A visit to Copper Falls State Park

Ancient lava flows, deep gorges, and spectacular waterfalls make Copper Falls one of Wisconsin's most scenic parks and also one of the most popular ones. It is located near Mellen in Ashland County.

So to have this beautiful park all to yourself must be rare. We were the only visitors on a cloudy, foggy day in May. For a photographer this is perfect!
When we left home it was almost 70F. After traveling 80 miles to the north east we were greeted with 42F, foggy, dreary weather conditions. There comes out the hat, boots and rain gear - this is Wisconsin!  

Enjoy your virtual tour through the park starting out with Copper Falls, then Brownstone Falls, followed by the Cascades (Tyler Fork) and the last photo is looking down where the Tyler Fork joins the Bad River.
Susanne

Best of 2013

As I was organizing my photos I decided to pick the 10 best of 2013 - it wasn't easy to narrow it down to that number but here they are! Enjoy - Susanne

First Snow

The first snow of the season came early this year, October 20. As much as I dislike the "snow" word that early it surely offered some great photo opportunities. All images taken in the Blue Hills, northern Wisconsin. The lakes are Audie and Perch Lake.

Enjoy, Susanne

Hummingbird Tales

It was at the beginning of August that all of a sudden I had large numbers of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds showing up at my feeder. All the babies had left the nests but I had no idea where they came from as I had only a few adults all spring and summer. I had to get 2 more feeders as I wasn't able to keep them filled. And what a joy it has been to watch them and listen to all the sounds they are making - besides the humming from their wings they seem to have very lively conversations! It starts at the crack of dawn and ends at dusk. Usually they can be quite territorial and there always seems to be one that chases the rest away but this little group hanging out at my place seems rather peaceful and cooperative. I've observed several times 2 birds drinking together out of one hole at the feeder. And in the mornings they all sit nicely at their spots and drink their breakfast - they must be really hungry.

I used my 105mm macro lens for these images as it is the fastest lens I have. I find it very challenging to get a sharp photo and am happy with the results thus far. But there is definitely room for improvement and I am still missing a shot of a hummingbird drinking out of a flower.

I read that the male hummingbirds leave first in the fall, then the females and a week later the juveniles take off. Each hummer migrates by itself - so how do the young ones know where to go?? 

Nearly all hummingbirds and songbirds migrate at night. One of the most impressive feats is the flight over the waters of Gulf of Mexico - a 500 miles journey with no place to stop. For 18-22 hrs straight the hummers fly nonstop to reach the other side.

And comes spring they return to the same place they were born. Makes me wonder if I will need 6 feeders next year to accommodate  them.... It will be very quiet around my house when they'll leave soon and I am looking forward to spring already.....

Enjoy, Susanne

  

Waterfalls

Waterfalls have become a favorite subject of mine to shoot, especially in the spring as there is more water volume and the soft green colors add a special light and touch. A cloudy or partly sunny day is perfect for getting the smooth, milky look of the water flowing. I prefer shutter speeds of 1.5 to 2 seconds as there is still some detail in the falling water left. Using a polarizer or neutral density filter is a necessity to slow down the shutter speed, and a tripod of course!

The first 2 photos are taken at Devil's Kettle in the Blue Hills (near Weyerhauser). The next 2 are at Houghton Falls near Washburn and the last are Morgan Falls - all in Wisconsin.

Enjoy, Susanne

Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, part 3

Part three of my visit to the Crex Meadows Wildlife area. Besides all the exciting animal encounters (see part 1 and 2) I also found many interesting landscape scenes and opportunities for some abstract images. The first one is a "multiple exposure" of some colorful willow branches. They looked like they were on fire! And for the ending of a beautiful day a perfect reflection of two trees in one of the many lakes. Enjoy, Susanne

Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, part 2

Part two of our visit to the Crex Meadows Wildlife area - we saw and heard several Sandhill Cranes, the one on the last picture was alone and wouldn't stop squaking... maybe he/she was looking for a companion. But the highlight were the beavers, especially the one we saw right at sunset that turned the whole scenery into a golden light, even the water. This guy was busy munching away on a cattail root. Once or twice he got upset and splashed his tail but I guess his hunger was greater and our presence less annoying. 

Enjoy! Susanne