Photographic Adventures

Once again south suburban Chicago lakes, ponds and sloughs are the home to migrating Great Egrets. In the springtime they… Read more: Southside Egrets

A wonderful surprise to wake up to this morning. One of my photographs of white trout lily flowers is in… Read more: White Trout Lily, a Magical Wildflower for Spring

The donkey, often misunderstood and underappreciated, is instead an intelligent and independent thinking animal. Their stubborn behavior only arises when… Read more: Donkeys, Guardians of the Farm

It was raining sandhill cranes. For a short time in mid-November, flocks and flocks of these magnificent birds flew into… Read more: It Was Raining Sandhill Cranes

John Muir once said “Most people are on the world, not in it”, on a peaceful May afternoon I was truly in… Read more: A Prospering Colony

Like a typical gold mine, this one is brimming with the brilliant, shiny golden objects. Though these gems are not… Read more: Hidden Gold Mine

For approximately one week in early April, Maple Lake in the Cook County Forest Preserve turned into Pelican Pond. Each… Read more: Pelican Pond

Coyotes howl in the distance as the frost super moon rises over Bergman Slough. Smoke from a prairie fire lingers… Read more: Bergman Slough Super Moon

Deep inside Illinois Canyon, the glowing St. Peter Sandstone cracked walls surround a burnt-out tree. Once a home to birds,… Read more: Starved Rock Canyon Walls

I am especially thankful when I see one of my photographs on a magazine cover. This photograph of a male… Read more: American Bird Conservancy Report

By looking through an imaginative lens, the allure of unaesthetic images can be freed to create an alternative vision. The… Read more: Eagle Visions

The bobolink travels over 12,500 miles from southern South America to spend some time at Springbrook Prairie in DuPage County.… Read more: Backwards Tuxedo in a Straw Colored Hat

A white dove on a wire dreams of places to go and things to see in the wild blue yonder.

Whether you consider the Queen Anne’s Lace invasive or an elegant delight, its delicate beauty is a sight to behold.… Read more: Queen Anne’s Lace

Woodland flowers seem to bring life back to the world after a long, cold, and sometimes drab winter. Their subtle… Read more: Secrets for Gorgeous Flower Photos

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be asked by Shutterstock Blog to share some tips for photographing my favorite springtime… Read more: Springtime Robins

A ruby throated hummingbird hovers over a solitary bright red monarda blossom in our backyard. We planted bee balm (monarda),… Read more: Attracting Hummingbirds and Orioles

Abe, our Labrador Retriever, is a wonderful soul. Though he loves all of the seasons, winter seems to be his… Read more: Do Dogs Get Colds?

In our backyard, Baltimore orioles have a choice of oranges and grape jelly. Keeping their feeders full is a small… Read more: Migratory Birds Are Worth Protecting

As the Rolling Stones song goes “You can’t always get what you want but if you try, sometimes well, you… Read more: Assembly Required

Covered in a blanket of snow, the sugar maple trees and dark spring-fed waters of Black Partridge Woods create a… Read more: Snow Blanket

Its meadows filled with gone to seed ironweed, goldenrod and aster, Country Lane Woods was recently graced with the elegance… Read more: Country Lane Cranes

Typically the colors begin to fade in the sun-drenched month of August. While this is true for most it is… Read more: August’s Colorful Hues

Previously overlooked, ignored, forgotten or lost? Regardless the reasons, rediscovery of these odds and ends has been a treat. From… Read more: Once Lost Now Found

Layer Mask Tips and Techniques After applying a mask to an image, it is often desirable to see the exact… Read more: Layer Mask Tips

Summer’s beauty has gone and now these aging wildflowers go barely noticed. The change of seasons has taken its toll,… Read more: Forgotten Flowers

Can’t see the forest for the trees, my feeling as I wandered the forest floor. Lost in autumn’s wonderland, trees… Read more: Autumn Color

A white background is a great way to bring attention to the subject of a photograph. There are several methods… Read more: Lighting in Layers for a White Background

Beams withering, joints rusting and paint peeling, the adventures have come to an end. The once proud craft provided numerous… Read more: Ole Number 11

Like a sculptor with a chisel, nature used glaciers, wind and water to carve the St. Peter Sandstone into rising… Read more: Flows

Waterfall Glen is one of the most ecologically diverse forest preserves in DuPage County. The preserve includes prairies, savannas, woodlands,… Read more: Springtime Glen

By mid May, migratory birds are well on a northerly path from their winter to summer habitats with the culmination… Read more: Birdyard Migrations

Virginia Bluebells Springtime along the dry riverbeds of the Messenger Woods provides a startling explosion of pastel colors. The blue,… Read more: A Mother’s Day Gift from Mother Nature

Image Impact to Changes of Focal Length Several months ago the forest preserve trails were in full bloom. The green… Read more: Focal Length and Socrates

Water often moves with power and force, yet over time it has a relaxing quality that displays a graceful calmness.… Read more: Tranquility of Water

In honor of the first sighting of the hummingbird migration, I felt it was time to update the hummingbird gallery.… Read more: Hummingbird Migration – 2012

As I traversed the trails of Maple Lake on a cold December morning, the tips of my fingers began to… Read more: Morning Meeting

As winter sets in with its colder days ahead of us, I thought some images of blooming trees with their… Read more: Hope of Springtime

On a journey to the grocery store a white object in the Kean Avenue prairie caught my eye. Upon looking… Read more: Hidden

Autumn’s metamorphosis takes hold along a Cook County stream. As autumn colors take over the forest preserve, a recent rainfall… Read more: Autumn’s Metamorphosis

The distance of the light source to the subject has a tremendous impact on illuminating your photograph. The relationship (called… Read more: The Position of Light

One of the continuing themes I will blog about is the variety of techniques to control light using strobes/flashes. These… Read more: The Angle of Light

As you can see Abe is silhouetted against a bright orange orb. Abe, a wonderful model, never drops his guard… Read more: Silhouette