These days on the lake, when photographing for the Lake Series, with emerald green waters and a flat gray sky, are some of my favorites because of the contrast between the sky and the green water of the lake as a storm begins to threaten overhead.
The Sky over Green Water
The sky forms a wall, seemingly impenetrable, sunlight is unable to get through. If you peer closely enough at the clouds in the sky, you can begin to see colors emerging, subtly shifting blues and pinks push the clouds beyond just being gray. But their impenetrable nature remains. This gray wall climbs up in the sky from the green water of the horizon line.
In Contrast to the Sky
But in contrast to the sky there is such great intensity to the water. Both in color and form. Small white caps are beginning to appear in these green waters of Lake Michigan. While the sky might appear static, the wind is clearly pushing the lake water at my feet to form these waves, the water beginning to become more and more choppy, the risks of being on the lake increasing as time passes and the storm approaches.
These days appear, more often than not in the spring, throughout the course of the year and this particular photo of Lake Michigan was taken this past fall, as the temperatures began to drop for the first, but not last time, this season. We’ve had a number of recent warm days the most recent of several rounds of unseasonable temperatures that have caused considerable confusion to many of the lake’s residents. However, even with these warm days, the ducks and geese continue to form along the shorelines, preparing themselves for the winter ahead, knowing this warm spell won’t last forever.