Finally, some snow photographs

We have had lots of snow lately around here including a nice little blizzard on Christmas that I'm sure messed up a lot of travel plans. Everyone wishing for a white Christmas got their wish this year!

I've been wanting to get out and get some photos of the snow, but it seems like if it hasn't been snowing we have had pretty poor light for photography. I did manage to get out this past week and get some shots around Tuttle Creek and along Marlatt Ave, just outside of Manhattan. A few photos from this outing are available at the link below:

Winter photographs from around Manhattan, KS.

Enjoy!

Fall color is coming - Wildcat Park

Ahhh Fall, my favorite time of year. Fall colors are on their way, I can't wait! Here are a few photos from this past weekend taken at Wildcat Park just outside of Manhattan, KS.

Saturday morning sunrise

After hearing from friends about how beautiful the sunrises have been the last few days, I decided to try and get up early Saturday morning to do some photography. I'm not a morning person and I got up later than I would have liked (and missed the really spectacular color) but still managed to catch the end of great sunrise. After shooting the sunrise, I headed down to Tuttle Creek lake to try and get some shots of the fog rising over the outlet area.

A few photos from this morning's trip can be viewed here.

Enjoy!

Close to home

A lot of times people think they need to go to faraway locations to get good nature photographs. Yeah it is fun to go someplace new, but you don't need to in order to find nature to photograph. Shooting close to home has several advantages. If you are familiar with your home turf you know where to go when the conditions are just right, you don't have to spend time scouting. You also know what there is to photograph when...what flowers are blooming, what wildlife you are likely to find, etc. A couple of places close to home to get started...local parks and your backyard. Both of these locations can provide great photo ops. Give yourself an assignment, photograph one park throughout the year and your backyard. I think you will be surprised at what you come up with. I've got 2 sets of photos included with this post, the first taken in my backyard earlier this summer and the second shot at Marlatt Park, one of my favorite spots and only about 10 min from my house.

Enjoy!

In the Sun

Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time... This photo was taken on Marlatt Ave just outside of Manhattan, KS.

Rare morning photos

These are a few rare sunrise photos of the Flint Hills just outside of Manhattan, KS. I don't normally do mornings very well, but I'm going to have to start, it was absolutely beautiful out this morning.

Enjoy!

Pillsbury Crossing

Here a few pictures from Pillsbury Crossing taken on 11-15. Despite being chilly and windy, it turned out to be a nice evening with some beautiful light.

Enjoy!

Wildcat Park

I was back to Wildcat Park recently. I had just 'discovered' this park a few weeks ago (despite living in Manhattan since '88!). I had hoped to find more color in the trees, but it was still a nice visit. A few snaps can be viewed here.

Enjoy!

Wildcat Park

A few photos from a Wildcat Park, an area just outside of Manhattan, KS that I just discovered. How could I have not been here before! It is a very beautiful area. Photos can be viewed here. I'm sure I will be going back here this fall.

Marlatt Ave

We had a double rainbow show up on the 23rd of September. I tried to get out of town quick enough to get a shot of it over some open prairie, but by the time I got my gear and got far enough out of town it was gone. I had to 'settle' for this sunset (taken along Marlatt Ave) instead.

Enjoy!

The scene that created an obsession

When I first started doing nature photography I used to go out on Marlatt Ave looking for photos. It is still one of my favorite places to go out and shoot (although the area is sadly starting to be "developed"). One evening, probably 12 years ago or so, I was just sitting in my vehicle listening to some quail and coyotes after a evening of shooting. I was facing east where an old windmill sat in a pasture along the road. As I was sitting there I noticed a strange glow on the horizon, I had no idea what it could be. Then, right beside the windmill the moon appeared and slowly rose into the sky. It was amazing. I grabbed my camera and started shooting like crazy. Unfortunately I didn't really know what I was doing back then and none of my photos came out (all were over exposed despite bracketing). Seeing the moon rise like that was something I'll never forget. And I was hooked on the idea of photographing the moon rising. Now each month I try to make it a point to go out around the time of the full moon and get some moon shots. Over the years, I went back to that exact spot on Marlatt Ave to try and get the moon rising by that windmill. I even had a friend that did some calculations for me to predict when the moon would rise in that area. I was never able to line the moon up by that windmill again. But on this past April 19th I was driving back into town on Marlatt Ave and finally saw the moon rising beside the windmill, almost in the exact spot I had seen all those years ago. Sadly the top of the windmill was removed a few years ago so the scene wasn't what I was hoping for. But I did get my shot in the end.

You can see more of my moon shots in my galleries here.

Back to Marlatt Park

I was recently at Marlatt Park with one of my photography classes. I really like this small park, it always impresses me. The park had recently been burned and was just starting to green up.

After leaving the park, I drove out of town a bit on Marlatt Park for some sunset shots and some pics of the moon rising. You can view a few of the shots here.

Thanks for looking!