This time between winter and spring when the snow melts and before the flower bloom can be a photographic challenge. Dirty snow is not inviting and most plants/trees aren’t greening up yet. It’s a great time to head out for the creeks and rivers and see what water can do for your photographic passions. I am aware there are some who only like their water frozen, that’s cool. I, I like to show the passage of time and the influence of the flowing water so I go with the flow. I have a “system” that helps me get to the point where I actually start to make the final shot. It’s really simple so I can remember it.

I start with determining what lens I want to use, for these photos, it was the 180-400VR. I then take a series of photos (Aperture Priority) changing the aperture from wide open to closed down one frame / f/stop at a time. This slows the shutter speed by one stop for each exposure. I then look at which image has the “flow” effect I like and then I get to make the final image. In the Z 9 when it comes to making the final image, I set the aperture giving me the shutter speed I want, then go into the menu and set the self-timer to shoot every 2 seconds and take nine images then set the camera to self-time and shoot. When I depress the shutter release, the camera fires off nine frames and as soon as it’s done, I hit the button again and when that’s finished, one more time. Then I set up the next photograph in the viewfinder and start all over again.

It’s really a calming sort of photography and there are times I can really use that!

The Silent Dog Forest is a haunting, fascinating, frustrating, graphic, intriguing, attractive, grove of dead trees that has grabbed my imagination since the first time I laid eyes on them. The forest got its name because the trees have no bark and are basically across the road from mud pots in Yellowstone. The attraction to me is the very graphic nature of the trees and the shadows they cast in the morning. The challenge for me has always been the shadows are so hard, they take the eye away from the symmetry of the trunks. Oh, I’ve shot the grove for decades but I never liked what I captured. That doesn’t stop me from stopping, wondering, and enjoying. This winter I happened by on a nice -19 morning when the breeze laid the steam into the grove. That natural diffusion made the shadows less harsh and added some mystery and depth to the grove. I love those shadows, so happy I brought them home with me this trip!

Fountain Flats, the sun has just started to stalk the horizon. The evening fog has flattened down and with the -3 temps, sticks to all it touches. The shapes, forms and outlines bring a new life to the scene, one that was totally different from the day before. That’s the magic each day in Yellowstone brings. I love seeing the landscape through a long lens, taking a small section of a larger scene to bring life to the detail. Hoar Frost is a perfect example of that detail I love sharing. An hour after I took the photo is was all gone. The sun had kissed the scene and with it’s warm, it shrinks away. That is, until the next morning if all the conditions permit, a new show blankets the landscape.

Lighthouse, ice, and giant waves, it’s got Moose written all over it! Yet, it has taken me decades to finally make it to the shore of Lake Michigan and chase them. All you really need are freezing temps (10 degrees or less) and a lot, a lot of wind (we had 28mps winds). Then you stand there and shoot! Standing on ice, I went with handholding the Z 9 / Z70-200f2.8 w/2x combo, for over three hours and shot nearly 5k images! I know I know, that’s a helluva lot and I can’t blame getting carried away nor the speed of the Z 9. I wanted THE shot cause I have waited years for this moment. I took advantage of the Z 9 to give me the option to pick THE one after I warmed up. What you see here is the image right out of the camera, Auto WB, no Exp Comp, 3DAF, I just had to keep from blowing away. It was a great, great afternoon, a high I’m still riding chasing the image!