This morning was pretty dull. There was not much of sunrise at all. The color was small and brief on the horizon. So brief I almost missed it prepping the drone for flight. I was happy to be out anyway with the possibility of another foot of snow coming tomorrow.
I barely drained the a battery getting this shot so captured a bit more of the town I grew up in the first 4 years of my life; a town I spend many sunrises in annually. These bluff lands are a beautiful area. It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else…ur…um, except this time of year. I could picture myself living all kinds of places. This winter needs to end.
When I arrived at Bay City Campground this a.m. if was -23F. It’s that type of weather that is so cold it hurts. The parking lots was plowed nicely. The snow on the beach was quite deep and over the height of my boots.
I tried to leave the camera outside on the tripod, but the batteries went dead in minutes in the extreme cold. I sat in the car with the heated seat on high and dashed out periodically to take some shots. It took more time to scarf and glove-up than it did to quickly dash out, snap a few frames and head back to the car before the sting of the cold became unbearable.
The clouds and steam turned out in abundance this a.m. It was another beautiful Bay City sunrise scene.
This beautiful lake in twenty-two miles long, varies in width from one to two and a half miles, and overs about thirty-eight square miles. It was caused by the delta of the Chippewa spreading across the gorge of the Mississippi at the southeastern end of the Lake. Because of its steeper grad, the smaller Chippewa was able to bring in more glacial debris than the Mississippi could carry away. This delta provided a natural dam and as the water was backed up, Lake Pepin was formed. State Highway 35 hugs Lake Pepin along most of its Wisconsin shore and has been called on of the most scenic drives in America.
Delta creating a natural dam
One of Lake Pepin’s admirers was William Cullen Bryant. He praised its natural scenery and declared the area “ought to be visited in the summer by every poet and painter in the land.” ~Geographical Marker, Hwy 35, Warrentown, WI.
I would add photographers to Bryant’s list as well. I would also argue all seasons; not just summer. Having grown up in the area, I’ve always known the lake as well as the rivers, streams, bluffs, beaches and views from many areas surrounding Lake Pepin. The more I photograph the area, the more I appreciate its beauty.
Change of plans
I was not able to [easily] reach my normal sunrise spot in Bay City this a.m. due to back to back 10″ snowfall days. I was actually stuck at one point and thankfully managed to maneuver my way out. It was plenty cold out too. I wasn’t really interesting in wading through huge snow banks to get to my normal spot.
I called an audible and headed further down the road to another spot with an excellent vantage point. There is a geographical marker along Hwy 35 not far past a wayside rest just before Warrentown. The view from there is expansive. I have hesitated in the past to photograph from here as the trees have grown up and block some of the view. This has limited the locations from which you can photograph from. This is no longer an issue now with drone capabilities.
A few overhead photos. I am growing more fond of this perspective.
Given the lack of clouds this a.m., I think this is my favorite shot of the morning. The color washing over the ripples in the snow drifts on the lake was pretty amazing.
LAKE PEPIN LEGACY ALLIANCE
There is a very important initiative in regards to Lake Pepin right now; please check out Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance to learn more. Please consider supporting this effort in whatever form you are able.
The huge temperature swing was refreshing this morning. No crazy sub-zero temps or windchill’s to contend with. Instead, we were in for a hazy February sunrise.
The crescent moon just above the horizon upon arrival was an unanticipated bonus.
Jupiter and Venus where still shining bright as were quite a few stars. It was a spectacular site.
The sunrise sequence was filled with a lot of color and wonderful clouds.
On the way home from capturing sunrise in Bay City this a.m. I made a quick stop at the back channel of the Mississippi River. The steam was rising wide and high this morning. It was a pretty magnificent sight.
I didn’t sleep in this morning. The weather forecast was good as was the Photographer’s Ephemeris Skyfire sunrise prediction. It was a titch chilly, but with a hot cup of Caribou and the proper clothing, this wasn’t going to be a big deal. It was a Brrr-b-b-beautiful sunrise. The pre-sunrise color was spectacular.
23 Frame D700 Pano25 Frame D700 Pano
The sunrise wasn’t too bad either.
At 16mm
At 150mm
Beautiful morning all-the-way-around.
Extra
A short time lapse of the sunrise and steam this morning
I know better. When in doubt…go anyway. Even in sub-zero weather. You can always go back home.
This last Friday I looked at the forecast and figured I should pass based on the cloudy forecast and pending snow. The Photographer’s Ephemeris Skyfire, however, was predicting a good sunrise.
Weather Underground
Photographer’s Ephemeris Skyfire
I elected to sleep in. By the time I woke up and looked outside it way beyond sunrise and it looked like I missed a good one despite the forecast.
By the time I reached Bay City, the snow clouds were moving in and the sun was barely visible.
Bay CityBay City
I drove to Maiden Rock to see how the ice looked there. The ice heaves are nothing closed to what they have been in years past. I stopped by the Warrentown Coulee Wayside before Maiden Rock to capture the wide-open vastness from that location.
Warrentown Coulee WaysideMaiden Rock
Lots of ice fisher people. The clouds were closing in and the light fading fast. It didn’t take long for the sun to disappear altogether. By the time I arrived back at Bay City is was almost a complete white-out.
Every time I see the steam rising off of the open water one of Abbas songs starts to play in my head with queen replaced with steam. You know the song I am referring to. Good luck getting that out of your head now. You are welcome 🙂
This a.m. I remembered my spotlight and managed a short snippet of the steam. It was -11 and the camera froze up in just under an hour.
Nikon D700 | ISO 800 | 150mm | f/7.1 | 1/160 secondNikon D700 | ISO 800 | 150mm | f/7.1 | 1/40 second
It was a pretty spectacular sunset this a.m. The color was beautiful.
Pre-surnise
Just before sunriseSunrise
Here is a panorama I shot; you can see the long line of steam
No drone photos/video this a.m. Too cloud to stand around for very long.
It was a subzero sunrise this a.m. Albeit only by a degree, it was enough to bite your exposed fingertips and slap you in the face. The camera bared most of the cold atop the tripod just outside my toasty warm car. You can see that Jupiter and Venus have ventured significantly closer to one another.
Nikon D700 | ISO 200 | 16mm | f/7.1 | 6 seconds
I forgot my spotlight this a.m. that I use to aid in obtaining a focal point. I ended up with a short and out-of-focus time lapse sequence. It is still a bit interesting; especially the steam rising off the opening in the ice.
That was definitely the case this cold January morning. It was just under 30 degrees, but the 5 mph breeze out of the east (across a huge sheet of ice) made it seem significantly colder. It was mostly cloudy upon arrival and after a bit, there was only a hint of color on the horizon; them boom! The color came. And just like that the color was gone just as quickly as it appeared. It was a fleeting moment of spectacular color.
Some moments are nice, some are nicer, some are even worth photographing in the cold January weather.
Here are three frames captured 40 minutes apart.
D700 | ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 4 seconds | 16 mm
D700 | ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 1/20 second | 16 mm
D700 | ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 1/30 second | 16 mm
A 4 second clip that encompasses those 40 minutes.
I am really happy with both the vertical and horizontal panorama shots.
Mavic 2 Pro | ISO 100 | f/3.5 | 1/20 seconds | 10.26 mm | 7 Frames
Mavic 2 Pro | ISO 100 | f/3.5 | 1/20 seconds | 10.26 mm | 7 Frames
I shot my first automated drone 360 sphere this morning. The images looks interesting.
Mavic 2 Pro 360 sphere
After a bit of manipulation in Photoshop – viola. Sunrise-o-sphere.
360 sphere
EXTRA
Out low across the ice and back high
Bay City Campground
Here is an aerial view of Bay City Campground.
A shot of two fellow photog friends capturing the sunrise this a.m.
