Upper Peninsula Michigan

Here are some photos from my August 2013 trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...

My son, Isaac, and I spent a week in the upper peninsula of Michigan, attending a Rod Planck Photography workshop. We had a great time, met some nice people, and had lots of fun. We visited several locations in the vicinity of Curtis, MI. We spent most of our time at Seney National Wildlife Refuge. (For all photos listed as "Carol Wolfe," I worked alone to capture those images. For photos listed as "Wolfe," my son Isaac Wolfe and I worked together. For more information on Isaac, please check his website, http://www.isaacwolfe.org/index.php/art1/.)

Sunrise at Seney National Wildlife Refuge

Our morning typically started with 5 AM breakfast. Then we carpooled to the location we had agreed upon the night before. We hoped for calm air and fog, in addition to the colorful light of sunrise. We finally got fog on our last morning! Subjects included landscapes of evergreens and ponds, as well as more abstract shots of reeds and reflections. Each morning started out relatively calm with water as clear as glass. As the sun rose above the distant horizon, the sky became more colorful, the wind picked up speed, and the water gained texture from ripples. Scenic shots were taken with a Nikon D300 and either 24-85 mm or 70-300 mm zoom.

Reeds and Reflections before Sunrise

Reeds and Reflections shortly after Sunrise

Pine Tree and Pond at Sunrise

Twin Pines at Sunrise

Foggy Sunrise on the Final Morning

Foggy Stream Near Field with Dewy Insects

Colorful Sunrise Reflection with Water Shield

Lots of Lilies!

Dewy Insects, Webs, Etc.

Once the bright color of sunrise had faded (and/or the fog was gone), we found other subjects to photograph. One of our favorites was the dewy insects, dewy spider webs, and dewy grass. Here are a few of the dewy subjects we found. All close-ups were shot with a Nikon D300 camera body and a 200 mm Micro Lens. Aperture varied, but ranged from f11 to f22.

Dewy Damselfly Waits for the Sun to Dry Off

Grass Blade with Water

Dragon Fly Hangs On

Damselfly Checks Me Out

Dewy Grass Seed Head

Dragonfly Face to Face

Spider Web (or Pearl Necklace)

Dewy Dragonfly with Mosquito Peeking

Spider in Web

Bunchberry

Touch-Me-Not (or Jewelweed)

Queen Anne's Lace Inflorescence with Dew

Queen Anne's Lace Buds with Dew

Afternoon and Sunset

During the afternoon, we visited fields and forests, looking for fun subjects to photograph. Among other things, we found flowers and grasshoppers. As the sun dropped in the sky and the light got warmer and more colorful, we relocated to try and catch a scenic sunset.