Photographic Adventures


  • Southside Egrets
    Once again south suburban Chicago lakes, ponds and sloughs are the home to migrating Great Egrets. In the springtime they […]
  • White Trout Lily, a Magical Wildflower for Spring
    A wonderful surprise to wake up to this morning. One of my photographs of white trout lily flowers is in […]
  • Donkeys, Guardians of the Farm
    The donkey, often misunderstood and underappreciated, is instead an intelligent and independent thinking animal. Their stubborn behavior only arises when […]
  • It Was Raining Sandhill Cranes
    It was raining sandhill cranes. For a short time in mid-November, flocks and flocks of these magnificent birds flew into […]
  • A Prospering Colony
    John Muir once said “Most people are on the world, not in it”, on a peaceful May afternoon I was truly in […]
  • Hidden Gold Mine
    Like a typical gold mine, this one is brimming with the brilliant, shiny golden objects. Though these gems are not […]
  • Pelican Pond
    For approximately one week in early April, Maple Lake in the Cook County Forest Preserve turned into Pelican Pond. Each […]
  • Bergman Slough Super Moon
    Coyotes howl in the distance as the frost super moon rises over Bergman Slough. Smoke from a prairie fire lingers […]
  • Starved Rock Canyon Walls
    Deep inside Illinois Canyon, the glowing St. Peter Sandstone cracked walls surround a burnt-out tree. Once a home to birds, […]
  • American Bird Conservancy Report
    I am especially thankful when I see one of my photographs on a magazine cover. This photograph of a male […]
  • Eagle Visions
    By looking through an imaginative lens, the allure of unaesthetic images can be freed to create an alternative vision. The […]
  • Backwards Tuxedo in a Straw Colored Hat
    The bobolink travels over 12,500 miles from southern South America to spend some time at Springbrook Prairie in DuPage County. […]
  • Bird on a Wire
    A white dove on a wire dreams of places to go and things to see in the wild blue yonder.
  • Queen Anne’s Lace
    Whether you consider the Queen Anne’s Lace invasive or an elegant delight, its delicate beauty is a sight to behold. […]
  • Secrets for Gorgeous Flower Photos
    Woodland flowers seem to bring life back to the world after a long, cold, and sometimes drab winter. Their subtle […]
  • Springtime Robins
    Recently, I was fortunate enough to be asked by Shutterstock Blog to share some tips for photographing my favorite springtime […]
  • Attracting Hummingbirds and Orioles
    A ruby throated hummingbird hovers over a solitary bright red monarda blossom in our backyard. We planted bee balm (monarda), […]
  • Do Dogs Get Colds?
    Abe, our Labrador Retriever, is a wonderful soul. Though he loves all of the seasons, winter seems to be his […]
  • Migratory Birds Are Worth Protecting
    In our backyard, Baltimore orioles have a choice of oranges and grape jelly. Keeping their feeders full is a small […]
  • Assembly Required
    As the Rolling Stones song goes “You can’t always get what you want but if you try, sometimes well, you […]
  • Snow Blanket
    Covered in a blanket of snow, the sugar maple trees and dark spring-fed waters of Black Partridge Woods create a […]
  • Country Lane Cranes
    Its meadows filled with gone to seed ironweed, goldenrod and aster, Country Lane Woods was recently graced with the elegance […]
  • August’s Colorful Hues
    Typically the colors begin to fade in the sun-drenched month of August. While this is true for most it is […]
  • Once Lost Now Found
    Previously overlooked, ignored, forgotten or lost? Regardless the reasons, rediscovery of these odds and ends has been a treat. From […]
  • Layer Mask Tips
    Layer Mask Tips and Techniques After applying a mask to an image, it is often desirable to see the exact […]
  • Forgotten Flowers
    Summer’s beauty has gone and now these aging wildflowers go barely noticed. The change of seasons has taken its toll, […]
  • Autumn Color
    Can’t see the forest for the trees, my feeling as I wandered the forest floor. Lost in autumn’s wonderland, trees […]
  • Lighting in Layers for a White Background
    A white background is a great way to bring attention to the subject of a photograph. There are several methods […]
  • Ole Number 11
    Beams withering, joints rusting and paint peeling, the adventures have come to an end. The once proud craft provided numerous […]
  • Flows
    Like a sculptor with a chisel, nature used glaciers, wind and water to carve the St. Peter Sandstone into rising […]
  • Springtime Glen
    Waterfall Glen is one of the most ecologically diverse forest preserves in DuPage County. The preserve includes prairies, savannas, woodlands, […]
  • Birdyard Migrations
    By mid May, migratory birds are well on a northerly path from their winter to summer habitats with the culmination […]
  • A Mother’s Day Gift from Mother Nature
    Virginia Bluebells Springtime along the dry riverbeds of the Messenger Woods provides a startling explosion of pastel colors. The blue, […]
  • Focal Length and Socrates
    Image Impact to Changes of Focal Length Several months ago the forest preserve trails were in full bloom. The green […]
  • Tranquility of Water
    Water often moves with power and force, yet over time it has a relaxing quality that displays a graceful calmness. […]
  • Hummingbird Migration – 2012
    In honor of the first sighting of the hummingbird migration, I felt it was time to update the hummingbird gallery. […]
  • Morning Meeting
    As I traversed the trails of Maple Lake on a cold December morning, the tips of my fingers began to […]
  • Hope of Springtime
    As winter sets in with its colder days ahead of us, I thought some images of blooming trees with their […]
  • Hidden
    On a journey to the grocery store a white object in the Kean Avenue prairie caught my eye. Upon looking […]
  • Autumn’s Metamorphosis
    Autumn’s metamorphosis takes hold along a Cook County stream. As autumn colors take over the forest preserve, a recent rainfall […]
  • The Position of Light
    The distance of the light source to the subject has a tremendous impact on illuminating your photograph. The relationship (called […]
  • The Angle of Light
    One of the continuing themes I will blog about is the variety of techniques to control light using strobes/flashes. These […]
  • Silhouette
    As you can see Abe is silhouetted against a bright orange orb. Abe, a wonderful model, never drops his guard […]