OK, so I saw an article in the paper this weekend that said this is a great time of year to watch the steelhead trout spawning on the Kewaunee River. The DNR traps migratory trout on the river and brings them to the C. D. Besadny Anadromous Fish Facility (there’s a mouthful) where they claim the fish ‘leap, climb, and splash‘ up an enormous ladder structure that resembles a multileveled waterfall.

Kewaunee River

I thought this would be a great opportunity to photograph some fish in action, and although I don’t do a lot of wildlife photography, I thought I could handle this. Unfortunately, it was not to be – as you can see in the picture, there was nary a ripple in the water. No observable fish – in the water, out of the water – anywhere.

This is often the case in photography – you start out with one plan, which doesn’t pan out, so you need to make the best of the situation. This photograph isn’t the best, with the man-made waterfall and the lack of any interesting features in the sky, but it is a tranquil scene in early spring. The water provides an opportunity to play around with shutter speed to get different effects in the water – crisp and clear water with a faster shutter speed, and silky, flowing water with a slower shutter speed. This picture was taken at 1/125 second at f/11 (ISO 200), giving a crisp and clear look to the water coming down the waterfall.

Tug Ludington

Disappointed with the fish facility, I proceeded into the town of Kewaunee, which is located on Lake Michigan near Door County. The Kewaunee harbor provided a few more photographic opportunities.

Moored in the Kewaunee Harbor was the tugboat Ludington. This tugboat was built for World War II, and participated in the D-Day invasion at Normandy. Although the tugboat is in an urban environment, the use of tight, close shots can ensure that the focus of a picture is the tugboat, or of parts of the tugboat. This picture was taken for 1/80 second at f/11 (ISO 200).

Kewaunee Beach

Before I left Kewaunee, I explored the lake a little more, and came across Kewaunee Beach – oddly deserted at this time of year. Of course, water temperature in Lake Michigan is about 38 degrees F – might have something to do with the reason the beach is deserted.

So while I went to see fish jumping, it was not to be – still, there were other opportunities to photograph, which is the point of this post – when the original plan doesn’t work out, look for other ways to take advantage of the trip.