Blog Archives
Weekly Photo Challenge:Masterpiece
Friends, this tall ship, the Sorlandet, is truly a masterpiece in workmanship. She is 210 feet in length and looks smaller than most because its sails are safely tucked away . When this fully rigged ship has all sails out and full of wind, she should be quite impressive. But during the parade she sailed in without sails. The crew did display her flags and these were pretty flying on the breezes. So I am showing you one of the three tall ships of Norway. til Tomorrow MJ
Tall Ship Parade
Friends, this ship was the first tall ship to enter the Duluth Harbor yesterday in the Parade of Tall Ships. She is the Pride Of Baltimore and that is written on the yellow flag flying from the top of her mast. Jim and I were able to ride aboard this ship in 2010 and she is truly a very fast ship. You can see in this image that she leans away from the wind when her sails are full. Love the tall ships. til Tomorrow MJ
Tall Ship Day
Friends, I am very excited today we are going to Duluth to photograph the tall ship parade as 10 ships enter the Duluth harbor from the mighty Lake Superior. This is an image of the Niagara as it entered the canal marked by the little lighthouse in 2011. Lots of history concerning the war of 1812 is connected to many of these ships and I hope to be in this same spot today to photo their entry. In 2010 we had 12 ships for the festival, but in 2011 and 2012 only 2-3 ships were present for the show. In 2011 you can see the weather was less than favorable, but today dawned bright and cheerful so good images may be possible. til Tomorrow MJ
Pink and White
Friends, not a spectacular image but a softer feel to this pink and white. I think these are dogbane, what an awful name for a sweet little bloom, these are about 1/2 inch and this branchful were about 2 inches across. Some of the blooms are out of the focus range but i like the softness. Not sure i like all the stems near the bottom, what do you think? til Tomorrow MJ
His Kingdom
Friends, this male goldfinch is announcing to the world his joys and surveying his kingdom. He studied me for about ten minutes and let me shoot his portrait. The goldfinch are late nesters, so his female has probably laid the eggs or hatched some young ones, either way he was out shopping for groceries. til Tomorrow MJ
Dragon Flies Everywhere
Friends, Tons of dragon flies are present in the northwoods this year and these dragon flies are just one of the species. Not sure what they are called, but thought they were unique. I had to move around a little to get both wing tips in focus and the background faded enough not to be too confusing, did I succeed? til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Fresh
Friends, this macro photo is the inside of a wild morning glory or bindweed. Peering over the edge of the near petal and focused on the back petal. I like the fresh abstract feel to this image, just hinting at the softness within. til Tomorrow MJ
Wing Detail Abstract
Friends, this beautiful butterfly landed in front of me and the light was just right, across the wing to show the details. I hated the background so kept magnifying the image until I liked the pattern. At first I thought this was a red-spotted purple, but the white stripe has me confused. Can you identify for me?? til Tomorrow MJ
The Search
Friends, this time of year we are searching for new Karner Blue butterflies in Crex Meadows. The Karner is a rare specie with an endangered population but the host plant, wild lupine grows here in abundance. Every year the volunteers of Crex survey the prime areas for Karners. The second flight or hatching is expected any day now so we are all out searching for these tiny blue butterflies. Yesterday I found these tailed blues but no Karners. This is macro with a telephoto lens. An extender (20mm) is between the lens and the camera so I can focus at about 4 feet away and avoid disturbing his feeding on the orange milkweed. His underwing is similar to Karners, but the little tail is the deciding factor. Still searching for the Karner til Tomorrow MJ
Sandhill Crane Young
Friends, this is a young Sandhill Crane colt who is about half grown. Those of you who have followed my blog know that one of my favorite birds is the Sandhill Cranes of Crex Meadows here in Northwestern Wisconsin. By fall this chick will have a brown head and as an adult bird will appear as in the bottom image. They love the cornfields and pluck the bugs from the leaves. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 