SPRING IS FINALLY HERE

   
    Well, it took some time, but spring is finally here and there's nothing better in spring than sunsets. Yes, there are sunsets in other seasons, but the spring and summer seem to bring out the best.
     I love photographing sunsets. If you look on my wall at home, it is covered in sunset photos I have taken in the past -- on Shawano Lake, the Wolf River, the Wisconsin River and now Boom Lake as well.
     My favorite of all these is one I took about three years ago when I was working at the Shawano Leader as presentation editor. I was driving through Cecil as the sun was setting and was hoping I'd run across a nice picture. I was going past the dock that is right on Shawano Lake and there is was!
     It was a grandfather and his grandson out there fishing, silhouetted by the sunset. I pulled over, jumped out of the car and started making photos. The best one was as the grandfather and the grandson were facing each other and the grandfather was helping to fix his grandson's fishing line.
     That photo almost didn't make it in the paper. At first the grandfather didn't want his picture in the paper, but after about 15 minutes of talking to them about fishing and having Shawano Lake close to their home, he agreed to us using the photo.

     A photo I just took Wednesday night is probably my second favorite sunset photo of all-time now. I was driving over the County Road W bridge from Rhinelander into Pine Lake when I noticed the sunset creating a real awesome shade of red, orange and purple. I pulled over to the side of the road and shot a few frames.
     I don't know what it is about sunsets that I like the most, maybe it's because they are relaxing and I'm not thinking of anything else when I'm shooting those photos, or if it's the bright colors, but I don't think I'll ever get bored with sunset photos.
    Here are a few I've taken recently.
    Enjoy!

A WINTER DAY

 
   Rhinelander got his with about two or three inches of snow last night, just enough to make the outdoors look pretty awesome up here with snow covered trees and signs and everything else.
     I snuck out of the house and decided to drive around for an hour looking for photos. I found some that I like, but I wish I could've stayed out a little longer, but oh well, there's still plenty of winter left.
     Sometimes winter photos can seem to blend together after a while -- making them all look similar, so you have to try and find some different things to add into them.
     Today, against a back-drop of snow covered trees I found an American flag on a pole. The bright red stripes really stand out amongst the gloomy trees.
     I also found a pretty cool barn in the Town of Pine Lake.
     So far I'm making it through winter, just as long as the wind chill doesn't sink all the way down to -55 anymore.
    I've also updated my website with a slightly new look. Check it out! http://corydellenbach.wix.com/photo
    Enjoy!

 

WELCOME WINTER

     While much of Wisconsin is facing the threat of a winter storm tonight and into tomorrow, I am in my nice, warm home looking over some photos I took today before and after picking up my son in Arena, Wis. (near Madison).
     That part of the state got a pretty nasty ice storm on Friday night and still on Saturday many of the trees and fields still were covered in ice, which made for a nice trip down there and back.
     Saturday marked the first official day of winter -- even though many of us in the state already had snow for about the last month. Winter is probably my second favorite season to take photos of - after autumn. I like how the snow and ice make everything look so fresh.
     Here are some of my images from today.
     Happy Winter! You can see more of my images from today by clicking HERE and then clicking on "winter".

DECORATING FOR THE SEASON

 
   It's about three weeks away from Christmas, lights are up on the house, tree is up and the whole family is starting to get in the spirit. How about you, are you?
     We also received our first real big snow fall of the year this week, getting about four inches of the white junk on Tuesday and another two inches or so on Wednesday night. While I hate driving in the stuff, I love taking photos after a fresh snowfall. Things seem so peaceful at that time.
     I decided to take a walk into my backyard and mess around taking photos back there during the snow fall and the Christmas lights I already had up.
     It's a fun time to to experiment with your camera, with low-light situations and just see what you come up with when it comes to taking photos of Christmas lights.
     Here are a few of the photos I ended up with.
     Enjoy the holiday season!

NEW EQUIPMENT + SNOW = FUN

   
     Well, my new camera equipment came in a couple days ago. I decided to go with a Canon 60D with an 18-55 F3.5 lens and a 70-200 F2.8 lens. I liked the options the 60D had, especially the video option, which I will be experimenting with in the coming weeks as the holidays near.
     On Wednesday night Rhinelander got a nice, fresh layer of about 2 inches of snow, so I decided to take a drive around town and see if I could come up with any photos using the new camera equipment. I did and it was fun taking the photos with the new camera.
     Rhinelander is the county seat for Oneida County and the courthouse is pretty neat. The green dome is lit up every night and I thought that it would be a nice spot for some photos last night. I was only out for about a half-hour, so I stuck around the downtown area.
     I'll be going out to play with the camera more this weekend and as the winter sports season kicks off. I'd like to try it at some basketball games to see how it does.
     Anyone have any big plans for the holiday season? My family and I will be visiting other family in the Green Bay area, so it's going to a busy next few weeks.
     Enjoy!