Leafscape II

Here's another backlit leaf showing texture and character. Once again, I worked to compose this photo so that the lines in the leaves run slightly counter to the frame of the photo.

Luminance

These bedraggled flowers represent the last color that survives in my wife's beautiful flower garden. Though they represent the end of summer and the eventual arrival of winter, there is still splendor in their blooms.

Black Hills Gold

I was waiting for for a traffic light to change at a road construction site on the road between Hill City and Keystone. I rolled down the window and snapped this photo just as the light turned green. I'm a nature paparazzi.

The Same Old Stream

Yes, it's Iron Creek again, which I call "the same old stream" in this post, though this capture tends to feature the same old rocks more than the stream.Frankly, I was surprised to see so much water flowing through the creek this late in the season (October 9). But even though there was pretty good flow, it took an 8 second exposure the get the smooth, fluid look that the water has.I love this place and will probably never stop photographing it, though I suspect I don't need to post any more photos of the place on this blog.And I should say that sometimes my photography has less to do with the result than it does with the act.(Watch the screencast on how I "made" this photo here.)

10-11-11 Moonset Over Iowa Corn Field

It was the perfect summer morning to be out north of Lake Okoboji in Iowa hunting for photos. This is one of the three captures I like for the hour I spent looking. I especially like the strong green color of the corn contrasting with the soft, muted color of the pre-sunrise sky.

Leafscape I

This leaf, born sometime in May, is beautiful in its old age.

The Mighty Acorn

Of course, the saying is, "From tiny acorns mighty oaks do grow." Or something like that.But when you get down on your belly and point a macro lens at them, they seem plenty big.

Misty Sunrise

This is another shot taken a little north and west of Lake Okoboji this past August. This photo has a look that reminds me of the famous painting by Millet called "The Shepherdess."

Mysterious

This photo was taken on a foggy summer morning north of Lake Okoboji in Iowa. And, yes, it's been enhanced with Photoshop.

Our Back Yard

This is a volunteer tree growing in our raspberry patch that really should be cut down. I worked hard most of the summer trying to ignore this weedy treeBut, with the right light, a proper point of view and good timing, even a "weed" can be glamorous.

Yellow

My wife and I were out for our morning walk the other day and even in the relatively poor light of a street light, I could tell that this tree would be worth seeing in sunlight.So I went back yesterday morning and took several photos. I'm not sure if the people who own the house where this tree is saw me in their back yard. But I figured my camera would explain everything. . .

Textures

I wandered into our backyard looking for color in the soft morning light. I found color. But instead of subdued light, I found a couple leaves lit by the angular sun. And this relatively bright light also brought out the texture of these leaves.I say it over and over, but I like the fact that photographers have the power to get people to look at things that would otherwise be missed. These small raspberry leaves, in their last days before our long winter, would most likely be ignored.