Dusty Llama

Meet Dusty the llama. This is shot 2 of 2 from Justin Trails Resort. Dusty, and his friend Rusty, made for great entertainment for our newly 3 year old son. I love the sharp hairs on his head and beard in this photo.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/10, 1/800 sec, ISO 2000
Processed with
- Photoshop to crop, and clean some lunch off of his beard

Fun Fungi

Can you tell I have grown to love macro photography? On a hike near Sparta Wisconsin, I grabbed this shot of some mushroom/fungi growing on top of a fallen log. It's shot 1 of 2 from the Justin Trails Resort, a great B'n'B on an old farm.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/14, 1/125 sec, ISO 2000
- Handheld
Processed with
- Photoshop for edge enhancement, contrast boost, and crop

Sparta Train

The old converted railroad tunnels (now bike trails) between Sparta and Elroy provided a cool photography opportunity. They were completely dark to the eye in the middle. So, I placed the camera on the ground, set it to a long exposure, and snapped away. I couldn't see the camera at all, so had to do focus manually and do all the settings in the dark. It was a real challenge. Finally, I got the shot below.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, Nikkor18-35mm, f/3.5-4.5 ED lens
- 18mm, f/5.6, 0.77 sec, ISO 2500
Processed with
- Photoshop for slight burning, contrast boost, and crop

Slipping Mississippi

The sun slipping into Minnesota, just past the Mississippi. This shot was taken from the Wisconsin side, atop the Lacrosse Granddad Bluff. Downtown Lacrosse city lights are in the foreground.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens
- 200mm, f/22, 1/20 and 1/5 sec
- Camera supported on railing
Processed with
- Photoshop to combine 2 bracketed shots (one for sky, one for city)
- Minor removal of dust spots... time to clean the sensor!
- Color as shot... no adjustments.

Quercia Nut

The nut of an oak tree is called an acorn. The oak tree comes from the genera Quercus, and in Italian oak is called Quercia. For some reason, I like the word Quercia, especially when said in Italian. As we all prepare for Fall, I thought a quick shot of this nice little acorn would be befitting.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/10, 1/60 sec, ISO 1000, Aperture Priority
- Nikon SB800 flash (on auto) bounce flash off ceiling over left shoulder
Processed with
- Lightroom 3.0 (basic raw import processing, vignetting, crop)

Grilled Spider

This little arachnid was hanging out on our porch last week. I placed a black felt box behind the spider to get nice high contrast in the web. The spider was less than 1 inch long. He had a terrific web built between our grill lid and side plate. The web was destroyed in order for us to eat dinner.

This photo was taken about 6 inches away from his web. If you look closely, he only has 7 legs (missing a front left leg)! The 7 legs appear on all the photos I took. He seemed to have no problems spinning his web without that 8th leg.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8mm VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 800
Processed with
- Lightroom 3.0 (basic raw import processing)
- Photoshop to crop

Foggy Fox Sunrise

This is the 3rd photo from the Foggy Fox River series (see "Foggy Fox" and "Goose Hunt"). After all the geese flew away, I was left to admire the sunrise.

Shot with

- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

- 80mm, f/8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 3200

Processed with

- Photoshop/cropping

- Slight contrast boost using curves (again, colors were as shot!)

Waukesha Sunset

Sunset during a drive home from work. Called Andrea and quickly grabbed the camera and got a few quick shots before the sunlight disappeared. The moon was a waning, orange sliver on the horizon. Mosquitoes were swarming. I rattled off 8 shots and received an equal number of bites.
Shot with:
- Nikon D700 camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens
- 50mm, f/2.2, 1/50 sec, ISO 1250, Manual mode
Processed with:
- Lightroom 3.0 to give dark vignette to edges, boost vibrance, reduce noise
- Photoshop to remove some dead pixels, slightly brightened

Bridges Portrait

As of yet, this blog hasn't featured any people. This wasn't intentional. So, I found my first model. This young guy stood up and got a nice portrait taken. The pose and lighting was inspired by the cover of Rangefinder magazine (July 2010). The cover highlighted Jeff Bridges in a similar portrait, shot by Jerry Avenaim. Of course, Bridges had a rustic beard, long hair, & brown leather jacket -- a much more manly dude!
Shot with:
- Nikon D700 camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens
- 50mm, f/9, 1/100 sec, ISO 200, Manual mode
- 5600K white balance
Lighted with:
- 1 AlienBee 800W with 3x4-foot softbox directly overhead
- 1 AlienBee 400W kicker with grid to light chest & face
Processed with:
- Lightroom 3.0 to add a graduated filter darkening the bottom
Shot by:
- Wifey (thanks honey!)

Butterfly Blues

This photo is "as shot"... only minor photoshop. The blue color came from a window reflecting sun light behind the butterfly. To my eye, the window was gray. The camera picked up the blue, and it was instantly my favorite shot. The Milwaukee Public Museum butterfly collection is a treat for anyone with a macro lens! Oh, and kids love it too; it's so interactive. The best part was when a big, burly guy turned to me and said, "They don't bite, do they?"

Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO 1250
- Handheld, manual white balance
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, minor saturation boost

Carl Zach

We spent the afternoon a few weeks ago in downtown Waukesha at the Carl Zach Cycling Classic. During the senior men's race, I finally got the shot I wanted! The rider is perfectly in focus, the background is silky blurry... and his arms are ripped! This was shot 104 out of 108. We packed up after I shot this one -- a keeper shot.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
- 150mm, f/18, 1/60 sec, ISO 100 (L3), Manual mode
- Handheld panning with rider, manual focus
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, minor saturation boost, removed many dust spots

Milwaukee Fireworks

The Milwaukee fireworks display afforded wonderful opportunities for photos Saturday night. I snapped this shot early in the show. You can still see the blues in the sky immediately after sunset. This view was from Pier Wisconsin with the amphitheater dock in the foreground, city to the left, and Veteran's Park to the right.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
- 24mm, f/8, 5 seconds, ISO 250
- Manual mode, Bulb setting
- Tripod, shutter release cable
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, enhance saturation, remove dust spots

2701 Struck

We sat on our front porch during the Tuesday evening thunderstorm. After 150 pictures, we finally got 1 with lightning. This lightning storm went on for almost 2 hours with lightning bolts every few seconds. Several tornadoes touched down in the southern Wisconsin area including 1 in Eagle. We're glad this storm didn't do more damage to our house, or our neighbors. Notice the "-701" address on the house (lower left corner). The house is across our street "2701", as we're "2700".
Shot with:

- Nikon D700 camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens

- 50mm, f/16, 2 seconds, ISO 200

- Manual mode, on tripod with remote trigger

Processed with:

- Adobe Lightroom 3.0beta to enhance shadow regions, color correct

- Photoshop to enhance edges

- Nik to darken edges

Kohlrabi

A tribute to the heavy German influence in Milwaukee... Kohlrabi. This german turnip was growing in my wife's garden, and it made a nice father's day present. The leaves are colorful with their deep-purple veins. It makes me wonder if everything in Wisconsin starts with "Kohl"... senators, toilets, department stores, and now vegetables.
Shot with:
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
- 105mm, f/3.3, 1/125 sec, ISO 1250
Processed with:
- Photoshop to crop, boost contrast/saturation, unsharp mask

PS. Wifey just updated me... it's cabbage. Not Kohlrabi. So much to learn...

Goose Hunt

While I don't hunt, this expedition was about as close to hunting as it comes. I came around some bushes and found a group of geese in the Fox River (see previous post "Foggy Fox"). It was dark out still, foggy, cold, and the sun was just coming up. As I turned the corner, a second group of geese flew away making this a perfect shot!Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
- 116mm, f/14, 1/400 sec, ISO 3200, Manual mode
Processed with
- Photoshop/cropped
- Slight contrast boost using curves (the colors were all natural!)

Iowa Blur

Out for a drive through the Iowa countryside, I snapped this photo out the car window. The slow shutter speed provided just enough blur of the foreground dirt and a somewhat sharp background.
Shot with
- Nikon D200 camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens
- 50mm, f/10, 1/80 sec, ISO 100
- Manual mode
Processed with
- Photoshop to crop, remove dust spot, unsharp mask
- Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0, Cross Processing

Barbed Wire

Another Spring hike through Retzer Nature park in Waukesha. I walked the long path to Brown's Fen to find a great trail with deer, wild birds, and rusty barbed-wire fences.
Shot with

- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 macro lens

- 105mm, f/4.5, 1/160 sec, ISO 2500

- Exposure compensation -0.3 step; Cloudy white balance

Processed with
- Photoshop to crop, unsharp mask, boost contrast, saturation
- Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0, Darken Edges

Small Flower

Went for a sunset walk along the Waukesha Fox River, and shot some Trillium and these little flowers. The flowers was bright white with a blue-purple centers. They were about the size of a dime and only 6 inches off the ground.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
- 105mm, f/3.3, 1/100 sec, ISO 1000
Processed with
- Photoshop to crop, remove minor blemishes
- Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0, Glamour Glow filter

Swimming Swan

A family field trip brought us to a pond in Schaumburg, Illinois, last week. Two swams were swimming around, and they came close enough for some up-close shots.
Shot with:
- Nikon D700 camera, 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens
- 105 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec, ISO 800
Processed with:
- Photoshop to crop, boost contrast & saturation, and unsharp mask
- Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 to add pink/purple color with Bi-Color User Defined filter

Old Fashioned

A special tribute to a great man, my father, who passed away this Friday. His Old Fashioned Luxury Barbershop mug has been an iconic image in my head. The mug was always in his bathroom. This weekend was a great occasion to preserve some amazing memories.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens
- 105 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO 400
- SB800 flash pointed over left shoulder
Processed with

- Photoshop for crop, curves, minor edits

- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - Darken Edges

Plumes of Smoke

Kenosha Wisconsin, near Pleasant Prairie, is home to one large belching smokestack. On a real clear day last weekend, I tried to capture the billowing gases. It reminded me of the Icelandic volcano that erupted last week. I'm always asking myself, "What is inside that smoke/gas, and is it safe for the local communities?" That, and can anyone pronounce the volcano "Eyjafjallajoekull"?
Shot with
- Nikon D200 camera, 50mm f/1.4 lens
- 50 mm, f/13, 1/350 sec, ISO 200
- Raw exposure
Processed with
- Photoshop raw to import
- Photoshop to crop, curve, remove dust spots, slight burning of edges

Train Station

The fog on March 10th was the thickest fog I've ever seen in my life. You could see no more than 20 feet in front of you. So, I decided to grab the camera and go for a drive. This is the train station in downtown Waukesha. I only shot 5 scenes that night, 20 total photos. One has to be patient setting up 3-10 second exposures on a tripod.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens
- 135mm, f/9, 3 second, ISO 500
- Manual mode, Auto white-balance
- Tripod
Processed with
- Photoshop to crop (no enhancement this time!!)
- Photoshop to remove dust spots, dead pixels, slight burning of edges

Easter Bean

Happy Easter everyone! This photo was my first table-experiment with my macro lens. I tried different lighting, post-processing, depth of field, and exposures. The idea was the play with eggs. I tried the 3 eggs, and got some great shots. Finally, I grabbed a tiny Jelly Belly candy and put it atop the closest egg. That was the shot I liked the best. I also did some real close up shots of cracks in eggs. Wow! You can get so close!!
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (VR turned off)
- 105 mm, f/9, 1/160 sec, ISO 100 (L-3), Manual mode
- Tripod, Trigger-release cable
- Alien Bee 400W with 20 degree grid
- White paper backdrop
Processed with
- Photoshop crop, minor removal of blemishes on eggs
- Nik Silver Efex Pro - Blue-Yellow Split-Toner, 10% vignette

Milwaukee Zoo Peacock

The peacocks at the Milwaukee County Zoo love to roam around, even on the rooftops. On a warm March day, this peacock displayed his feathers and provided a great shot from the side.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
Processed with
- Photoshop crop, Smart Sharpen filter
- Slight boost to green saturation

Jumping Through Hoop

This little creature was also on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum (Sunday March 14th). It was my first test with a macro lens. The art work was a series of skeletons running in circles jumping over hurdles and through hoops. The display carried a somber tone. I'll leave the interpretation up to you.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO 1600
Processed with
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, unsharp filter, curves enhancement

Brass Cottonwood

This was shot on Sunday March 14th at the Milwaukee Art Museum. This piece of art was a series of brass wires forming "balls". The balls were in groups making a large piece of art about 5 feet in diameter. I shot this photo really close, getting only the tips of the brass wires in focus. The other wires in the background made a fun blurry texture.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 105mm f/2.8 VR macro lens
- 105mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO 1000
Processed with:
- Photoshop 4x6" crop, unsharp filter, saturation & curves enhancement

Holmes Moors

This foggy photo reminded me of the English moors of a Sherlock Holmes story. I wonder who is lurking beyond the fog?
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
- 125mm, f/13, 1/400 sec, ISO 3200
Processed with

- Photoshop/crop/monochrome-channel mixer/curves to boost contrast

Tree Collection

Another class assignment was to photograph a subject by taking a series or collection of 8-12 photos. While driving down to Illinois, I saw this tree in the middle of a Kenosha farm. I pulled over, and I walked about 200 yards through knee-high snow. It was foggy out and snowing heavy, so the background in the photos went white. The contrast was low, similar to the final photos. I was inspired by this idea of many individual photos of a tree from a magazine a few years back -- and here is the final product.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200 mm lens
- each photo was between 170-200 mm, f/8, 1/1250 sec, ISO 800
Processed with
- Photoshop crop, layers, contrast
- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - Cross Processing
- Photoshop color adjustment, drop shadow
- Added a texture layer (same one used in "Frosted Trees" below)
- It took about 2 hours to assemble, process, adjust, and finalize.

The Corona

Another photography class assignment this week took Andrea & I to St. John's Cathedral. Edging "Cathedral Square" in downtown Milwaukee, St. John's is adorned inside by a beautiful sculpture. "The Corona" is suspended over the altar with Jesus and a 14 foot crown. Arnaldo Pomodoro was the sculptor. Jesus has a dove his right hand. My first photo was a tight shot from below the cross. The second photo is taken farther back in the cathedral, on the back left side aisle.

(1) Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 85 mm f/1.4 lens
- 85 mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO 2500
- Manual White Balance set to 4760 K to provide red warmth
Processed with
- Photoshop to crop, minor contrast/color enhancements
- Four "lights" removed from lower left corner and top of image

(2) Shot with
- 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens
- 95 mm, f/2.8, 1/160 sec, ISO 3200

Fireman Shadow 1567

The idea for this photograph was to photograph a shadow. To create this, I traveled to the Waukesha Fire Department. Fireman Tom Koerner of Station #1 was kind enough to gear up and stand in for a quick photo. With lights and camera on 2 tripods, Tom then stepped aside leaving his boots in place. Later, I used photoshop to combine the two photos, erasing Tom and leaving his boots and shadow.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 50 mm lens
- 50 mm, f/10, 1/60 sec, ISO 400
Processed with
- Photoshop crop, combine 2 photos, contrast/saturation boost

Frosted Trees + Red Barn

A second post from the same frosted trees day. The red barn is at the entrance to Retzer park, and the barn's red color stood out from the white frost. The frost covered everything: trees, bushes, grasses, and the ground. The frost grew to about 1 inch thick, but I love how the tree trunks were still black. The black trunks gave great contrast to the image.
Shot with
- Nikon D200 camera, 18-35mm lens
- 35 mm, f/6.3, 1/2500 sec, ISO 500
Processed with
- Photoshop crop for composition, contrast + edge + saturation boosts
- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - High Key processing & Darken Center

Frosted Trees

The temperature was cold enough last night to freeze the fog in the air, and to create a thick frost on the trees. Bennett and I went for a hike through Retzer in the morning. This shot captured the frost and the white tree tops.
Shot with
- Nikon D200 camera, 18-35mm lens
- 35 mm, f/4.5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 320, +0.3 exposure
Processed with
- Photoshop crop, slight contrast boost
- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - Cross Processing
- Added a texture layer and set opacity at 23%

Very Berry

Two berries on a tree at Retzer Nature Preserve. Shot on 27 Dec 2009 in Waukesha, WI.
Shot with
- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
- 200 mm, f/3.2, 1/250 sec, ISO 500
Processed with
- Photoshop cropping
- Slight contrast boost and desaturation of background to make red stand out

Snowy Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum in the winter.
Warning: this second photo is very large.

Shot with

- Nikon D700 camera, 18-35mm f/3-4.5lens

- (1) 35 mm, f/10, 1/640 sec, ISO 200

- (2) 24 mm, f/7.1, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200

Processed with

- Photoshop/cropping (2nd photo is not 4x6 ratio)

- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - Darken Center

Brave Sprig

This little 6 inch sprig was braving the cold in the Hoth front yard. Shot during a snowy New Years weekend, 2 Jan 2010 in Shorewood, WI.

Shot with

- Nikon D200 camera, 50 mm f/1.4 lens

- f/3.5 1/250 sec, ISO 200, +1 exposure

Processed with

- Photoshop, same cropping

- Slight contrast boost using curves

- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - White Neutralizer

Foggy Fox

Took a stroll along the Waukesha, WI Fox River on 22 Nov 2009.
Shot with

- Nikon D700 camera, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
- 82mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO 3200
Processed with
- Photoshop CS2 - cropped to 4x6" @ 300ppi
- Nik Color Efex 3.0 - Bi-Color Filter & Darken Center