Extreme Pano (1:10 ration) – Bay City, WI
From left to right – Isabelle Creek | Mississippi River | Catharine Pass
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Hearts race and pulses quicken as the teams head into the starting chute, the breath of the anxious dogs filling the air with steamy blasts. Then, as the sun rises over the frozen heaves of Lake Superior, the signal is given and they’re off in a blurred fury of brilliant colors and snow, charging ahead into the raw wilderness to the encouraging calls of their mushers. Which team has what it takes to brave the icy challenges that lay ahead? Who will be crowned this year’s champion?
Source: bayfield.org
Another first this last weekend – sled dog racing. Cyndie and I joined our friends in Bayfield, WI for the 20th Annual Apostle Island Sled Dog Race. I must profess that the whole scene is pretty exhilarating. There was a palpable excitement in every sled dog preparing for the race. Some sat quietly waiting, but only for a moment before their passion-filled song and dance moved them once again. They are a vocal and energetic lot. They returned to the finish line a bit more subdued.
Watching the teams race out of the chute was fun. Photographing them was challenging as they raced toward you through the crowd that had gathered. Each musher had their own phrase to encourage their dogs on.
There were two main races: a 10-dog, 80-mile race and a 6 dog, 60-mile race. There’s also a 40-mile Sportsmen’s Race, a 6 to 8-mile Family Race and a 6 to 8-mile Youth Race (16 and under). Half the distance was completed each day. You can see the course of each race on the map.
You can see it in every dog… the drive and determination radiating from their eyes.
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32 degrees on a January morning is always welcomed to me. It is also an invitation to get out and shoot a sunrise. Winter vs. Summer sunrises are a toss-up for me. One plus to Winter sunrises is they happen later. I am not opposed to getting up early, but 6 a.m. is always seems easier than 4 a.m.
Cyndie and I initially planned on shooting at a favorite spot in Lake City, MN – a quick 20 minute drive from where we live in Red Wing, MN. We arrived at the point (off of Chestnut St) and just down from Ohuta Park. We made good time and had plenty of time to spare. Giving ourselves plenty of time was a good plan as there were minimal ice heaves present off the point. There certainly were not enough to fill in the foreground of a photo.
Like any plan, it is good to have a backup. We back-tracked to the boat landing in Old Frontenac on Lake St. I had stopped there on MLK day while driving around Lake Pepin after shooting the sunrise. I noticed some ice fishing houses on the lake; I thought they where closer to the landing. I was envisioning them as a nice foreground for the sunrise shoot. Upon arrival the parking lot was already full and folks where lining up on the ice to park. The ice fishing houses where out further from shore; not in an ideal position unfortunately.
If you were thoughtful enough to have a back up plan, chances are you have yet another idea if the first and second option doesn’t pan out. We still had plenty of time and decided to head back to Red Wing and then across the river into Wisconsin and to a favorite sunrise spot in Bay City. This place works well any time of the year; with its close proximity to Red Wing, it is easy to reach if in a hurry. The springs along the shore leave open water throughout the winter. The open water affords local Mallards a quiet resting place as well as enable beautiful cloud reflections.
// TPE – The Photographer’s Ephemeris //
I shot the sunrise in three different sequences. I have not shot any time lapse in a while, but felt inclined to do so because he the clouds were pretty epic this morning with nice gradual movement. I wish I would have set up different cameras in the three locations and captured longer amount of time.
First sunrise sequence time lapse
Here is a single frame I selected from the sequence of shots to post process.
Second sunrise sequence time lapse
Here is a single frame I selected from the sequence of shots to post process.
Third sunrise sequence time lapse
Here is a single frame I selected from the sequence of shots to post process.
Here are some other shots from the morning.
And finally, some shots from the iPhone. You need another camera to keep yourself occupied when shooting time lapse – you have some time on your hands.
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