Foggy morning

Sometimes I wake up to heavy fog in our area. Our steep valleys often give us some incredible fog. I never liked driving to work in it at 4am or at 7am, but it is beautiful when one doesn't have to drive in it.

I took two cameras out Monday just as the sun broke the horizon. [Thank you Hannah for being the perfect alarm clock...on cue she wakes me up just as the world is getting light--> yawn!]

I headed out with the car so I could check out a few of my favorite places.

I started on the ridge and saw that the valley was full of fog.

This is one of my favorite places to stop and watch fog. All the elements are there. I've probably photographed this spot over many years in different weather. 

I decided to try and take some shots with both cameras for comparison:

Fog is one of my favorite things to go for walks in. Above is the road to the valley and below is a stream the locals call Black Bottom Creek but the maps call it Readscreek. 

It was about 6am and I stood on the bridge over the creek and took these shots. It is in the opposite direction from the shot with the tree in it.

I waited for about a half hour or so here hoping for the sun to come over the hill to the east. Impatience is my forte so I headed over to another bridge over the same creek.

I explored more shots but these are my examples. 

I find fog magical.

I love a good foggy morning in the Driftless.  I'm only moments from either the ridge or the valley.

The shot below is back on the ridge just after the sun broke through the fog.

Afternoon delight

I have to admit, I am pretty rusty at taking water photos on the fly. Our creek dried up a couple of years ago after the great 2019 flood and the 5 years of drought we had. Our creek still has tiny springs here and there, but it is mostly a dry bed until Mother Nature decides to remodel again.

Yesterday was one of those crazy days.

Kristi texted me and asked if I wanted to come over and we could visit and do 'something'. Yep, I was up for it after the gym.

I grabbed Charlie and we left for who knows what kind of 'something' Kristi had in mind. After we hung out for a while and chatted, she suggested we go on a hike.

This is her photo below. When I found out we were heading into a valley with a stream, I was like a little kid. Time to play in the water!

My OM camera has a built in Neutral Density filter so here I was trying to take a 1/4 sec exposure of the water flowing over the rocks.

I walked through the stream to squat down and shoot a couple of quick shots. I'm never quite sure how new hiking partners will tolerate my propensity to stop and 'shoot' a lot. So i was quick at it.

This camera has some dang fine stabilization built in.

I then turned and looked up the valley. The south facing hillside was lit up with brilliant brown/orange light that reflected on the stream. I told Kristi that I could easily spend hours in just this one spot.

My sneaky friend took shots of me playing in the water. Charlie had a blast keeping us both supervising.

There was so much to see and Kristi wanted to show me more of the valley and the stream.

I will admit, that I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. I kept oohing and ahhing and dropping down into the water and picking up rocks.

If things were left up to me, I'd just build me a little hut in the valley and hang out with the stream. So much to see and explore!

 

Works in progress.

Shooting macro and shooting feathers of all things!!!

In my mind I can hear the song 'It's a Small World after All' in the back of my mind.

I learned about doing reflective water droplets by watching another tutorial. I decided to try a pigeon feather and use that red piece of wrapping paper with snowflakes on it for this project.

I was pretty excited to see the snowflakes of the paper show up in the droplets. You should see the little happy dance I did! The process sounded much more difficult but really it wasn't. 

Table. Camera on Tripod. Xmas paper behind feather that I sprayed with a mister or a spray bottle. Set up a flashlight taped to a cup aimed at the paper.

Focus. Bingo. 

These were my very first tries and I was excited about them. I decided to try it again but with a Christmas card behind the feather. I found some nicer feathers and used the face mister to add the droplets. I used Playdoh to hold the feather upright on the table. 

I used a Christmas card to bounce light off from and then grabbed some of those multicolor curly cue ribbons in that I have and dropped them behind the feather. Apparently this can be done with a cell phone or any camera that you have.

I think I found a new love for creating abstracts and color in the small size.

What I started with. The colors in the background are curly ribbons reflecting light.

This is where the 'magic' happened. It looks pretty lame right???

Two shots I ended up with.

Ribbons behind the feather.

Christmas Card behind the feather.

Oh just smack me now. I can't wait to do more!

I always thought that photos like this needed fancy equipment and an art studio. Funny what can happen with a lot of experimentation and play.

A couple of more...

 

Really, it wasn't done in a studio or even in a special place. I shoved my Christmas Lego Village to the side and set this up on my work/display table with the living room brightly lit by the Christmas Chair and the lights behind the Village.

I am so enthralled by the abstract beauty that I found in my lens that I kept saying .... to no one...

OHHHHH AHHH

Look at that!

Oh MY word!

But if I don't reply or stop by your blogs this week it is because I have been summoned for Jury duty on a 4 day trial. If I am picked, I won't have access to the internet or my cell phone for most of the time.

I do not mind serving, I've done it before and found it quite interesting to do. If I am passed by, I'll see you all tomorrow!!!

The Magic of Black Backgrounds

 Bored. With temps in the -9 F range and wind chills much lower, I decided to stay indoors except for chores. 

I was...

Bored. Bored.

So I decided to look up and learn some more about photographing with an invisible black background. I tried it once before with little success. So I spent Friday evening watching some tutorials and found a photographer from the UK that explained and went through how to do it so easily.

He also took apart an old picture frame to create stunning reflections and used the back part of the frame to hold up an appropriate backdrop for his work. He used a simple flash light to create dramatic photos of macro images. He used feathers, flowers, and other beautiful things. 

I thought I'd try some Christmas stuff.

The set up was super simple. Black paper clipped onto a holder .. you know the back part of the frame that holds the photos up. I put Christmas paper under the photo glass, and used an old cube light and flashlight to set up a couple of dramatic shots of a gnome. I didn't keep the one with the gift, it was not quite what I wanted.

But I liked this one.

I took out my wooden critters that were given to me by a childhood friend and tried two lights. I am fond of the deer and the dachshund so I chose them. I guess they could be brighter, but that was my effort for the day as I am learning quite a bit with this method and making many mistakes.

I got fancy by adding Christmas paper to the back and under the glass for the next shot which worked much better since I wasn't going for the dark mystical look.

I just kept adding and subtracting things to see how they worked. It was quite fun.

I got so busy trying out new things that I just kept making a bigger and bigger mess on my work table that is also housing the Christmas Village


I eventually put everything in its place and set the Village back up then got distracted by creating a new scene about the goings on in the Christmas Village.

It took me a good hour to tidy everything up because I kept stopping to think of something else I could try.

And so I did. My friend Pat gave me this beautiful ribbon she'd made to put on a wreath. I didn't put it on a wreath, I studied it with my camera with whites, high key, and other trials and methods.

I finally settled on this.

I liked the word peace showing up twice in this shot. And felt it was appropriate for right now.

It was a busy day for me. Cleaning house, running warm water out to Little Richard, getting distracted, and studying more videos regarding lights and still life.

As if you haven't guessed, this time of year is my favorite for playing with beautiful and cheerful colors and of course the characters I've acquired for years.

I'd given up the idea of doing it this way until The Happy Whisk [Ivy] commented on how she did her DYI black backgrounds using the inverse square law and her flash -- I think I am correct on that.

I don't have a flash but am enjoying creating an 'invisible' or black background with camera settings and then using LED lights or a simple flashlight to highlight my image.

With another below below zero day, it looks like a fun day to try a shot on my wooden floor in the daylight and use nothing for the background and see what results I can have.

Light manipulation is insanely fun once learned.

I found a tutorial by Lee Hall on YT that finally explained things so I could 'get it'. 
How to get black background easy way for beginners.

I'm going to be checking out his mushroom photography later on so I can learn how to up my game in the forest when it is warmer. I love learning new things.

-15 F this morning. I think that is freaking cold even in Celcius!

Mini Road Trip

Well. Saturday morning I wanted to get out and go to the ponds where I'd seen the Swans. I brought my long lens along and a different one in case things didn't quite work out.

They didn't.

The Kickapoo River Valley had decided to fill with fog.

I could see this from our ridgetop when I got to it. The valley and low areas were filling in with fog. I decided to go and explore anyway.

The drive along the highway in the valley was slow because of the fog. Well, the fog and the deer. 

Taking that drive near dawn on a Saturday morning meant that I wouldn't see a lot of traffic. I could take my time and stop if the mood overcame me.

I pulled over in the low lands. I've always wanted to stop and 'shoot' as it looks like something out of a movie. It reminds me of the Swamp of Sorrows in the Never Ending Story movie.

I couldn't decide if this should be in color or black and white. I am actually leaning towards the color version which shows the bright yellow grasses as they are fading. But the black and white version is the mood I get from passing this wetland on foggy mornings.

I hoped that I could get above the fog at Warner Creek and look down from the small bluff that overlooked it. Maybe if I waited a half hour or so I could have.

For fun I tried out my ND built in filter to take a 1 second exposure of the creek. I set the camera on the bridge railing and held it still. In the fog and rising sun, the colors in the weeds and brush along the creek shone with colors of fall.

Charlie was happy to get out of the car and take a little walk with me. 

My inner clock of 10 years said it was time to turn around and get going. I got in the car and we started back down the road. Fog had cleared in parts of the area, but when I went over Jug Creek Bridge, I saw something amazing with fog and light.

I was going to pull over but thought better of it with a truck that had come racing up my tail. So at the next road, I signaled and pulled off to go back. I'm glad I did.

Jug Creek was the winner of the amazing views of the day.

This shot was looking east on top of the bridge and down at the creek.

I walked across the bridge and took this shot. The shadow of the bridge darkens the bottom of the photo.

In the distance are the hills and bluffs that I have climbed to watch the sun come up.

I looked down at the creek and took this next shot. There used to be an equine trail that crossed the creek so that no equine had to come up on the bridge and deal with motor traffic. I'll never forget the time we rode with a group and a gent's horse decided that the creek was a great place to cool off.

The horse laid down in the creek and the fella jumped off. His boots still had water in them when we got back to camp. There are fond memories way down...there....

By this time the traffic was picking up and I decided to find another spot to turn around. I went down Jug Creek road and was presented with some more glorious fog opportunities.

I drove up to the next intersection and turned around. The fog was lifting.

Oddly enough, the fog remained pretty thick on the drive back home along the river. 

But I didn't stop or take any more detours as it felt odd to be away from home. Plus I had chores to get done, a cabinet to finish, and paperwork to fill out.

Bumper Crop...and what else....

 

Since there was a bumper crop this year once again, I am opening up my pumpkins to anyone on the ridge or friends of mine who would like some free pumpkins to decorate their porches or yards with.

Why not? I enjoy growing them and I really enjoy the fun when the kids come out and pick some pumpkins up.

I have a row of my own on my porch and some decorating parts of the yard.

I'm still trying to find my way through each day. The times I really miss him are the times we'd sit together and watch some Britbox on TV. Hmmm, or when we'd chat over coffee, or when he'd ask for popcorn, or ...well, he is always on my mind.

Most of my mornings involve some coffee and then a nice walk along the ridge with Charlie. So many September mornings start with fog. It is visually beautiful.

I think I'm doing pretty okay. With the yard, fences, pastures, all under control for now, I have time to take some hikes.

Sunday seemed like a perfect day for that.