At Bond Falls ....... Jerry Mercier

Bond Falls is located in Michigan's Upper Penninsula near Paulding.

The Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River plunges 50 feet over the falls.

It's a great place to photograph, as a large boardwalk near the base of the falls and trails on either side of the river provide easy access.

Fall is a super time to visit, though I think it will be another week before there's good color at the base of the falls or along the river up above.

At sunrise ..... Jerry Mercier

 I got to a small lake in northern Wisconsin half an hour before sunrise.

The weather report called for 40% cloud cover and 3mph winds.

Lucky for me, they were right.

I quicky set up the tripod and got to work. 

I was hoping for more dramatic sunrise colors but was happy with the reflections and clouds that I got.

Only 25 minutes after I arrived, shortly after I made this image most of the clouds disappeared.

I stayed for half an hour more and captured these reflections on the other side of the lake.

On the way back ...... Jerry Mercier

In April 2015 my dad and I drove from Wisconsin to western South Dakota to spend a couple of days at Badlands National Park and Custer State Park.

On our way back we happened to be driving by a wind farm in southwestern Minnesota just before sunrise.

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and because the eastern sky was a beautiful orange.

We pulled off I-90, I got a camera out and started to capture some images.

I liked the juxtaposition of wind energy and solar and it was very lucky how the timing, angles and colors all came together.

After only ten minutes the sun was high above the wind turbines and most of the color was muted. 

I took that as my cue to quit shooting and put the camera away. Then we got back on I-90 heading east to Wisconsin.

A sunflower ...... Jerry Mercier

 I found one very good-looking sunflower in northern Wisconsin a few days ago.

It was evening and already in shadow when I first saw it, so I thought I'd photograph it the next afternoon. I didn't. 

It was rainy, windy and overcast for the next two days. Finally, on the third day the sun was out, so I gave it a try.

Lucky for me the flower was no worse for wear and still looked great.

It was one of eight plants and the only one with good color and attractive petals.

(Though several bumble bees visited while I made these photos and they seemed to find them all attractive.)

The temperature was 83 degrees and felt hot.

I wanted to ensure I created some decent images, as it would likely be my only chance to photograph sunflowers this year.

So I stayed at it. Trying different angles and compositions.

Shooting in full sunlight as well as in shade.

Occasionally the wind was pretty brisk and a moving flower doesn't make for sharp images.

So, I pressed on. 

Waiting for the sun to reappear and the wind to stop, if only for a minute.

And I'm glad that I did.

In the end I made several hundred photos of the sunflower that will take a bit of time to edit, but I already know I like eleven of them.