I set out to capture the essence of a Poinsettia with my thought process. This event by me took eight different days (not every minute but a lot of minutes). I made 378 captures, exploring all sorts of different viewpoints, lighting, and exposures. If I had been working with film, I would have run out. I truly enjoy the digital luxury. I didn’t keep track of the time I spent creating Poinsettia Patterns, but I am sure that I consumed as much time sorting, combining, and working on my images in post-processing as I did photographing them. Note: No plants were harmed in the making of this photograph. What you see here is the result of those efforts.