Tag Archives: weather

A wet Tulip Festival Celebration, Orange City

8 Jun

Of the number of years I have now lived in the Siouxland area I can not recall a more rainy day for the Tulip Festival in Orange City. Although I am certain others will easily recall that. One gentleman I talked with this year while attending the festival told me he remembers as a child playing an instrument in the marching band wearing his wooden shoes and trudging through a late snow. Mother Nature can be a bit capricious sometimes.

This time it drizzled and rained almost all of the time. Not heavy, but steady. And with expected storms to roll into the area in the late afternoon and evening, the normally two parade times were combined into one. I stayed around for most of it, but not all. Having never been to the parade in rainy weather I was a bit gamed to see what images I could come away with. The majority of them contained umbrellas. The darker than normal overcast skies helped create a mood but visitors seemed undaunted by the weather.

Sometimes people’s true feelings can show as this couple always enjoyed the festival but not the weather during the Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa Saturday, May 20, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

The use of so many umbrellas gave me some natural framing devices, as well as the “shade” of the trees focusing a viewer’s eyes on what I want them to see in my images.

Umbrellas could be found everywhere during a wet Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa Saturday, May 20, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Lastly, I enjoyed being able to some extent single out some of the young dancers of which the girls seemed thrilled to perform and the boys reluctant participants. But the food I had tasted the same, and with so many umbrellas people offered a space while I shot in different locations.A sunny day would not have given me the same results and I didn’t mind a little drizzle and certainly didn’t mind the cooler weather.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

 

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Finding a Photo in Siouxland, Sioux City

31 May

The last couple of days I have found myself doing yard work. Sometimes one just has to get some “chores” done as spring moves into summer. With warmer days ahead, now seemed a good time to do some sidewalk repair with a near perfect day with temps in the low 70’s and a breeze. When I finished I took a moment and laid back on the ground to view the sky above and wasn’t disappointed. And I didn’t have to go far in Siouxland to photograph the sky and clouds on a weather perfect day. I just needed to take the time to look up and then go get my camera.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Blue sky and white clouds on a weather perfect day in Sioux City, Iowa Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Blue sky and white clouds on a weather perfect day in Sioux City, Iowa Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Blue sky and white clouds on a weather perfect day in Sioux City, Iowa Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

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Finding your way through Siouxland, Bacon Creek Fog

19 Mar

This time of year brings a continual change of weather. One day it will be sunny, blue sky, possibly windy and the next, colder temps, rain, maybe even snow, and sometimes fog. And so it was the earlier in the week that fog descended on Siouxland making it treacherous for early morning drivers getting to work, but absolutely gorgeous for those looking for a different set of images to photograph.

I opted to stay safe, and rather than driving about to find images to shoot in the fog, I went to Bacon Creek Park in Sioux City, Iowa, to walk its trail. Almost like stepping back into time, a walk through a primordial space. The only chatter to hear was birds making a ruckus. And the sound carried for through the quiet woods for quite a distance. The fog seeming to amplify the sound. It was almost magical and a nice way to spend a morning.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

 

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Fog on a Warmer Day in Siouxland, Sioux City

23 Feb

The other day started out with a little fog as these last days of February seem to vacillate between warmer than normal and normal temperatures for this time of year. People in a hurry were confronted with slippery streets early in the morning from “frozen” mist. But those not in a hurry could enjoy the fog and a quiet-felt day that this weather effected. I like this moodiness and found a few scenes at the campus of Morningside College nearby. But alas, I long for those sunshine days that are bright on the eyes. But the good thing is these warmer than normal days are helping turn the recent 14 inch blizzard into a memory and moisture for lawns.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

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Enjoying Winter in Siouxland, Bacon Creek Park

19 Jan

I am finding that as I get a bit older, the less I like walking around in temperatures below 10 degrees. Well actually 15 degrees. And if it’s colder and the wind is blowing making an even colder windchill temperature, it just sucks. But on the other hand, when the sun is shining, I find I can brave the cold for a short walk and sometimes head out to a nearby park, Bacon Creek Park, in Sioux City, Iowa.

So I did a couple weeks back, braved the cold, went for a short walk in a park in Siouxland, and saw some nice light and shadows with an afternoon sun. I saw others had been out before me, and I am happy for them. Maybe they stayed a little longer than I did. In winter it may look inviting with the sun shining, and it is, but one still needs to bundle up. My 30-40 minutes of exertion however gave me some nice light/shadow images and breathing in some fresh air is always good. And since February is closer now than it was, I know spring is on its way.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

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Revisiting favorite places in Siouxland, Stone State Park

23 Dec

There are some places I go to numerous times out of the year, like many people. Although this particular place is not a favorite restaurant or bookstore and department store. I go to a local park, Stone State Park, located in Sioux City, Iowa, many times throughout the year. Some times I schedule class outings there, but most times I go there by myself.

I like nature. I know the areas I walk and revisit, like many others who also frequent the park. And I always tell students that each time there is something different. The season, the lighting, the foliage, and how you see it. The quiet, the sounds of nature, all combine to make a new experience and an opportunity to really see something change, and to recognize that you understand that. The toughest thing to photograph is something one sees everyday. Those sights almost become backgrounds if we let them. I went there this fall, and again in early winter and photographed the same scene. First, I liked what I saw and photographed them without the thought of comparing them. But after editing the second group of photos, I remembered the first set. I used different techniques to record my vision of what I saw each time, but it gave me pause, and the chance to reflect what I saw, how I saw it, and maybe why I chose to photograph this scene the way I did.

At times when photographing, I shoot pretty straight forward, trying to capture the scene but adding my own thought of light and shade or heavy exposure, reflecting how I like to shoot. But every now and again, I like to experiment and shoot in B&W, or use a Holga lens. Trying to capture some fleeting essence that appeals to me in that particular moment while I am witnessing the scene in front of me, which I know, will be different the next time I visit the park because I will be thinking different thoughts, maybe about current events or other life factors that have passed between my visit then and past.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

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All that glitters in Siouxland

16 Dec

After the first significant snowfall in Siouxland, the sun finally emerged and the snow began disappearing. Since it was a heavy clinging kind of snow, the melt formed ice on many bushes and trees like the deciduous holly bush. Which in turn created some nice visual effects as well. And so glittering in a nearby alley was a frozen entree for some enterprising bird, and a nice visual treat for those checking out the after snowfall landscape.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

After a recent snow shower, sunshine is melting remaining snow encasing berries in ice on a holly bush, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in Sioux City, Iowa. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

After a recent snow shower, sunshine is melting remaining snow encasing berries in ice on a holly bush, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in Sioux City, Iowa. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

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