Indiana Dunes, Part 1

Over Labor Day weekend, we went up to the Indiana Dunes with some friends of ours. That place is really awesome — there are at least four different biomes all within about a square mile of each other, and you can hike through all of them in a very short period of time. There is the beach/lakefront:

1/200s, f/11, ISO-200, 28mm

(By the way, I love the placement of the bird in this image. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Click on the image to see a larger version — the effect is better.)

Then, a few hundred yards away is the savannah-like grasslands:

1/400s, f/11, ISO-400, 50mm

A ways further back, there is the dense forested areas:

1/125s, f/11, ISO-200, 45mm

And then finally, in the middle of the forest, is a giant bog:

1/250s, f/6.3, ISO-200, 40mm

(I do like the exposure on that last one a lot.)

I the first two images were shot with my polarizing filter, which is the first chance I’ve really had to play with it in an extended fashion. It’s a bit annoying to take on and off, but I do really like the effect it produces. It was a perfect day to use it, as well.

I have a few more shots from various places around the dunes that I’ll be posting over the next few days. But really, if you live or are planning to visit anywhere in the Midwest, I highly recommend going. Pictures can’t do the place justice.