SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010

SWANS 5557

"Landing Swan Abstract"

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.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/4 sec
Aperture: f/40
ISO: 50

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010

SWANS 5668

"Swan Landing"

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/20
Aperture: f/20
ISO: 50

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010

SWANS 5660

"Swans touching down"

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!

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/8
Aperture: f/29
ISO: 50

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

SUPERIOR WINTER 5813

"February sunset over shore ice"

Late winter is one of my favorite times of the year. I always look forward to late February and early March with great anticipation. The reason for this is simple. I love ice. As March approaches, ice buildup on Lake Superior usually increases. This was true again this year, but not to the extent that I was hoping. We had very little ice coverage on the lake in February this year mostly due to above average temperatures. It simply wasn't getting cold enough for ice to form the way it usually does. We did, however, still have plenty of ice right along the shoreline.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 1/5 sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

SUPERIOR WINTER 5797

"Planet Ice"

There were a few times when ice did form farther out into the lake, and a handful of days where the wind was just right that it broke that ice into sheets and pushed it towards shore. One such day was this evening where I photographed these ice piles on the shoreline of Red Rock Beach in Grand Portage. A strong wind off the lake the previous night had pushed this ice into the shore, and created some nice (although not very tall) piles of ice. At any rate it made for a fun evening of photography. The ice was still being slowly pushed towards shore as I made these images... it groaned, creaked and popped as I walked along the shore. These sounds that are made by the ice are hauntingly beautiful.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 4 seconds
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

SUPERIOR WINTER 5785

"Sheet ice at sunset, Red Rock Beach"

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 1/5 sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

SUPERIOR WINTER 5830

"Beached Ice, Grand Portage Bay"

A couple of days later, I was walking along the shoreline of Grand Portage Bay and found some other neat ice formations that were just begging to have their picture taken. There was one spot where a rather thick piece of ice had been pushed up onto the shore and as it was being pushed up it split into four pieces. There may not be as much ice as there has been in past years, but if you took the time to look you could still find some cool stuff!

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm
Focal length: 17mm
Shutter speed: 1/160
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 200