Recently, I spent a few days up in northern Wisconsin at a cabin that's been in my family for years. Driving down roads that crisscrossed between Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I found myself in a familiar state of awe of the beauty of the tall pines and shimmering lakes. It'd been three years since I'd last traveled through these parts, hiked through rich green forest, and dipped a paddle into the chilly lake water. It was good to be back.
I spent two summers working up in this part of the world, four summers attending camp, and countless weeks enjoying summer days at the cabin with my family. Yet, in all this time spent in the Northwoods, I had never spent much time photographing it. From beams of light passing between the leaves and trunks of pine and birch to sunlight skipping off the lake on windy days or calmly reflecting the surroundings onto glassy water, this place is a photographer's dream.
While I slept through most of the sunrises and sunsets marked the coming of ravenous mosquitoes, the shifts in the light over the course of the day never ceased to amaze. I snapped a few shots on hike and more around the cabin itself. I hope my visits up north won't be so few and far between in the future and that there will be more photographic exploration soon!
Pretty little daisies and some cool bokeh. I love the softness of all the out-of-focus elements. These old lenses do shallow depth of field so well....
So many daisies!
The layers of light are one of the elements of the Northwoods that I love. There are so many trees that light can only pass through selectively. The sense of depth is something I like about this image: the brightness of the background leads the eye from the silhouetted trees in the front all the way to the back. The little bits of blue sky on the pond is a nice balance to all the dark green too.
Some interior light! Golden hour outside is gorgeous, but the warm sunlight spilling into the house was also great. I particularly like the deep shadows paired with the bright sun (especially that warm color temperature). Plus, this room has wood paneled walls and wooden furniture, all which bounce back even more warm light.
One from magic hour on the lake. Not my favorite as far as composition (plus it looks like his eyes are closed!), but I do like the color temperature- that cool bluish light definitely sets the mood.