Category: Miller Woods Trail

More Fall Fun

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

Almost the end of Autumn, just a couple days before Thanksgiving (aka Turkey Day). With temps in the 40’s and a nice breeze off the lake the conditions called out for a return to Miller Woods and a hike out to the beach. As always, a day out in nature did not disappoint!

I typically do not encounter snakes this time of year. This Eastern Ribbon snake was stretched out full length across the trail. I expect it was trying to pick up a little warmth from the sand, at least until I came lumbering up on it. It was sluggish enough in the cool air that I was able to get in nice and close for a portrait. He stuck out his tongue and slithered off into the underbrush before I could get any closer.
It has been a mild Autumn, which is not uncommon along the shore of Lake Michigan. Even in late November you can still spot the occasional plant that is still vibrant green. I see the occasional pollenator out and about, but not many.
The small flecks of green add a nice splash of color.
There is a lot of fallen and decaying wood in Miller Woods, which means plenty of fungi.
I always enjoy the scene when the back side of the foredunes opens up to the lake.
Soon these reeds and grasses will soon be flattened out.
Where the trail passes close to the lagoons these reed fronds dominate the scenery.
There really is no end to the beautiful sights along the trails in late Autumn.

Best Time Of The Year?

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

Do you know what the best time of the year is to go out to the Dunes to walk the trails and take photographs? ANY time of the year is the BEST time of the year to be outside enjoying nature. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. It just does not matter, they are all awesome. Late October is one of my 12 favorite months to go out. Here along the shore of Lake Michigan we typically get very mild and pleasant weather in October.

Of course you get your typical fall colors in October. I don’t worry about trying to time it so I hit the peak colors. I just go out when I get the chance and you get what you get, which I find to be the best way to enjoy nature.
This time of year is great for emphasizing the long straight lines of tall grasses. Much of the rest of the ground foliage has pulled back but the grasses have not yet been flattened. These two photographs show the exact same scene. The only difference is in one shot I focused on the grass nearest to me, letting objects behind them blur into a smooth background. In the second shot all I did was refocus on the foliage which was about 100′ behind the foreground grasses which then became nicely blurred themselves.
There are lots of variations on the theme of foreground grasses. Here I have again focused on a stand of grasses close to me, using a fast aperture to create a narrow focus plane. There was nothing directly behind the grasses for a good ways so again you get a nicely blurred background. The difference here is that the sun is behind the grass. With the sun being lower to the horizon this time of year I am able to get strong contrast and still keep the glare from the sun out of the field of view.
And speaking of Autumn colors and illumination… I really enjoy leaves at this stage. The vibrant mix of colors and the cracks combine to make for some fascinating patterns. The image on the left shows a nicely back illuminated shot of a leaf, which gives it a glowing effect with bright edges along the cracks and the shadowing of the veins making them seem more prominent. In the image on the right the leaves are front illuminated causing them to stand out from the darker background.
Lighting and focal plane can be used to create different images from the same scene. These two images show another way to approach composition. On the left is a moderately wide angle shot of a panne (a type of interdunal wetland) that contrasts the strong blue of the sky and its reflection with the more neutral color palette of the late fall foliage. On the right is a telephoto shot of a small piece of the panne near the center of the left hand image. Here the bold primary blues and greens dominate, with just a bit of neutral brown in the reeds. Same subject, photographed from the same location at the same time. But the use of different focal lengths creates different perspectives.

Restricting the field of view of a subject removes context. Back lighting highlights some features while casting others in strong shadow. The nature of the autumn landscape makes it easy to use these techniques to depict nature in terms of lines and contrasts.

Milkweed pods are a favorite subject this time of year. The delicate fibers attached to the seeds stand out wonderfully against the less busy and more muted back grounds.
Long and strong shadows created by the shallower angle of the sun give a sense distance to this canopy of trees along what was once an industrial railroad spur.