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Paul Lindquist Photography
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Paul Lindquist Photography
Home
About
Performance
Synchronized Skating
Nature Fine Art Prints
Blog
Contact
Home
About
Performance
Synchronized Skating
Nature Fine Art Prints
Blog
Contact
A scenic view of a mountain lake surrounded by pine trees, with rugged mountains in the background illuminated by sunlight. View fullsize
DJI_0789 copy 18x36.jpg View fullsize
View of a sailboat's mast and rigging silhouetted against a colorful sunset over the ocean, with soft pink, purple, and orange clouds in the sky. View fullsize
A forest path covered with fallen yellow leaves, surrounded by trees with yellow and orange foliage, with a black wooden bench on the left side. View fullsize
Silhouette of sailboats anchored at a marina during sunset with the sky painted in shades of purple, pink, and orange, reflected in the calm water. View fullsize
A winding forest road surrounded by tall trees with green and yellow leaves, with sunlight filtering through the foliage. View fullsize
Northern lights illuminating a clear night sky with silhouettes of trees, a windmill, and buildings in a rural landscape. View fullsize
A river with a small waterfall flowing through a forested landscape with tall pine trees and mountains in the background. View fullsize
A mountain with a rocky peak over a forested area near a turquoise lake, with houses on the lake's shore and a blue sky overhead. View fullsize
A solitary leafless tree stands in a foggy field with a backdrop of a dense green forest and a clear blue sky. View fullsize
Scenic mountain landscape with glacier-covered peaks, green forested slopes, and a calm lake with small boats and people paddling. View fullsize
Night scene of a historic city square in Gdańsk, Poland, with colorful buildings, a tall church tower, yellow umbrellas at an outdoor market, and street lamps illuminating the area. View fullsize
A mountain surrounded by a forest with a river flowing in the foreground and cloudy skies overhead. View fullsize
Night scene of a city street viewed through an ancient brick archway, with a tall illuminated tower or church spire in the background and yellow street market umbrellas in the foreground. View fullsize
A scenic view of a turquoise lake surrounded by dense evergreen trees and rugged mountains under a partly cloudy blue sky. View fullsize
A scenic mountain lake with a dock of colorful canoes and kayaks, surrounded by forested shoreline and towering rocky mountains under a partly cloudy sky. View fullsize
A forest scene in autumn with trees shedding yellow and orange leaves. There are stone steps leading up a hillside, surrounded by fallen leaves and scattered branches. View fullsize
A mountain range with rugged peaks and patches of snow, a turquoise lake in the foreground, and a forested shoreline with green trees. There are small boats on the lake with people paddling. View fullsize
View of the ocean from a sailing ship with ropes and pulleys in the foreground, the sky has pink and purple clouds with the sun setting, and a small sailboat is visible in the distance. View fullsize
View from a sailboat showing ropes, pulleys, and part of the wooden ship structure with a calm ocean and cloudy sky in the background during sunset or sunrise. View fullsize
Silhouettes of boat rigging against a sunset over the ocean, with a person sitting on the deck. View fullsize
A dirt trail winds through a forest with tall trees and green foliage, leading towards a bright sky visible through the branches. View fullsize
DJI_0712 copy.jpg View fullsize
Night view of a European city square illuminated with yellow lights from outdoor cafes and street lamps, with historic buildings and a church in the background. View fullsize
A wooded forest scene featuring a narrow dirt path under tree canopy with autumn leaves in yellow, orange, and green. Sunlight filters through the trees, illuminating the path. View fullsize
View from a sailboat at sunset with the orange sail on the left and the sunset over the water in the background, viewed through the boat's rigging and mast. View fullsize
Colorful historic buildings along a riverbank with people kayaking on the water and people walking along the promenade. View fullsize
Scenic view of a mountain lake with turquoise water, surrounded by tall evergreen trees and rugged snow-capped peaks in the background, with a partly cloudy sky. View fullsize
Silhouettes of sailboats on the water during a colorful sunset with pink, purple, and orange hues in the sky. View fullsize
A forest path surrounded by tall trees with orange, yellow, and brown autumn leaves, with some snow on branches and ground. View fullsize
Colorful historic buildings lining a canal under a clear blue sky. View fullsize
A mountain landscape with a river flowing through a dense green forest and snow-capped mountain peaks in the background under a partly cloudy sky. View fullsize
A peaceful ocean sunset with pink, purple, and orange hues in the sky, and silhouettes of sailboats on calm water. View fullsize
Nighttime cityscape of downtown Chicago with lit buildings, a river, and a bridge with streaks of light from moving vehicles. View fullsize
Two people fishing at sunset on a body of water, silhouetted against an orange sky with reflections on the water surface. View fullsize
Sailboat sailing on the ocean during sunset with a colorful sky and the sun near the horizon. View fullsize
Scenic view of a bright blue lake surrounded by dense green pine forests and towering rocky mountains under a partly cloudy sky. View fullsize
Close-up view of purple and blue lupine flowers in a field with a blurred background of more lupines. View fullsize
DSC03696 copy 5.jpg View fullsize
DSC00191 copy.jpg View fullsize
DJI_0712 copy.jpg View fullsize
DJI_0423 copy 3.jpg View fullsize
A scenic view of a mountain lake surrounded by pine trees, with rugged mountains in the background illuminated by sunlight.
DJI_0789 copy 18x36.jpg
View of a sailboat's mast and rigging silhouetted against a colorful sunset over the ocean, with soft pink, purple, and orange clouds in the sky.
A forest path covered with fallen yellow leaves, surrounded by trees with yellow and orange foliage, with a black wooden bench on the left side.
Silhouette of sailboats anchored at a marina during sunset with the sky painted in shades of purple, pink, and orange, reflected in the calm water.
A winding forest road surrounded by tall trees with green and yellow leaves, with sunlight filtering through the foliage.
Northern lights illuminating a clear night sky with silhouettes of trees, a windmill, and buildings in a rural landscape.
A river with a small waterfall flowing through a forested landscape with tall pine trees and mountains in the background.
A mountain with a rocky peak over a forested area near a turquoise lake, with houses on the lake's shore and a blue sky overhead.
A solitary leafless tree stands in a foggy field with a backdrop of a dense green forest and a clear blue sky.
Scenic mountain landscape with glacier-covered peaks, green forested slopes, and a calm lake with small boats and people paddling.
Night scene of a historic city square in Gdańsk, Poland, with colorful buildings, a tall church tower, yellow umbrellas at an outdoor market, and street lamps illuminating the area.
A mountain surrounded by a forest with a river flowing in the foreground and cloudy skies overhead.
Night scene of a city street viewed through an ancient brick archway, with a tall illuminated tower or church spire in the background and yellow street market umbrellas in the foreground.
A scenic view of a turquoise lake surrounded by dense evergreen trees and rugged mountains under a partly cloudy blue sky.
A scenic mountain lake with a dock of colorful canoes and kayaks, surrounded by forested shoreline and towering rocky mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A forest scene in autumn with trees shedding yellow and orange leaves. There are stone steps leading up a hillside, surrounded by fallen leaves and scattered branches.
A mountain range with rugged peaks and patches of snow, a turquoise lake in the foreground, and a forested shoreline with green trees. There are small boats on the lake with people paddling.
View of the ocean from a sailing ship with ropes and pulleys in the foreground, the sky has pink and purple clouds with the sun setting, and a small sailboat is visible in the distance.
View from a sailboat showing ropes, pulleys, and part of the wooden ship structure with a calm ocean and cloudy sky in the background during sunset or sunrise.
Silhouettes of boat rigging against a sunset over the ocean, with a person sitting on the deck.
A dirt trail winds through a forest with tall trees and green foliage, leading towards a bright sky visible through the branches.
DJI_0712 copy.jpg
Night view of a European city square illuminated with yellow lights from outdoor cafes and street lamps, with historic buildings and a church in the background.
A wooded forest scene featuring a narrow dirt path under tree canopy with autumn leaves in yellow, orange, and green. Sunlight filters through the trees, illuminating the path.
View from a sailboat at sunset with the orange sail on the left and the sunset over the water in the background, viewed through the boat's rigging and mast.
Colorful historic buildings along a riverbank with people kayaking on the water and people walking along the promenade.
Scenic view of a mountain lake with turquoise water, surrounded by tall evergreen trees and rugged snow-capped peaks in the background, with a partly cloudy sky.
Silhouettes of sailboats on the water during a colorful sunset with pink, purple, and orange hues in the sky.
A forest path surrounded by tall trees with orange, yellow, and brown autumn leaves, with some snow on branches and ground.
Colorful historic buildings lining a canal under a clear blue sky.
A mountain landscape with a river flowing through a dense green forest and snow-capped mountain peaks in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A peaceful ocean sunset with pink, purple, and orange hues in the sky, and silhouettes of sailboats on calm water.
Nighttime cityscape of downtown Chicago with lit buildings, a river, and a bridge with streaks of light from moving vehicles.
Two people fishing at sunset on a body of water, silhouetted against an orange sky with reflections on the water surface.
Sailboat sailing on the ocean during sunset with a colorful sky and the sun near the horizon.
Scenic view of a bright blue lake surrounded by dense green pine forests and towering rocky mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
Close-up view of purple and blue lupine flowers in a field with a blurred background of more lupines.
DSC03696 copy 5.jpg
DSC00191 copy.jpg
DJI_0712 copy.jpg
DJI_0423 copy 3.jpg

The lake rarely stays quiet for long on a holiday weekend.

Jet skis carved across the open water, throwing spray into the sunlight and occasionally leaving the surface altogether. From a photographer's perspective, they offered exactly what I look for in action photography: speed, unpredictability and moments that disappear almost as quickly as the shutter can capture them.

Not every moment was quite so intense.

Some were simply about being on the water.

The activity around Minocqua is part of what gives the area its summertime personality. Boats pass in nearly every direction, paddlers work in unison, and people find seemingly endless ways to enjoy the lake.

And apparently, some passengers insist on having the best seat in the boat.

But one of my favorite things about photographing Minocqua is how quickly the character of the lake can change.

Move away from the engines and wakes, slow down, and another world begins to appear.

Sometimes that world is very small.

This little duckling wasn't doing anything particularly dramatic. It was simply paddling along, surrounded by gentle ripples. But through a long lens at water level, the tiny droplets caught in its down, the fine hairs around its head and the expression in its eye turned an ordinary encounter into one of those wonderfully quiet moments that are easy to overlook.

The same is true along the shoreline. Wildlife doesn't always announce itself. Sometimes it is perched on a rope only a few inches long.

Sometimes it is watching you just as carefully as you are watching it.

And sometimes, you hear it before you see it.

Few sounds belong to the Northwoods quite like the call of a loon.

Seeing one is always special. Finding a pair together on calm water is something else entirely.

Whispers on the Water

There was something wonderfully peaceful about watching these two together. Against the warm reflections on the lake, the moment felt almost completely removed from the activity taking place elsewhere on the water.

It became one of my favorite photographs from the trip—not because anything dramatic was happening, but because nothing needed to.

Of course, Minocqua's skies offered a very different kind of wildlife encounter.

Bald eagles were frequent visitors, and photographing them gave me some of the most memorable moments of the weekend.

There is something extraordinary about watching an eagle leave its perch and suddenly become almost effortless in flight.

With its wings lowered and body streamlined against the soft green Northwoods background, this eagle seemed to glide almost silently through the frame.

The slightly open beak and intensely focused eye gave the photograph a personality I didn't fully appreciate until I began working on the image later.

But occasionally, everything comes together—the light, the background, the position of the bird and a fraction of a second that could never be recreated.

Into the Turn

This was one of those moments.

The eagle rolled into its turn with its wings extended, revealing the extraordinary structure of the feathers while maintaining that unmistakable intensity in its eye.

And then came my favorite encounter of the weekend.

Breaking the Surface

This photograph almost didn't become what it eventually became.

When I first looked through the images, I wasn't convinced this frame was particularly special. But the more I worked with it, the more I began to recognize what had happened in that fraction of a second.

The eagle was at the surface of the lake, wings spread nearly from one side of the frame to the other, talons meeting the water as the splash erupted beneath it. Even the broken reflection became part of the composition.

What initially seemed like an image I might pass over eventually became one of my favorite eagle photographs I have ever made.

Photography occasionally gives you that surprise.

The photograph isn't always finished when you press the shutter.

The eagles weren't the only raptors overhead.

This osprey launched from the surrounding pines and passed through a natural opening in the branches. I initially considered removing much of the tree from the photograph, but eventually realized the pines were precisely what gave the image its sense of place.

Without them, it was an osprey against a blue sky.

With them, it was unmistakably the Northwoods.

And perhaps that is what I enjoy most about photographing Minocqua.

The spectacular moments are wonderful. An eagle hitting the water or an osprey launching from a pine tree can make an entire morning worthwhile.

But they aren't the whole story.

The story is also a duckling quietly making ripples across the water. A loon calling somewhere beyond the shoreline. A boat passing in the distance. Kids bouncing across a wake. The sound of a jet ski disappearing around the bend.

And on the Fourth of July, eventually, the sky itself becomes part of the show.

For a few minutes, flashes of light reflected across the lake and the quiet Northwoods sky became something completely different.

Then the fireworks ended.

The reflections disappeared.

And the lake became a lake again.

Until morning.