After the Storm

Here is a image from last summer when a thunderstorm had blown thru Madison Indiana and left that great light you don’t see very often what I like to call storm light. Storms that time of the year usually form and blow thru late afternoon and evening which is usually sweet light anyway but throw a storm into it and watch that light then !!!

I sat out the storm at home but walked down to main street and waited for the light to shine thru. And low and behold it came out just like I was hoping, main street was washed in a warm soft light that added a golden touch to everything it touched. The same image in regular light would have not been very interesting but this light changed everything and added a beautiful dimension to the picture.

I hope you enjoy the image and thanks for taking the time to stop by and take a look.

 

 

 

Indiana Sunset

In my last posts I shared images of the new Madison Milton Bridge and described what a great job was done in building the new structure. Even though the bridge has many new details that make it a great replacement for the old bridge the one that I like the most is the walkway built on it’s east side.

Walking the bridge has become the new pastime for many downtown Madison Indiana residents it’s great physical activity and plus you get fantastic views of the Ohio River you were never able to get before. More than that the walkway has become a great place t0 photograph the river valley. There are so many fascinating subjects you are able to capture, from the power plant to the barges and boats that navigate the river below, it is a photographers dream location for the Madison area.

The image I am sharing was done earlier this spring during a beautiful sunset. The walkway gives a great unobstructed view of the valley and you are able to get great sunset shots with out the hills and trees getting in the way. I hope you enjoy the image and if you get a chance to travel to Madison take a walk across the bridge I think you will really enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter night over the Ohio River

Here is another image of the new bridge over the Ohio River at Madison Indiana. This time I created this shot during a snowstorm at 3 am, best time to get out with no people in the way.  All kinds of elements were going in this shot, light,snow and reflections in the river and I think I brought them together for a pretty good image.

The bridge is just one of the many great subjects you can photograph here. Historic Architecture to beautiful natural settings, they all surround the Madison Indiana area making it one of the best spots in Indiana for photography.

Hope you enjoy the image and thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madison Milton Bridge

In the time I have been away from this blog many things have happened in our community of Madison Indiana and one of the great things was the opening of the new Madison Milton bridge. Many who had traveled the old bridge can tell stories of how bad it shook or meeting a large vehicle coming from the other direction and thinking you wouldn’t make it thru, and there were many mishaps on the bridge as well.

But all that changed with the new bridge. The lanes are very wide and it has a great pedestrian walkway built on the outside of the bridge as well. So travel over the new bridge has a totally different feel than the old one. But the old one had some pretty cool character to it and it was great to photograph as well.

So I thought I might start sharing some photos of the new bridge just so you can see for yourself in case you never get to drive over it. This image came last winter and I really like how the bridge was throwing down that great shadow over the landscape. With the snow and cold I thought it was best processed as a black and white conversion to show the mood in the valley that day.

I will share more in the days ahead and I hope you enjoy this image and thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synchronous Fireflies | Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In early June I was able to attend an event I have been hoping to see for quite some time, and that is the Synchronous Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains. Synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) are one of at least 19 species of fireflies that live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns.

Fireflies (also called lightning bugs) are beetles. They take from one to two years to mature from larvae, but will live as adults for only about 21 days. While in the larval stage, the insects feed on snails and smaller insects. Once they transform into their adult form, they do not eat.

Their light patterns are part of their mating display. Each species of firefly has a characteristic flash pattern that helps its male and female individuals recognize each other.  Most species produce a greenish-yellow light; one species has a bluish light.  The males fly and flash and the usually stationary females respond with a flash. Peak flashing for synchronous fireflies in the park is normally within a two-week period in late May to mid-June.

No one is sure why the fireflies flash synchronously. Competition between males may be one reason: they all want to be the first to flash. Or perhaps if the males all flash together they have a better chance of being noticed, and the females can make better comparisons.

The fireflies do not always flash in unison. They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly. Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness.

Here is a pic from the Firefly Event,  the pic doesn’t do it justice. This is truly an event that must be witnessed, even after a few days I still couldn’t convey the words on exactly what happened !!

The lights from the fireflies moved in waves up and down Elkmont Valley where we positioned ourselves, the pattern seemed to start far from us and be in strips of thousands of lights and would then stream across the bottom right toward us and then stop at our feet.

Then continuing on across the road at our backs towards the other side of the valley floor. There would be burst of 5 flashes quickly then it would stop for 10 seconds or so and then repeat in an almost frenzied fashion !!

The human reaction was incredible, when we first arrived hundreds of people were packed along the old roadbed that runs along the valley floor, many with lawn chairs and blankets making you think you were attending a fireworks show.

At first as the light faded you could feel the crowd growing impatient, people were laughing and talking and when one little firefly would appear they would remark is that it…I even began to wonder myself !!

The Park Rangers assured us to be patient and wait for the show, When it started the crowd was amazing, people at fireworks display usually oh and ah thru the whole event, but here there was an incredible silence as if the fear of your voice would scare them off and they would stop the beautiful display they were sharing with us.

Many in the crowd were brought to tears, including my wife, they were overwhelmed with such joy and amazement that the emotion displayed was almost as cool as the fireflies !!

Ok after this way too long post here is the pic, like I said before they are not that good and they don’t really represent what I witnessed but it is something I will have forever to help me remember that warm wonderful summer evening !!