Blog

I recently attended the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) air show located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. EAA hosts what is commonly known as The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration. It is a week long event. The control tower for that week is the busiest in the world. There are over 10,000 aircraft on the ground during the event. This year there were over 686,000 attendees. There are daytime, twilight and nighttime air shows. Being there is a photographer's dream.

I have recently added nearly three dozen new images to my Aircraft Collection. This collection includes various images of vintage and modern aircraft shown in color, sepia and black and white taken during the day and night. There are numerous one-of-a-kind in-flight images, some shooting fireworks! If you like old tyme airplanes as much as I do, this is the collection for you.

My images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

Another image (A Golden Sunrise Duck Hunt) from my Hunting and Fishing - The Field Sports Collection has sold. Images from this collection are very popular and being collected around the country. These images are from actual fishing or hunting trips. See for yourself, the beauty of being on the lake, in the marsh or in the woods. These images make beautiful additions to your home or office. Click below to be taken to this collection..

I have added over a dozen new images to my Railroads, Trains and Train Stations Collection. This collection includes various images of antique railroads, trains and train stations shown in color, sepia and black and white. If you like old tyme trains as much as I do, this is the collection for you.

You can visit my Railroads Trains and Train Stations collection for these vintage images without stepping foot out of your house! My images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

We are in the heart of one of my favorite seasons, winter. Although, a lot of photographers do not like to shoot in winter, I love these conditions. We recently had hours of rain and it changed over to snow, changing the landscape from brown to white. The snow stuck to everything. I went for walks capturing Wisconsin's winter wonderland. I have uploaded the best of these images in my winter collection.

You can visit my Winter Snow Ice collection for the images of our Wisconsin winter and not even feel the cold! My images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

Here in Wisconsin, we have had freezing fog and the conditions have been just right, where it has lasted on the trees for over a week. The temperatures have not been above freezing (32 degrees). Usually we will have frosted trees a few times a winter and that is often caused by hoar frost. It is similar to dew and happens on cold and clear nights. But I learned something new this winter. The conditions were just right this winter for rime ice to form. It is when supercooled water drops (in liquid form) in the air come in contact with a surface below freezing. Those liquid water droplets then freeze on contact. The crystals can be quite long and look like shards of glass up close. The sun had not been out much. However, it did finally come out and conditions were unbelievable for a photographer. I went out several days and shot hundreds of photos. I have uploaded the best in my winter collection.

You can visit my Winter Snow Ice collection for the images of rime ice and not get cold! My images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

Wisconsin may not be known nationally for its fall colors, but it sure is regionally. Wisconsin has thousands of square miles of forests and woods. These forests are made up of deciduous and evergreen trees. Tourists throughout the region flock here for the fall colors.

This fall, the colors are extraordinary with fiery reds, brilliant oranges and yellows. The road trips have been very scenic.

Visit my Fall/Autumn collection for the images of autumn and enjoy! My images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

Recently I made a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to photograph at Bond Falls Park. The Upper Peninsula or UP is known for its quality and quantity of waterfalls. Bond Falls is a 50 foot waterfall from the outflow of Bond Falls Flowage located a few miles east of Paulding in Ontonagon County, Michigan. The falls is part of the middle branch of the Ontonagon River in this western portion of the UP of Michigan. The river above the falls is beautiful with its many cascades and rapids. Bond Falls is named for Oliver S. Bond, who once owned the property. Bond Falls Flowage was created in 1940, when a dam was built on the river. A small sawmill town named Calderwood was flooded in the formation of the flowage. Bond Falls Park is a very popular tourist landmark. Bond Falls Park is a Michigan State Scenic Site. This is the best single waterfall in the western UP and the second best waterfall in Michigan. The park has a boardwalk surrounding the lower falls making this area very accessible. The river above the lower falls is accessible on both sides for those who like to climb the trails.

Looking at my images, you might notice something different from the typical pictures you see. It is the details shown. Fast moving water or waterfalls are not shown blown out white and a blur, but have details. When I go to photograph a waterfall, I take several exposures of each of my compositions, not just one and call it good. I process these exposures to find the one that best suites that composition. Take a look and see that difference.

Images of this great park are available in my waterfall collection at: https://dalekphotography.com/collections/waterfalls, enjoy! My waterfall images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

Well, it's that time of year, we are climbing out of winter and fighting for spring. With spring comes the return of waterfowl to the northwoods of Wisconsin, in their breeding plumage. This year I have found a couple of new ponds and have seen a greater variety of waterfowl. I have seen mallards, wood ducks, mergansers, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, gadwalls, ring-necked ducks, northern shovelers, Canada geese, trumpeter swans and more! At these new ponds, I have been able to get as close as 15 yards from them for great closeups.

Check out these new images, as well as others from throughout the years in my waterfowl collection at the include link below, enjoy! Most waterfowl images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: https://dalekphotography.com/.

For the last few years, we have had turkeys wintering in the area where we live. Actually last summer there was a flock of 7 toms or adult males around. However, they did not come around by me and I only saw them driving around, but I knew they were here. We only had one hen with 9 poults last summer. She had another hen with her after a while. Only 5 poults survived the summer. Then late fall more turkeys showed up. It was a mixed flock of hens, jakes (juvenile males) and adult males. They are not around every day, so when you see them, it can make your day. One day in January they came through and I counted 41 birds. In February of this year, we received over 34 inches of snow in 8 days. The turkeys moved out to parts unknown, except for about a half dozen. A couple of weeks later, I saw about 15 with 2 toms. Gradually the numbers have increased to about 30 birds I would guess. We are back to 7 toms that hang together. Last week the toms started to gobble and strut, I guess spring is here.

I have been fortunate to be able to get some great images of these turkeys. Check out my wildlife collection http://dalekphotography.com/collections/wildlife for these up close images of these wild turkeys, enjoy! My wildlife images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: http://dalekphotography.com/.

I had an opportunity to go to the Holy Hill Basilica this fall with the changing leaves, which has been on my list of places to photograph. It is one of southeast Wisconsin’s iconic landmarks. The basilica is northwest of the City of Milwaukee. It is located in the Town of Erin, near Hubertus, among the farm fields and woods. It resides at the highest point in this area of Wisconsin. The Holy Hill Basilica is a landmark situated on 435 acres of rural countryside and can be seen for miles. Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians is a Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was declared a shrine as early as 1903 and was raised to the status of a minor basilica in 2006. But as far back as the 1700's or earlier, Native Americans thought of it as a holy place. Built in 1926, this church has over 500,000 visitors from all over the world every year.

I had done some research beforehand, for its location and the roads surrounding it. As I headed out on this morning, there were clear skies. I had hoped for some clouds. As I arrived here, the clouds had slowly started to move in, perfect! As the morning went on, the sky became overcast. With the church located high on a hill, the morning light is the perfect time to photograph it. On this morning, the rising sun’s reddish light enhanced the brick walls.

Check out my Fall/Autumn collection http://dalekphotography.com/collections/fall+autumn for the images of Holy Hill, enjoy! My images are available as prints (framed, canvas, acrylic, metal, wood or posters), greeting cards, throw pillows, tote bags, phone cases, duvet covers, shower curtains, fleece blankets, towels, spiral notebooks and coffee mugs. These products are available at: http://dalekphotography.com/.