Savoring Light in Siouxland, Rural Woodbury County

The late fall and winter seasons are times I really enjoy savoring light in Siouxland in the early morning and evening. With the change from daylight savings to standard time, the mornings are not so early and the evenings come earlier. So I can savor and still get some rest. The quality of this light is just really nice. On a recent drive out into rural Woodbury County the sun was beginning to set and the light was sweeping across the landscape. I thought it was just gorgeous. Another evening out the sunset glowed behind a hill as it set. I enjoy its beauty, though fleeting and the effect it has on the objects or landscape it surrounds and the peace that comes to me in watching it.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

A glow from the setting sun filters across rural Woodbury County, Iowa Thursday Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga)

An afternoon sunlight glow filters across a farmland as the sun sets in rural Woodbury County, Iowa Thursday Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga)

The sun glows over a hilltop in the countryside near Bronson, Iowa Thursday Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga)

Unexpected Delights in Siouxland, Rural Plymouth County

Even though it was a cold day I decided because conditions looked favorable I would head out before dusk to see if I could photograph a nice sunset. As I drove around Siouxland in rural Plymouth County I came across a few areas the I checked out. But with sunsets one has only a minimal amount of time to get your shots before the light is gone. I found a field with some trees where I stopped and tried my luck and for the most part was pleased. As it is still winter and it’s cold out, I finished my photographic mission and headed home.

I took a couple more gravel roads and a round about way back to Sioux City. Hoping for maybe one more chance of finding something I could photograph with what remaining light there was. And then it happened. The first thing I noticed was movement on the gravel road which caused me to brake fairly fast. A herd of deer were moving from one field to another. And so I stopped to watch them, enjoying the last vespers of the day, frolicking in another corn field as they may their way to their overnight resting place.

It was a nice moment. Quiet, serene and comical as well as the young deer behaved like young ones anywhere, kicking up their heels one last time before turning in for the evening.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Deer romp across a corn field in dwindling evening light in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Deer romp across a corn field in dwindling evening light in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Enjoying a Winter’s Evening Light, Rural Plymouth County

If it’s not too cold a day out, I like to enjoy the sunsets during the winter season. For one thing they come early, early evening and one doesn’t have to be up too late for that. And photographing in the early evening generally means that the wind is dying down unless a storm is blowing in. The other day the clouds were looking good late in the afternoon and so I went out searching for a place where I might find open sky with  some color splashing across the clouds. But I didn’t really find a spot until the sun had sunk below the horizon.

I still had a little color in the sky and once finding a place it made a nice image. And then I turned around and found out a completely different image using the same tree but looking to a different part of the sky. No six degrees of separation, more like ninety degrees. The only downside is that the wind didn’t die down and it was brutally cold which cut short my planned outing as I kept running to the field and back to the car and back to the field again as I waited for the sun to disappear some more.

Ah spring.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Fading evening light in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Evening light in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)