Posts for: samjam
Dec 30, 2023 17:43:43 #
Aug 17, 2023 05:28:28 #
Thank you Curmudgeon but please, just call me Sam. I have a niece named Samantha but I'm definitely not anyone's niece or daughter.
Aug 16, 2023 21:50:16 #
Not far from me, about 3 miles or so, is "The Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetlands Preserve", managed by the National Land Institute. Opened to the public free is a great place to go looking for birds to take pictures. Miles of hiking trails go through a variety of terrain from wooded areas to swamps, lakeside, and open fields. On the north end of the Lake is an observation tower that allows you to look out over the lake and surrounding wetlands, giving you an excellent point to watch and photograph flocks of waterfowl and others coming in for landings on the lake and surrounding wetlands. Of course, the distance from one side of the lake to the other is significant so you need a very long lens if trying to photograph too far away. Sometimes, they do come close to the observation deck so there will be times you can still get some decent shots, but the best way is to use the trails and explore you'll often get fairly close, and shorter lenses come in handy.
First Picture...
I grew up in the Northern Illinois-Southern Wisconsin area and had never seen Pelicans in either state. I did notice several times while on vacation in Northern Illinois that there are places including a lake, river, and town with Pelican in their names, like Pelican Lake and Pelican River, and of course it never made any sense to me why they would name something after a bird not around here. Back in the early 2000s after moving back here from Oregon, I was at the Nygren Wetlands and could not believe seeing a small flock of Pelicans landing on the lake in front of me! What were Pelicans doing HERE? So I did some research and found out the American White Pelicans were common across Illinois and Wisconsin until the late 1800s. During the time they were also exposed to some heavy hunting pressures and soon they stopped traveling through these states on their way to the Breeding Grounds in Canada and the Dakotas in the states. 100 plus years later no longer exposed to the hunting pressures they are coming back, a trickle at first and now we see hundreds if not thousands of flocks passing through every year now, a huge comeback. The first picture below was of a few American White Pelicans swimming just offshore near the observation deck. That bump on the end of their bill is only there during the mating season, and after a while it falls off and a new one is grown the following season.
The next picture was also taken at the Nygren Wetlands. Here is a group of Swallows during migration resting on a tree branch on the edge of the lake. There are several species all migrating together, Barn, Cliff, Tree, and Chimney Swallows.
The third photo is an example of the many species long-legged birds you'll find at Nygren as well. The photo is of a Sandhill Crane, which are very common at Nygren's. You'll also find Great Blue Herons, White Egrets, Green Herons as well. Of course there are tons of ducks, geese, swans, and predators like Osprey's, Bald Eagles, and Hawks of all kinds.
First Picture...
I grew up in the Northern Illinois-Southern Wisconsin area and had never seen Pelicans in either state. I did notice several times while on vacation in Northern Illinois that there are places including a lake, river, and town with Pelican in their names, like Pelican Lake and Pelican River, and of course it never made any sense to me why they would name something after a bird not around here. Back in the early 2000s after moving back here from Oregon, I was at the Nygren Wetlands and could not believe seeing a small flock of Pelicans landing on the lake in front of me! What were Pelicans doing HERE? So I did some research and found out the American White Pelicans were common across Illinois and Wisconsin until the late 1800s. During the time they were also exposed to some heavy hunting pressures and soon they stopped traveling through these states on their way to the Breeding Grounds in Canada and the Dakotas in the states. 100 plus years later no longer exposed to the hunting pressures they are coming back, a trickle at first and now we see hundreds if not thousands of flocks passing through every year now, a huge comeback. The first picture below was of a few American White Pelicans swimming just offshore near the observation deck. That bump on the end of their bill is only there during the mating season, and after a while it falls off and a new one is grown the following season.
The next picture was also taken at the Nygren Wetlands. Here is a group of Swallows during migration resting on a tree branch on the edge of the lake. There are several species all migrating together, Barn, Cliff, Tree, and Chimney Swallows.
The third photo is an example of the many species long-legged birds you'll find at Nygren as well. The photo is of a Sandhill Crane, which are very common at Nygren's. You'll also find Great Blue Herons, White Egrets, Green Herons as well. Of course there are tons of ducks, geese, swans, and predators like Osprey's, Bald Eagles, and Hawks of all kinds.
Sandhill Crane Nygren Wetlands (Rockton Illinois USA)
Aug 14, 2023 08:39:58 #
The first photo of a Round Barn was the old Dougan Dairy Barn located in Beloit Wisconsin. Built in the early 1900s it was always a point of interest to the locals. In the late 1900s the farm eventually fell into disrepair and although some local groups tried for a number of years to get financing to get the barn moved to another location to be saved for historical significance, the city eventually considered it to be a safety risk, purchased the property and tore it down.
The second photo was a barn I came across while driving in the countryside looking for old barns to photograph. This was located NW of Beloit Wisconsin and came across it the first time during mid-summer. Of course the trees were all leafed out, vines etc and you really couldn't see much of the barn other than the general size and shape. I went back out again at a later date after the leaves had pretty much been shed and a few frosts and could finally see the barn that was hiding beneath the foliage. I went out there every couple of years to get new shots and a few years later discovered the barn was gone. Apparently it had given way to heavy winds during some spring storms that passed through the area.
The second photo was a barn I came across while driving in the countryside looking for old barns to photograph. This was located NW of Beloit Wisconsin and came across it the first time during mid-summer. Of course the trees were all leafed out, vines etc and you really couldn't see much of the barn other than the general size and shape. I went back out again at a later date after the leaves had pretty much been shed and a few frosts and could finally see the barn that was hiding beneath the foliage. I went out there every couple of years to get new shots and a few years later discovered the barn was gone. Apparently it had given way to heavy winds during some spring storms that passed through the area.
Aug 14, 2023 07:55:18 #
I enjoyed one shop up there known as The New Glarus Brewing Company... Spotted Cow and Fat Squirrel were my favorites.
I also enjoy taking pictures of Old Barns when I can find some to take pictures of. I had at least 4 old barns locally that I took pictures of over a period of years. Unfortunately, they are all gone now due to occasional heavy winds, and old age where they were deemed unsafe to remain standing. One of the most well-known was the old Dougan Round Barn, a turn-of-the-century barn used by Dougan Dairy, providing home delivery of milk and milk products in the early to mid-1900s. The barn gained popularity and was featured in a series of books called "Round Barn" written by Jacqueline Dougan Jackson, daughter of the owner who lived on the farm way back when.
I also enjoy taking pictures of Old Barns when I can find some to take pictures of. I had at least 4 old barns locally that I took pictures of over a period of years. Unfortunately, they are all gone now due to occasional heavy winds, and old age where they were deemed unsafe to remain standing. One of the most well-known was the old Dougan Round Barn, a turn-of-the-century barn used by Dougan Dairy, providing home delivery of milk and milk products in the early to mid-1900s. The barn gained popularity and was featured in a series of books called "Round Barn" written by Jacqueline Dougan Jackson, daughter of the owner who lived on the farm way back when.
Aug 13, 2023 20:29:23 #
How did you focus the camera? When photographing Stars, Meteors, Moon, or other things in the night sky do NOT use autofocus. Switch to manual focus, and set to infinity (on the lens there will be what looks like a number 8 laying on its side) then back off just a little bit. It's also best to use a remote shutter release or use a delay timer for the shutter. Don't handhold the camera, as most of the time you will want a slow shutter speed of multiple seconds, not fractions of a second. The only object in the night sky you can get away with handholding is photographing the moon. Full moon shots start at ISO 100-125, lens F11, shutter speed 1/125, and then adjust the shutter speed for best exposure.
Remember to keep your stars crisp you want to follow the 500 rule, this will prevent star trails in your photo due to the movement of the Earth. You divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So if you're using a 50mm lens you can have your shutter open and remain open for up to 10 seconds and will remain well focused, 24mm lens about 20 seconds with no focus issues. Anything beyond that will make the focus more blurred and if you leave it open too much longer you get long white lines going through the photo.
That's where I start and you can always make slight adjustments to make the picture optimal.
Remember to keep your stars crisp you want to follow the 500 rule, this will prevent star trails in your photo due to the movement of the Earth. You divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So if you're using a 50mm lens you can have your shutter open and remain open for up to 10 seconds and will remain well focused, 24mm lens about 20 seconds with no focus issues. Anything beyond that will make the focus more blurred and if you leave it open too much longer you get long white lines going through the photo.
That's where I start and you can always make slight adjustments to make the picture optimal.
Aug 13, 2023 19:52:24 #
Hello, I thought I'd take a moment to check in, and looking forward to gathering new ideas and suggestions.
I'm OLD, but please don't assume that means I'm knowledgeable about photography or any other subject, other than common complaints shared by other old people!
My location is somewhere along the Illinois-Wisconsin Border, neither Rural nor Urban but close to both kinds of areas. I enjoy all kinds of photography but primarily focus on Nature Photography wildlife and flowers. But willing to attempt anything, especially if it's a challenge.
I'm OLD, but please don't assume that means I'm knowledgeable about photography or any other subject, other than common complaints shared by other old people!
My location is somewhere along the Illinois-Wisconsin Border, neither Rural nor Urban but close to both kinds of areas. I enjoy all kinds of photography but primarily focus on Nature Photography wildlife and flowers. But willing to attempt anything, especially if it's a challenge.