The Setting and the Goal

Rain or shine, my goal when I went to bed last night was to be on the road early this morning to challenge trout in a stream not too far away. I had no idea if there were even any fish in the stream, but I was going to give it my best effort.

As I studied the stream I watched as several trout broke the surface of the water as they gulped whatever was floating downstream. Their behavior guided my bait selection as I opted for a dry fly to maybe entice a strike or two. I was tossing something that appeared like an insect floating on the stream.

Trout fishing is a challenge outdoor activity. In Iowa streams, the fish usually…

The Face in My Mirror

As I quietly paddled my canoe yesterday on the Wapsipinicon River, appreciating what autumn colors I could find, a sizable fractured rock caught my attention. A couple of gentle paddle strokes moved me close enough to the shore to study the rock in the process of breaking to pieces.

Soon after pressing the shutter release button on my Nikon comparative thoughts of my life and the fractured rock entered my mind.

Have you noticed how that face in your mirror is changing? Perhaps a wrinkle or two (maybe more) have etched their way onto once smooth skin. Strands of silver (maybe a complete head of gray) replace younger colors from our youth. There is no hiding the…

Colors On the River (Or Not)

Autumn 2025 is turning out to not be a color-fest - at least not yet. Leaf-lookers must put effort into finding bright colors, but there are some present. Following are some of the views of autumn colors or scenes without color as enjoyed this morning.

Catching Up

After a full weekend of camping, hiking, photography, and fishing, I am catching up on images that I grabbed quick with my phone. Normally I don’t do much with phone images… not even share too many. But, I thought today I would since they seem to be nice views. So, here you go…

Offline and Many Steps

Over the past days I have been away where I was offline from the busyness of today’s life. We took temporary residence in Yellow River State Forest - a beautiful place where cell signals are lacking and natural beauty is abundant.

A Disturbing Fact About A Threatening Looking Creature

Since my last post Kristy found what we thought was an ordinary praying mantis.

Well, not everything is what it seems. While doing some research I learned that yes, this creature is a member of the praying mantis family, but it is actually a…

Seeing and Provoking Thoughts

So often when I am out with my camera my goal is to shoot images that clearly deliver a message. For example - A picture shows a great blue heron, or maybe a different image features a pretty sunset. Those types of images are fine and often a goal of mine.

There are times, however, when I want to compose photos that provoke thoughts. Which bird lost a feather? How far has that feather floated down the creek? How did fungi spores end up on a log in the river? Hopefully you understand what I am trying to do with my work when I am not shooting “specimen” images.

Yesterday and today’s images are just that - pictures that hopefully generate questions. I know they did for me.

Planned Images and a Couple of Lucky Shots

Sometimes a wildlife photographer just gets lucky. What began as typical critter photography ended up being a couple of bird photos I am happy with.

I was paddling early this morning when the light was low. As a result, all images required long exposures.

Across the pond I spotted a pied-billed grebe moving in the calm water with a nice background. I did my best to approach slowly while also shooting …

Common Bird, Common Vegetation in Autumn Finery

My travels today were limited to local green spaces where I kept my eyes open for interesting imaging possibilities. First of the observations was this great blue heron looking for a meal in a shallow wetland. The heron allowed only a few clicks of my shutter before it took flight toward a more secluded area.

Our Anniversary Cruise

To celebrate our anniversary, Kristy and I took a cruise - a short cruise - across the Mississippi River on the Cassville Ferry today. Join us on this first time adventure! (Hint - It was fun!!)

View the video at this link: How To Cross the Mississippi River Without A Bridge

From Field to Market - A Step in the Process

Unless you live in or travel through the rural areas this time of year, you may be oblivious to the activities occurring in the fields when conditions are optimum. Field after field is being harvested. In the process, there is a bit of dust being created. So far, I have not heard of any fires interrupting the progress. Let’s hope it stays that way.

A Repeat Visit

If you guessed today I enjoyed a repeat visit to Echo Valley State Park, near West Union, you would be correct. All around there were glimpses of soon-to-be beautiful autumn colors. The peak of vibrancy is still a week or more away, but it will soon be here. Let’s not wish for that too soon since cold weather will certainly follow.

The Season and Retro Equipment

On my walk this morning I thought I should be a part of the harvest season by documenting the crop - at least one ear of corn. I expect this field will be harvested in the next few days and this mature corn will be part of thousands of other bushels in bins across the Midwest. It would be interesting to know the future of these kernels - food products or ethanol?

How Do They Know?

Imagine so many birds - big and small, of many species - that fly north in the spring and then they disperse. Throughout the summer those birds nest, incubate and raise young, and then need to fly back south again before winter arrives.

How do those birds - in this case yellow-rumped warblers - know when to depart their northern reaches and where to pause to rest and eat before continuing their journey? Early this morning I found probably hundreds of warblers flitting about in trees along the Wapsipinicon River. For so many to be congregated and to be at the same spot is a mystery to me. Please - somebody explain the intricate details of migration since this process applies to butterflies and other wildlife.

On the River

Early this morning, as the sun was rising, I was out on the river in my canoe. Not only was I paddling, but I also pressed my shutter release buttons a few times. My goals were to document birds (turkey vultures and a great blue heron) and to create images that put viewers in the action.

I am not sure if I was successful on the last goal, but I did end up with interesting images.

Large or Small - Moving Water is Soothing

Whether it is the sound of moving water, the glistening from water moving over and around obstacles, or the habitat often hosting moving water - the effects of moving water are present. For me moving water is soothing and inviting, especially when I have my camera and tripod with me.

The following images were from Dutton’s Cave Park - a small getaway nestled in Fayette County. While small in area, the park offers many pretty sights and sounds making it a nice place to visit.

Simple Scenes

The last couple of days have been busy than ever. Still, I have been able to create images I found interesting.

One of My Favorites

Living where we do - with a landscape of rolling terrain and cultivated crops interspersed with green spaces - landscape photography can be challenging. When we were in Arkansas earlier this week I invested time in photographing rocky waterfalls since they were nearby.

What made the opportunity more worthwhile were the conditions. I was out in light rain after the region had received considerable rain. Everything was wet, the colors were vibrant, and the water was flowing - at higher levels than normal (perfect for the falls!).

This image of Pinion Creek is one of my current favorites from the trip. I think it is safe to say I will return again. Only with luck will the conditions be so pretty again.

Short, Busy Life Span

This common butterfly - the orange Sulphur butterfly -is probably an overlooked butterfly. They are not extremely flashy, tend to appear to be very common, and just don’t often draw our attention.

Today I noticed several feeding on New England Aster blossoms in our prairie area. It was time to grab my camera.

Adult orange Sulphur butterflies are short-lived creatures. Most flutter about for 2-4 weeks. During those few weeks though the butterflies are active pollinators and busy mating. An adult female may lay…

Traveling and Found Both are Beautiful, Neither is Natural

Kristy and I returned tonight from days of traveling. We were introduced to several amazing sites worthy of enjoying and, if you are like me, photographing. Tonight I will share two images from our journey.

This waterfall is not naturally occurring. The falls exist because man dammed a creek to form a lake. The result is a beautiful lake the flows out through old rock formations to create stunning waterfalls. The water, rocks and vegetation are natural, but would not appear in this form if not for the dam.

Not too far away was this magnificent chapel in the woods - the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel. The glass and steel structure nestled in a mature forest brings tears to your eyes for its beauty and what it symbolizes. We spent many quiet moments here studying the chapel, its construction, and just in thought.

There will be more details later on our trip.