The farm country of southern Wisconsin is littered with nostalgic old barns and farmsteads set against rolling green hills of corn and soybean. Its great riding for the motorcycle enthusiast and I always carry a camera in one of the saddle bags. The motorcycle makes it easy to pull off the side of the road and snap a quick picture or two.

The original picture was taken with a Nikon F5 using a 17-35mm f 2.8 lens on Fujichrome Velvia 100 slide film and then scanned to create the digital file.

Unsuspected beauty and stunning images can be created if you look for reflections and use slow shutter speeds on moving water.  The blue in this water is a reflection from the sky and the spots of orange are reflections of fall foliage.

Taking pictures of water is not easy. Strong sun can create hot spots (ultra-bright spots) that can be highly distracting from the overall image. It’s best to shoot on partially cloudy days when the sun goes behind a cloud and creates an even diffuse light on the water. Shooting in shaded areas can result in the same effect.

With the water immersed in dark shadows and the background foliage brightly lit from the morning sun this was perfect setup for a high dynamic range image (HDR). HDR is a technique that allows a broader dynamic range of highlights and shadows to be captured in a photo.

Ever wonder why the picture you took didn’t have the contrast you saw? Some time it’s because the light sensors in the camera can’t reproduce the same range of dark and light that your eyes and brain can interpret. This can be overcome through the use of multiple exposures and software tools to combine them in an appropriate way.

For this image I took multiple exposures that captured the range of contrast between the darkest and lightest regions of the scene and used the HDR Pro function in Photoshop 6 to merge the images together.

A 4 stop neutral density filter was used on the front on a 24-70mm lens along with a circular polarizing filter to allow for slow shutter speeds (0.5 sec) and darken the blue of the sky.

Black and white photos are about the subtleties of lighting, composition and perspective to drive the viewer’s emotion and feeling about an image. Add just a splash of color to the main subject and you can create something truly dramatic.

This original photo was taken from the side of the road on highway 130 on the way to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. Creating this type of an image is not hard to do in Photoshop or other digital editing software. Contact me if you would like to know how to do create a visually powerful and stunning piece of art from one of your own images.

This picture was taken under a setting sun from the escarpment in the Porcupine Mountains state part in upper Michigan. The colors were purposely oversaturated and dry brush filter applied in Photoshop.

Use the natural flow of water like a paint brush moving across an artist's canvas to create a sense of motion and mix colors in visually stunning ways!  The colors in this photos palette are natures that include red, orange and gold from reflected fall foliage and blue reflected from the sky above that are blended together during long exposures.

Use shutter speeds of 1/2 to 1 sec in length and a tripod setup for these kinds of photos.  Partly cloudy days and a little shade are best to prevent hot spots of glare in the water and the use of a polarizing filter will help bring out the full range of color detail.

Look closely and you may see things that you have not seen before. In the right light at the right angle what appears to be a simple flow of water over some rocks in the river takes a shape that comes alive with a vibrant mixture of flame orange, deep blue and forest green colors that are continuously blended by the rivers flow.

The colors in this photo are reflections of fall foliage and blue sky. Slow shutter speeds allow the colors to blend together and create a sense of movement in the water. I used a 200mm lens to isolate on just a small section of the water.

Don’t look at the water, look at what is in the water and you will see things you have never seen before.

Turn around and get out of the car! I had missed my turn while driving to see friends and ended in Cornish, Maine which turned out to be serendipitous. The water wheel against the red barn was nostalgic and the low morning sun that made the foliage down the river seem as if it were on fire were what caught my eye as I drove by.  I had to stop!!

I used a Nikon 24-70mm lens with a polarizing filter on a Nikon D800 body for the shot.  I processed the RAW file to balance highlights and shadows and did some color saturation work and a final crop in Photoshop to finish the image off.

You never know where a good picture will turn up. Don’t pass up the opportunity!

The layered granite ledges carved and sculpted by centuries of changing tides have a rich, warm petrified wood appearance that is as impressive as the Lighthouse itself.  Located in Bristol, Maine and commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams, this lighthouse sitting a top the shaggy granite ledges is as visually stunning as any I have visited.

This photo was taken in the late afternoon with a strong sidelight that was casting harsh shadows in the rocks so I waited for more even lighting when the sun was behind clouds.  I also used high dynamic range processing, combining multiple exposures to capture the full range of highlights and shadows in the scene. A polarizing filter on a Nikon 24-70mm lens was used to darken the sky.

Nested on a rocky out cropping in Cape Elizabeth, Maine this iconic Lighthouse is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world.  An early morning sidelight sun spotlights the lighthouse and casts a warm yellow hue that accentuates the rocky landscape.

A foreground to background, right to left curvature takes the viewers eye directly to the lighthouse.  A few clouds and the use of a polarizing filter provide some detail to the sky. The RAW image was processed to balance highlights and shadows with some minor cropping, color saturation and sharpening applied to finish the image off.

Visit after Labor Day and you might be lucky like I was to get a clean shot without people in it.

Located approximately 12 miles northeast of Marenisco, MI., this is a beautiful place to catch first light on a clear autumn morning. The green of the moss covered rocks, the golden foliage reflections, the diffuse sun peaking though the canopy and the crisp clear morning air all make for a fantastic photography experience.

Take a few photos while the lighting is good and then lean back against the trunk of a big old pine tree and take nap. I did.

Located in York, Maine this photo was taken under a setting sun that cast a rose colored glow onto the front of the Lighthouse. One of Nubble Lights legends involves the sailing vessel, Isidore.  Before her last voyage a sailor dreamt of seven coffins lining the shore and heard a voice saying one would be his. A second crewmember, Thomas King, also dreamt of her wreck and hid until after she set sail. Seven bodies did indeed wash ashore. Some say the phantom ship with its crew can be seen sailing past the light. Visit if you get a chance. Tell the story of the Isidore!

I used a 24-70mm lens at 24mm and composed for prominent foreground giving a sense of significant distance to the island and lighthouse. Use of a tripod was essential to keep the image sharp with the camera set at f16 to maintain both foreground and lighthouse focus in the low light conditions.

Located near Port Clyde, Maine the “downeaster’s”, affectionately call this the end of the world. You’ll know why if you make the drive to Port Clyde. This is also the lighthouse that Forrest Gump runs to in the movie of the same name before he turns around and heads to the west coast.   Strong contrast and compositional elements dominate this photo.

Photographers like to talk about the perfect light but more often than not you have to use the light that you have got!  Strong late afternoon side light created harsh shadows across this scene so waited until a cloud bank positioned itself over the lighthouse to diffuse the light as much as possible.

I processed the RAW image file to balance highlights and shadows and adjusted the color which had an overall strong blue tint because of reflections from the sky, water and clouds, to a warmer overall tone.

Located approximately 12 miles northeast of Marenisco, MI., this is a beautiful place to catch first light on a clear autumn morning. The green of the moss covered rocks, the golden foliage reflections, the diffuse sun peaking though the canopy and the crisp clear morning air all make for a fantastic photography experience.

Take a few photos while the lighting is good and then lean back against the trunk of a big old pine tree and take nap. I did.

Located in Cape Elizabeth, Maine this lighthouse is privately owned and access is limited so the trick is to create an interesting composition from the view that is available. The algae on the rocks was fluorescent green in the morning sun so slid my way across the stones and knelt down in the water with my tripod to take a low angle shot up to the lighthouse tower.

Leading lines can be an important compositional element so I also used the natural curve of the shoreline to pull the viewer’s eye in the direction of the lighthouse. A 24-70mm at 24mm on a Nikon D800 was used for this shot.

Get messy when necessary to get the shot you want and then find a good cup of coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs for breakfast!!

If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again. I have been going up to the Porcupine Mountains in upper Michigan for years and have taken countless pictures of this lake. The bright rising sun and the shadows on the far hill side make for a challenging exposure.

High dynamic range (HDR) is a technique that allows a broader dynamic range of highlights and shadows to be captured in a photo through the  use of multiple exposures and software tools to optimize for shadows and highlights in an appropriate way.  In addition to HDR processing, 5 stops of split gradient neutral density filtration was used to compensate for the brightness of the sun.

Contact me if you would like to know more about the techniques that went into this photo. They are not difficult to learn.

This picture of the lake was taken just east of the entrance to Porcupine Mountain State park in upper Michigan. If you want to spend a nice relaxing evening some time park a camp chair in the sand and watch the sun go down from this spot. I have done it many times.

Landscapes are forever changing and every picture is just a snap shot in time. This photo was taken on the middle branch of the of the Ontonagon river just above Bond Falls in Paulding, MI. The brilliant orange red color from reflected foliage in the water has a fire like molten appearance in this image. The blue is reflected from the sky above.

The picture was taken back in the fall of 2002. I have been back to this spot in recent years and the tree foliage that produced this exceptional color appears to be gone.  I consider myself lucky to have been in the right place, at the right time, with the right light to capture this specific moment in time.

Look for the cover of shade or partially cloudy days to minimize hot spots of reflected sun in the water for images like these and use a tripod with slow shutter speeds to let the moving water paint across film.

To me, there is nothing more scenic than fishing boats moored in a harbor.  It was fog over the water that was just starting to lift, a steady drizzle like rain and the contrast of the blaze orange fluorescent buoy’s floating in the water against the otherwise calm color of the scene that caught my eye for this photo.

Don’t be afraid to get a little cold and wet and then pay the effort off in a local diner with a nice warm cup of coffee and a little breakfast. I find these to be my favorite kinds of photography mornings.

Photoshop was used to add a slight dry brush effect as well as a bit of sepia tone to enhance the natural mood of the scene.

This image hangs in my living room as a 16 X 24 printed on archive quality matte paper.

Landscapes are forever changing and every picture is just a snap shot in time. The reddish gold sheen on the water from reflected foliage has a liquid metal appearance in this image. The blue is reflected from the sky above.

This picture was taken back in the fall of 2002 on the middle branch on the Ontonagon river near Paulding, MI.  I have been back to this spot in recent years and the tree foliage that produced this exceptional color appears to be gone.  I consider myself lucky to have been in the right place, at the right time, with the right light to capture this specific moment in time.

Use a tripod with slow shutter speeds to let the moving water blend all the colors together in photos like these.

The first thing that that everyone says when viewing this photo is “this must be Ireland”.  It’s actually early spring in central California off highway 41 a little north of Morro Bay looking back towards the Pacific Ocean. The sun breaking through the clearing clouds from a rain storm created a beautiful pattern of light on the rolling green hills.

I found a safe place to pull the car off the road and managed to snap off a few shots before the sky completely cleared.

The original photo was taken with a Nikon F5 camera on Fujichrome Velvia 100 slide film using a Nikon 80-200mm lens.

Rainy days can be good photography days, especially when taking pictures of water. Bright sun can cause harsh reflections that can all but ruin a decent composition. An overcast day results in an even diffuse light that can work very well for some images. I used a 0.5 sec shutter speeds to create the milky white appearance of motion in the waters falls. This picture could not be taken on a sunny day.

Parfrey's Glen is located just south of Baraboo, Wisconsin and was the state’s first designated Natural Area. Green moss grows abundant on the walls of the sandstone cliffs and during the autumn months multicolored foliage and reddish brown pine needles cover the banks of the stream and gorge floor. It’s as picturesque a place in Southern Wisconsin as you can find. It’s also a pretty easy walk so visit if you get a chance and bring along your camera.

This is a high dynamic range (HDR) image created from software that blended optimal exposures for highlights and shadows into a single image that will display a broader range of contrast then could be achieved through a single exposure.

Contact me if you want to know more about HDR technique.

Pemaquid Point lighthouse located in Bristol, Maine was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams.  Sitting atop steep rocky ledges with crashing surf below this lighthouse is considered by some to be one of the most picturesque in the state.   This photo was taken just after sunrise and features a view of the prominent white tower and keeper’s house.

Every artist has their personal favorite piece of work and this is one of mine. It’s a photograph that almost wasn’t! I had initially walked past this scene dismissing it a nothing interesting but the sun came out from behind some clouds and with it came the most brilliant reflections of foliage in the water I had ever seen.

Something that I also like about this photo is the log and rock in the foreground appear blue because they are wet and are reflecting the color of the blue sky above. This is what I like about film and digital sensors. They capture wavelengths of true reflected light unfiltered by the by what the human brain perceives the color of the object may be.

This photo hangs in my house as a 16 X 24 printed on archive quality matte paper.

If you are traveling through the upper peninsula of Michigan you should go out of your way to make a stop here.  This beautiful water fall is located on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River near Paulding. Michigan.  There is actually a series of smaller drops before the main falls and all are quite photogenic as well!

See Lava and Metallic Falls and well as my Ontonagon River files for other pictures of this incredible scenic site.

Foliage in this area is usually best the last week of September through the end of the first week of October.

The mountains and hills of Eastern Tennessee are littered with small streams that wind between an abundance of rhodadendron bushes and river birch.  Brilliant green moss thrives in this damp, warm climate and is everywhere.

 This photo was taken on the hike into Laurel falls in the Autumn of 2005.

The mountains and hills of Eastern Tennessee are littered with small streams that wind between an abundance of rhodadendron bushes and river birch.  Brilliant green moss thrives in this damp, warm climate and is everywhere.

 This photo was taken on the hike into Laurel falls in the Autumn of 2005.

Look closely and you may see things that you have not seen before.  In the right light at the right angle what appears to be a simple flow of water over some rocks in the river takes a shape that comes alive with a vibrant mixture of flame orange, deep blue and forest green colors that are continuously blended by the rivers flow.

The colors in this photo are reflections of fall foliage and blue sky.  Slow shutter speeds allow the colors to blend together and create a sense of movement in the water.   Don’t look at the water, look at what is in the water and you will see things you have never seen before.

If you are traveling through the upper peninsula of Michigan you should go out of your way to make a stop and Bond Falls. This beautiful water fall is located on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River near Paulding, Michigan.

This photo was taken from the wooden foot bridge below the falls that crosses the river.  I applied a slight dry brush texture to the image to give it the appearance of a hand painted piece of art. Slow shutter speeds in the range of 0.5 seconds were used to create the milky white texture of the flowing water.

What waits around the corner down this woodland path? This image is all about an eerie mood. I was struck by the contrast of the fog rolling in from the storm against the black, water saturated tree trunks.

It was taken in the pouring rain while hiking down from the escarpment at Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains and  I was soaked to the bone before the process was finished!

Slow shutter speeds at around f8 on an 80-200mm lens/D300 setup was used to capture movement in the leaves from the blowing wind while trying to maximize depth of field focus. Originally shot on Velvia slide film, the slide was scanned and the digital image further processed to eliminate a green color cast caused by forest cover and bring out the blue gray hue of the fog in the background trees.

A question I get asked a lot is “why don’t my pictures look like that”? Being at the right place at the right time with the right light certainly helps but the simple answer for this photo is that it wasn’t as easy as the push of the shutter button.

Slow shutter speeds, high dynamic range (HDR) processing and a low angle perspective are what make this image. At ISO 200 I used a 4 stop neutral density filter on the front of  a Nikon 24-70mm lens to shoot a series of 6 different exposures.  The images were then combined resulting in an overlapping pattern of waves being created while optimizing the exposure of shadows in the rocks and the highlights in the sky and water.

In case you are wondering my feet got a little wet for this shot!!