MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #6 - ISLAND CITY ATTRACTIONS

Sabula, Island city in the Mississippi River

Sabula, Iowa’s only city located on an island in the Mississippi River, has two technical attractions I always like to look at. The first is their old-style water tower, which seems to be well maintained. If the sun is on the structure this tower stands out and can make for a nice reflection on the water. I have photographed it many times before but with the beautiful clouds we had during my last visit I could not resist to get the camera out again.

Sabula Railroad Bridge

The other interesting structure that connects Illinois and Iowa across the Mississippi River is the Sabula Rail Bridge, a large through truss swing bridge. This time I was there at the right time. After a few small boats had just passed, the bridge started moving and was swiveled back and ready for the next train to get over it. It only took a few minutes and my photo shows it about half way closed. The clouds again made this shot stand out for me.

FOLLOWING THE CLOUDS TODAY

The whole week we had these wonderful puffy clouds here in the Mississippi Valley. Unfortunately they dissolve before the day ends. I thought it is worth a try to drive down already early afternoon today to the Green Island Wetlands, one of my favorite wildlife spots as the avid reader of my blog already knows.

I wanted to come back with some black and white images that tell the story about the landscape of the Green Island Wildlife Management area and maybe an idea what the clouds can do to enhance it. To get already a good preview into my mind how the final picture would look, I set the camera to monochrome mode and with a red filter setting applied, simulating the same way I would have photographed this scene back in the days of film. As I shoot always in RAW mode all the color information is still embedded in the file and it still allows me to tweak a certain color in post process for the final outcome.

How much impact clouds can have to emphasize a certain landscape can be comprehended by studying the work of Ansel Adams or Clyde Butcher. I admire the photography of Ansel Adams since a long time but discovered Clyde Butcher only a couple years ago through the book ”Seeing the Light” by Tom Shroder and John Barry. What an amazing life story and mesmerizing photography! I follow the Instagram posts of this renowned black and white photographer, humanitarian, and environmentalist, but if you like to just have a look, go to his website clydebutcher.com . Highly recommended!

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #5 - SUMMER AT ITS BEST

Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,   @ 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 500

I haven’t posted another ”Mississippi River Story” since May but I like to do so at the height of the summer. The heat and very high humidity during the last weeks has been replaced by cooler temperatures, a bit of wind, nice puffy clouds at times, but we still had plenty of sunshine. All good reasons to get the kayak out for a couple paddle trips in the backwaters of the big river. The vegetation is lush and green and some flowers can still be found between the arrow heads and water lilies that grow everywhere in the Mud Lake area. The breeding season for most birds is almost over, it is a lot quieter on the water, and I had a lot less photo opportunities for wildlife. But there is always room for a surprise and a couple Great Blue Herons posed nicely within the range of the lens. I caught the first heron standing motionless in the water, like in the picture below. But the bird moved on and I missed the shot. At the second opportunity the wind pushed me almost too close to the bird but by reading its body language I knew a second ahead of time when the decisive moment would happen. This time luck was on my side.

Nikon Z6 III, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S,   @ 1/2000 s, f/8, ISO 500

Mississippi River, Mud Lake, Iowa,

Nikon Z6III, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 55mm, 1/320 s, f/11, ISO 100

I came back to the entrance of the marina at Mud Lake Park in the evening, hoping to get nice warm light on the puffy clouds we had all day long. Unfortunately the clouds dissolved very quickly due to the air getting drier. The blue boat came at the right time to rescue this photo. A couple minutes later the cloud show was over…

HAZY SUNSET AT LAKE SUPERIOR

Lake Superior, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, Presque Isle, Upper Peninsula Michigan, 07/28/2025

While the grandkids enjoyed looking for interesting rocks on the beach and had fun playing with some other people’s dog, I had the camera on the tripod and watched how the light of the setting sun would effect the landscape along the lake.

The color of the sky and the haze in the air were the result of wildfires that burned up north in Canada and the smoke got even worse the following days. A big cloud on the horizon made for an early disappearance of the sun, but for a brief moment the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior got a warm touch as I was hoping for.

PADDLING IN THE NORTHWOODS

This juvenile Common Loon was still fed by its parents, but not every dive for food was successful. First time that I was able to make some clicks of loons with their offspring. Fay Lake, Florence County, Wisconsin

I’m back from two different trips to the Northwoods. The second one led to well known territory in northern Wisconsin. Most of the time I have been there for little ice fishing adventures with friends each year in January, but this time the kayak was on top of the car roof while traveling.

I like to share some photos from last weekend that were shot during three paddling trips. The wildfires up in Canada made for unpleasant air conditions and I didn’t really like how most of my landscape pictures turned out. However, there were some good encounters of wildlife, mostly birds, and I saw even a bear crossing the road. I hope you enjoy!

A pair of Trumpeter Swans navigated their five cygnets through the weeds into shallow water near the shore of Fay Lake.

Juvenile Spotted Sandpiper, Wabikon Lake, Forest County, Wisconsin

For almost four hours I enjoyed a paddling trip on the Popple River, deep in the woods of Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. No humans, no men-made noise, just the tranquillity of pure nature. It doesn’t get much better… 😊

EVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Cloudscape, near Remsen, Iowa

Many landscape photographers would probably not unpack their cameras in most parts of northwest Iowa. Flat land predominates and intensive agriculture use over more than a century has turned, what probably was once beautiful tall-grass prairie, into habitats with very little biological diversity. A trend we can see all over the world, including my home country Germany. Oh no, I’m not saying the area doesn’t have any charm, but you have to open your eyes, look into details, and most importantly watch how the weather develops to see the potential for a landscape photo.

We have been out west in Iowa’s Plymouth County this week for a family reunion (thank you Don & Shelly for hosting!). Shortly after our arrival at the farm I was intrigued by the clouds crossing the land and rushed down to the gravel road below in order to keep the utility wires out of the frame. I have photographed the place around this farm since many years and can see the changes. This is my first mage with wind turbines in the frame. They create an income for some farms that accepted them on their property, but I also learned that not everybody is happy with the noise…

Alright, let’s talk about the photography. I admit I didn’t have a black & white image in mind when I made the click. There were enough colors and color contrast I thought that would express my feelings. But back home at the computer I recognized the much better storytelling of this photo in black & white. It’s not an image with a lot of leading lines, it’s more about the eye wandering through the image. The highlights of the blooming grasses in the foreground lead to the light in the vegetation in front of this small river bank. But the eye finally goes to the clouds in the sky and after a second we can recognize the wind turbines even in the background.

HIDDEN FALLS

Hidden Falls, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, Minnesota

Well, it’s my first trip as a ”full-time senior” and we have pitched the tent for a couple nights at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park in south-central Minnesota. Beautiful woods with lots of plants and flowers, some of them even endemic. Yesterday a first hike took us to Hidden Falls, a popular place in the state park. When I go on a hike to a waterfall the tripod is often with me, allowing for a longer exposure and getting this silky look of flowing water coming over the edge of the rocks. An eights of a second at f/18 led to a result I liked. It was actually the light on the lush looking leaves above the waterfall that intrigued me and I just can imagine how nice this may look at a certain times in autumn. Could be a reason to come back here, or not?

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park doesn’t have a lake but we have the kayaks on the roof of the car and hope for some great paddle adventures coming up. Tomorrow we take off to our next destination in northwest Minnesota with many lakes around. I don’t know how much phone reception we may have but I will try to share some impressions with you from time to time, so please stray tuned…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 36mm, 1/8s, f/18, ISO 100

THE TALLEST

Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

I’m back from my possibly last ever business trip. Two days driving in the rain over in Wisconsin wasn’t as much fun as it normally would be and the camera stayed in the bag the whole time. Well, I promised a little while ago to post a few more pictures from our trip to Oregon in April and that’s what I can offer you today.

On the last day we visited the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland and stopped of course at Oregon’s tallest waterfall, Multnomah Falls. Between all the phone swinging people there I probably looked like a dinosaur with my camera on a tripod. That’s ok, because I can print this image quite large and that’s what mattered to me during my second visit 15 years after the first one…

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 35 mm, 1/10s, f/13, ISO 100

WATERFALL FASCINATIONS

Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

A trip to Oregon should always include some waterfalls, at least in my books. We revisited the Columbia Gorge Gorge east of Portland on the last day of our trip. Yes, there are some other tourists but it is not impossible to keep them out of the picture. Late morning turned to be out a good time. The sun was almost above the falls and threw some light into the river gorge, which is sloped to the north.

In anticipation of taking pictures of waterfalls I carried my tripod with me but stayed away from real long exposure times in favor of the sunlit mist that swirled around. I thought that was more interesting than water that looks a little bit just like milk.

Those of you who know these locations may say, where is a photo of the tallest waterfall? Well, this is for another blog post…

Bridal Veil Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Latourell Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

GEOLOGIC STORY ALONG THE OREGON COAST

Tree on a cliff at Sunset Bay State Park

No landscape photographer likes a bald blue sky but after a couple rainy days every sunshine is welcome, with or without clouds. Off the Oregon coast the Juan de Fuca Plate, an oceanic plate, slides under the continental plate of North America, creating a subduction zone. Many rock formations can tell this geologic story especially along the coast line southwest of Coos Bay. Gigantic waves crash into the rocks and it is really not difficult to find a pleasing composition even without some perfect clouds.

Sedimentary rocks have been tilted at steep angles, very well visible at Shore Acres State Park.

Concretions in the surf at Shore Acres

Sand deposits that accumulated along the ancient coast were eventually hardened to form sandstone. A Concretion develops when calcite crystallizes around an object within the sand, perhaps a seashell fragment. This zone of mineralization gradually increases in diameter, causing the concretion to grow like a pearl in an oyster. Concretions are more durable than the surrounding sandstone, and on weathered rock faces they commonly resemble stone cannonballs. (source: George Musteo, The Geologic Story, researchgate.net).

NATURE CLICKS #599 - ROUGH-SKINNED NEWT

Rough-skinned Newt, Pacific Coast, John Dellenback Dunes, Oregon

It started raining when we left the parking lot for a hike on the John Dellenback Dunes Trail, a protected part of the 40 miles stretch of the Oregon Dunes. No off-road vehicles are allowed in this part of the landscape. Before you can climb the sandy part of the dunes  to reach the Pacific Ocean the trail leads through a wooded area. With a dark overcast sky and the dense vegetation of the forest there was hardly any light for a photo by handholding the camera.

Well, we got all excited when we saw a newt crawling through the mud on the trail. You may think a newt is a slow mover, but for making a photo of this critter it seemed to be still quite fast. I really wanted its picture and did something I have never done before. I cranked up the ISO in the camera to 20000 (Yikes!) and ended up with an exposure of 1/250s @ f/6.3. The Nikkor Z 24-70mm opens up to f/4 but I really wanted a little more depth of focus, so not only the head of the newt would be sharp, but also part of the body.

The photo is sharp but the question remained, how much detail is left after digital noise removal in post process at crazy ISO20000? The de-noise tool in ’TOPAZ Photo AI’ came to my rescue. I think ADOBE made some good progress with their AI noise removal in ’ADOBE Lightroom Classic’ lately, the software I use for my post processing most of the time, but I still like the control over the process and the results with TOPAZ better.

The Rough-skinned Newt was a first sighting for us and I’m very happy to add this critter to my wildlife photo library. It is known for the strong toxin exuded from its skin. If you like to find out more about its interesting biology, check out the entry at Wikipedia.

Oregon Dunes

The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand. They are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America and are the home of native plants that are vital for this ecosystem. Many bird species live in the different habitats and need attention for future survival. It’s too bad that not all parts of the dunes are under protection. Finding the Rough-skinned Newt near a creek at the foothills of the dunes was a real treat for us.

SPECTACULAR SEA LION CAVE

View to the north from the old entrance of Sea Lion Cave, located between Yachats and Florence, Oregon

An elevator takes you down to America’s largest sea cave. It is home of a herd of Steller sea lions, that find protection against weather and rough seas in the cave mostly during fall and winter. Other than their cousins, the California sea lions, they don’t bark but really have the loud roar of lions. It was a spectacular experience for all senses. A photo alone cannot capture the sound of the crushing waves, the roar of the sea lions, the smell of the ocean mixed with the smell of the animals, but it might give you a sense of scale in this cave. We were told approximately 75 Steller sea lions were present in the cave that day.

I was a little skeptical if being in the sea cave would lead too a good shot, but another opening in the cave, which used to be the old main entrance for visitors, gave us a fantastic view to the Pacific Coast of Oregon. The clouds had just opened up and a little bit of sun came through, touching the mossy rocks and the waterfall on the right, and shed some light onto Heceta Head Lighthouse in the background on the cliff. I’m not a big fan of ”tourist traps”, and Sea Lion Cave at the Oregon coast is definitely one, but the experience there was worth a visit.

A stone wall and metal bars keep sea lions and visitors safely separated from each other. The Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 just barely fits through the gaps in the metal grid but allowed me to point the lens down and capture this image of the sea cave with its residents.

BACK AT THE OREGON COAST

Oregon Dunes, near Florence, OR

We are back from our spring adventure this year. As already in 2024 we explored the Pacific Coast of Oregon, this time the central and southern part all the way down to the California border. I like to share a few scenic views and some wildlife encounters with you during the next few weeks. The weather wasn’t always as nice as during the first day on our way from Portland to the coast but even the days with some rain led to a few photos for the memories. The beauty of the Oregon Coast is stunning, the seafood we ate almost every day was just delicious, and boy, they know how to make a good beer in this part of the country… 😊

Harbor Seals, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, near Newport, Oregon

MISSISSIPPI RIVER STORIES 2025 #2 - THE ICE MAKES SOME NOISE (VIDEO)

While shooting the photos of the Trumpeter Swans I showed in my last blog post I suddenly heard a crunching noise behind me, coming from the main channel of the river. A really huge ice floe had broken loose and started moving, grinding, and crashing against the rocks at the Potosi boat landing. We had a cold snap the night before and much of the Mississippi had frozen over again.

I like the crunching noise and hit the video button on the camera to capture the powerful movement of the river. Turn your speakers on loud, click the video below, and feel free to watch the little show.

Mississippi River, Pool #11 above the lock & dam Dubuque, Iowa. Photographed from the Wisconsin side of the river

This photo was shot later a few miles further south, giving you an idea how the ice got jammed above the lock and dam in Dubuque, IA, which is located but hardly visible at the horizon line.

Photo info:

  1. Nikon Z6II, Z 600 / f6.3

  2. Video: Z6II, Z600 / f6.3

  3. Nikon Z6II, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, @ 19mm