Another Marsh Marigold Image

Here is a shot with a little more of the area in the image. I actually like this one better because it really evokes a mood due to the rich light. Any comments are always welcome.

Marsh Marigold Morning

I called this one "Marsh Marigold Morning" as this was taken on a glorious spring morning. This marsh area which I refer to as the "mother of all marsh marigold patches" is amazing. Not sure that the bloom is at peak yet, but the good thing is that it is close to my house.

I have to use hip waders to get back in here, and sometimes it looks like it could be over my hips. The light on this morning was spectacular - just the right amount of diffused sunlight. Several days earlier I visited and the cedar log in the middle of the stream was not as submerged. We got a lot of rain yesterday.

As always comments are welcome.

Special Request

This posting is by special request. This image was taken from almost the same spot that my "Winter Morning" image was taken. I had actually wanted to re-create the image, but it just was not the same. In looking around I turned 90 degrees and faced the rising sun. The three shrubs made for an interesting scene - the fog was lying in a drainage just behind the shrubs. Ironically, my camera battery died just after taking this image. I never have tried selling this online because it is hard to show on the web. It did take second place in a photo contest for the Traverse City Visitors Center. Questions or comments are always welcome.

Spring Wildflowers

As promised, here are the first of the spring wildflower photos. This wonderful red trillium is known as a Wake Robin. It is not as common as the white trillium, so it is quite a treat to find as many as I did. The second image is the spring beauty. This is one of the first wildflowers to bloom and I have found it blooming even before the last of the snow melts. Finally, everyone in the north country recognizes the white trillium. This trillium carpets the forest floor in the spring. These images and more wildflowers will be added to my hopefully soon to be created second Michigan Wildflowers poster. The first can be viewed on my website at http://www.tomhaxbyphotos.com/galleries/PostersHTML/PostersGalleryHTML.html

Hope that you can get a chance to experience the beauty of springtime.

Parting Shots

Last day in the UP for awhile. Will be glad to get home to greener pastures - literally. This has been a pretty good trip - it has been good to spend a lot of time outdoors after a long winter. I am pretty satisfied with many of the images that I have been able to capture. Disappointed that I did not get any spectacular hawk photos or even see an owl. But will leave with these images. If you like check back and I will continue to post as the spring wildflowers are just around the corner. Tahquamenon Falls was great and one of the images will be on my website or perhaps added to my Waterfalls Poster. Finally, I learned to not lose my head when everything does not go according to plan.

Recovered UP Waterfalls

Have you have ever had the experience of expecting that your digital images are on a memory card and then seeing that somehow they are all deleted? That happened this evening to me. After spending the afternoon photographing waterfalls, I came back and started to transfer the images. &^%$# there was nothing showing on the card except maybe some corrupted files. So, after some panic, I tried a software product available for download over the Internet. It worked!!!! So here are several of the images from the Wagner Falls area. Wish the light had been a little less harsh, but sometimes you have to be lucky. Headed home tomorrow and on to spring wildflower photos.

UP Michigan Trip Day 3

Have spent a couple of days in Michigan's Upper Peninsula photographing birds and scenery. People have all been nice although they may seem happier now that spring has started to arrive. I cannot believe that there is still snow on the ground, and in places, lots of it. Have spent most of my time in the Paradise - Whitefish area. Very historic with the Shipwreck Museum and the Lighthouse at the Point. Unfortunately, the Museum does not open until next weekend. Many of the hotels and restaurants are closed too. This morning I was on the shore hoping for a georgeous sunrise. Alas, it was good but not great. The sunset here is from yesterday morning. This is one that I took of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse. The beach is a pebble beach and although I thought I might be able to get a great shot with the stones there were too many footprints (there are a lot of people who like walking the beach) and the compositions just did not work. Here is the best that I could come up with. Well, gotta go run, like maybe over to the Seney Wildlife Refuge. Comments are always welcome.