Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources via AP

This May 14 photo provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shows a smoky wildfire in northwestern Wisconsin that has consumed 8,700 acres, destroyed nearly 50 structures and forced dozens from their homes. The DNR says the wildfire in Douglas County is about 90 percent contained Wednesday morning, meaning firefighters have stopped most of the fire from spreading.

Clint Austin / AP

A structure burns along Sutfin Road east of Comminsky Road in Highland Township, Wis., east of Solon Springs, Wis., on May 14. Crews from Wisconsin and Minnesota were trying to control a rapidly growing wildfire in northwestern Wisconsin that forced evacuations of the sparsely populated area. Several structures were destroyed in a mostly rural and wooded area east of Solon Springs as the forest fire grew to 9 square miles, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said. No injuries had been reported.

 Follow @NBCNewsPictures

Michael P. King / Wisconsin State Journal via AP

A snowball fight rages among University of Wisconsin-Madison students on Bascom Hill in Madison, Wis., Dec. 20, 2012.

Michael P. King / AP

A street sign is topped with several inches of snow in Madison, Wis., Dec. 20.

WTMJ-TV reports — The governor of Wisconsin has issued a state of emergency as a winter storm approaches the state. Snow totals of 15 inches or more are possible. “I issued this executive order to make sure Wisconsin is prepared for whatever this winter storm may bring,” Gov. Scott Walker said in a statement. “Mobilizing our state agency resources during this storm will ensure we leave nothing to chance when it comes to protecting the citizens of Wisconsin.” The declaration puts Wisconsin Emergency Management, the Wisconsin National Guard and the State Patrol at the ready for various emergencies.

Read more about the storm here.

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

•Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

Michael P. King / Wisconsin State Journal via AP

University of Wisconsin-Madison students try to help a food delivery truck driver free his vehicle from snow after it made a stop at Wasabi Japanese Restaurant in Madison, Wis., Dec. 20. They were not successful.

Jeffrey Phelps / EPA

An Amish boy plays in snow outside a one-room schoolhouse in Kingston, Wis., Dec. 20.

Jeffrey Phelps / EPA

Whiteout conditions along a county road near Beaver Dam, Wis., Dec. 20.

John Hart / Wisconsin State Journal via AP

Luke McHenry, left, and his son Sebastian Wells dig out their snow-buried vehicle in Madison, Wis., Dec. 20.

By Meredith Birkett and Jim Seida, NBC News

"I drove by that tree for 19 years and never took a single frame of it,” photographer Mark Hirsch told NBC News.  The tree, a massive oak, is on his way home, along a country road in southwest Wisconsin.

Mark Hirsch

L to R: Jan. 20, Hirsch's first photo of the tree; March 14, still ten days before the official start of the project; Day 19, April 11

But one day when a friend challenged Hirsch to try out the camera on his new iPhone 4S, he stopped his truck and trudged 500 yards through the snow to make his first picture of the tree (left frame, above). Surprised by the image quality - despite being used to professional gear – he showed the pictures to another friend who told him it could be a cool project if he did more.

Mark Hirsch

Day 184, Sept. 23

Hirsch committed to taking a picture of the tree every day for a year and posted the images on Instagram and Facebook. Fast forward 190+ days and Mark Hirsch has captured seemingly every angle and every kind of light that could hit this tree which stands out from the surrounding cornfield. Doing so is not without effort, though. He’s woken his wife with the alarm clock to be ready for dawn light at 4:30 in the morning. On another day when the light just never seemed to get good, he jumped up mid-salad during dinner to take a picture when the sun finally broke through the clouds.

Mark Hirsch

Day 101, July 2

As much as Hirsch depends upon good light to make beautiful images, he's not afraid of the dark. From Hirsch's Instagram feed: "During dusk one evening the lightning bugs were coming out and I wanted to capture their sporadic bursts of light. The iPhone camera really doesn't allow for times exposures so I utilized another app, SlowShutter, which essentially stacks video frames into a single image.  The resulting photo (above) doesn't have the sharp resolution of a still frame image but I think it produces an interesting effect regardless.

There are days when Hirsch struggles to come up with something fresh. On those days, he tries a few tricks, like taking a different path toward the tree, or taking a closer look, which helped him discover a moth almost perfectly camouflaged against the bark. Or he'll lay down on his back and get a new perspective looking straight up. (below)

Mark Hirsch

Day 119, July 20

Mark Hirsch

Day 123, July 24

“It’s kind of funny," Hirsch says, "If someone was off in a corner watching me they’d think I was some crazy guy because I’m all alone. It’s kind of my one on one time with this silly tree.”

Hirsch is a professional photographer, doing both commercial and editorial work. Despite the occasionally stressful sprints home from his assignments to get a shot done before day’s end he says, “Those expeditions are actually some of the most relaxing and rewarding moments in my day.” Hirsch's German Wirehaired Pointer 'Magnum' (below) frequently and enthusiastically joins him on his photographic expeditions to the tree.

Mark Hirsch

Day 137, Aug. 7

The social networking of Hirsch's project has fostered other connections as well.  Childhood friend Lora Kohnlein, who now lives in Henderson, Colo.,  found his project on Facebook and decided to pay a visit to the tree when she was visiting her hometown. From Hirsch's Instagram feed:  "...I had a fun time early this morning introducing Lora Kohnlein and her sons Duggan and Patrick to that tree. The boys and I climbed the tree, examined dozens of bugs and discussed the finer points of the video game angry birds. Thanks boys for inspiring me to see things like a kid again!"

Mark Hirsch

Day 111, July 2

The massive tree, whose trunk Hirsch says is more than two grown men’s arm lengths around, is not as fixed as it might appear. Arable land in the area is in high demand because the price of corn is so high.  A bulldozer operator was working to expand some farmland nearby and asked the farm’s owner if he’d like the giant oak taken down too. The farmer, Tim Clare, replied, “That tree’s been there for over two hundred years.  I’m not the guy that’s gonna push it over.”

Through the project, Hirsch has gained a new environmental awareness.“ I would not label myself an environmentalist, but I have always had a grand appreciation for the environment. My relationship with “that tree” has awakened a new-found vision, and appreciation for the fragility of our world and our need to embrace a more sustainable use of our resources.”

Mark Hirsch

Day 149, Aug. 19

Mark Hirsch

Day 71, June 2

Hirsch has been surprised by the public appreciation of what is at its core, a simple idea. He has an exhibit currently showing in Dubuque. He hopes to publish a book. You can get near-daily updates on the “That Tree” Facebook page or by following @blockhouseroller on Instagram (both iPhone and Android).

Share your photos of the changing seasons with NBCNews.com:

1. In the caption (or a tweet), tell us briefly where the picture was taken and what is represents to you about the changing seasons.
2. Tag your photo #NBCNewsPics in Instagram or Twitter.
3. Or upload your photo in the box below.

Follow @msnbc_pictures

John Gress / Reuters

Sikhs attend a vigil in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on August 7, 2012 following the killings of six worshippers at a Sikh temple.

The Associated Press reports — Hundreds of people gathered in southeastern Wisconsin Tuesday night to remember the six Sikh worshippers who were fatally shot at their temple on Sunday.

Attendees held candles and prayed for the victims, remembering them as peaceful individuals dedicated to their families and faith.

Police Chief John Edwards told the crowd that such incidents often prompt anger and calls for revenge, but he says he was struck by the peaceful reaction of the Sikh community.

Slideshow: Gunman opens fire at Sikh temple in Wisconsin

Jeffrey Phelps / AP

A gunman opened fire Sunday morning at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, killing six people and wounding at least three others, including a police officer, before being shot to death, authorities said.

Launch slideshow

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

Jeffrey Phelps / AP

A man wipes away tears outside the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis., where a shooting took place on Sunday, Aug 5.

Jeffrey Phelps / AP

A temple committee member, Ven Boba Ri, told the Journal-Sentinel that people inside the temple described the shooter as a white male in his 30s.

"We have no idea," he said of the motive. "It's pretty much a hate crime. It's not an insider."

Ri told the Journal-Sentinel the gunman walked up to a priest who was standing outside the temple and shot him. Then he went inside and started shooting.

-- Reported by NBC News

Read the full story.

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Gregory Shaver / Journal Times via AP

Edwardo Martinez tries to coax Pete Lui off the balcony as flames spread through the second floor apartment of his home in Racine, Wis. on July 24, 2012.

Neighbors rushed to a house fire in Racine, Wis. on Tuesday. Pete Lui was rescued from his burning home by the Racine Fire Department then transported to a burn unit at Columbia St. Mary’s in Milwaukee. Read More

Gregory Shaver / Journal Times via AP

Edwardo Martinez yells for help as he tries to rescue Pete Lui off the balcony of Lui's home in Racine, Wis.

Gregory Shaver / Journal Times via AP

Pete Lui waits for firefighters to raise a ladder to the balcony of his home in Racine, Wis.

Follow @NBCNewsPictures

•Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Residents vote shortly after the polls opened in the Wisconsin recall election at the Beloit Historical Society on June 5, in Beloit, Wisconsin. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, is trying to unseat Republican Governor Scott Walker in the recall election. Opponents of Walker forced a recall election after the governor pushed to change the collective bargaining process for public employees in the state.

Jeffrey Phelps / AP

People wait in line for voting to open on June 5, in Milwaukee. Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker is taking on Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a recall election.

AP reports -- After a brief but bruising campaign that followed a more than yearlong fight over union rights and the state's cash-strapped budget, voters in a narrowly divided Wisconsin began casting ballots Tuesday on whether to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

The first-term Republican was back on the ballot just 17 months after his election. Enraged Democrats and labor activists gathered more than 900,000 signatures in support of the recall after they failed to stop Walker and his GOP allies in the state legislature from stripping most public employees of their union right to collectively bargain. Continue reading.

For more information: Wisconsin recall vote continues the age of polarization.

Morry Gash / AP

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker votes on June 5, in Wauwatosa, Wis. Walker faces Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a special recall election.

John Gress / Reuters

Gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee's Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett lines up to vote at the French Immersion School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 5. Wisconsin voters will decide on Tuesday whether to throw Governor Scott Walker out of office in a rare recall election forced by opponents of the Republican's controversial effort to curb collective bargaining for most unionized government workers.

Jeffrey Phelps / AP

Voters cast their ballots on June 5, in Milwaukee. Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker is taking on Democratic challenger Tom Barrett in a recall election.

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Sara Stathas / Reuters

Sturgeons lie on blue plastic tarps covering the pool table and surrounding floors at Woodeye's Bar in Winneconne, Wisconsin on Saturday. Opening day of sturgeon fishing in Wisconsin is a day of celebration and socialization within the communities around Lake Winnebago. Woodeye's Bar in Winneconne, on the north end of the Lake Winnebago, rolls out the "red carpet" for the catches of the day.

Sara Stathas / Reuters

Fishermen arrive for opening day of sturgeon fishing season in the cold at 12 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 11 degrees Celsius) for opening day of sturgeon fishing season on Lake Winnebago in Pipe, Wisconsin on Saturday.

Sara Stathas / Reuters

Dan Loftus, a chiropractor from Germantown, Wisconsin, sits patiently in his ice-fishing shack on Lake Winnebago.

Sara Stathas / Reuters

Randy Becker, 56, from Brillion, Wisconsin, brings his 40 lb (18 kg) sturgeon to the Stockbridge weighing station before cut off time to register a catch on the eastern shore of Lake Winnebego.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the eagerly-anticipated sturgeon spearing season started slowly this year:

"It gets in your blood," said Bill McAloon, a director of the conservation group Sturgeon For Tomorrow. "For the communities around here, this is a much-awaited time."

The season will run through Feb. 26 or until harvest caps are reached, whichever comes first.

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Andy Manis / AP

Julie Wells of United Wisconsin celebrates in the back of a moving van, Jan. 17, 2012, in Madison, Wis., that contains about 1 million signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

Darren Hauck / Reuters

Supporters show up with boxes containing about one million signed recall petitions forms at the General Accounting Board in Madison, Wis. on Tuesday.

WTMJ-TV and JSOnline.com report that Groups seeking to recall Gov. Scott Walker submitted nearly twice as many signatures Tuesday as required to force an election, an overwhelming number that may make an election later this year inevitable. But Walker's opponents still must transform public outrage over his pushback against unions into actual votes to oust him from office.

If the governor is worried, he's not showing it: As petitions were delivered to election officials, he was out of state raising money to defend himself and the agenda that has made him a national conservative hero.

We’ve been covering the situation in Wisconsin for quite some time in PhotoBlog.

• Protesters pack the Wisconsin State Capitol in opposition to the elimination of collective bargaining for state workers
• Man stands on ledge at Wisconsin Capitol amid ongoing protest
• Wisconsin representatives set up desks outside Capitol
• Raucous crowds: Police remove protesters from Wis. Capitol
• Protesters spell out their grievances at the Wisconsin State Capitol
• After 40 hours of exhausting debate, Wisconsin representatives strike a deal

Eric Jamison / AP

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler smiles after being crowned Miss America, Jan. 14, at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

Slideshow: Miss America 2012

In dazzling gowns and sexy bikinis, 53 contestants competed for the pageant's coveted crown.

Launch slideshow

AP reports:

Laura Kaeppeler won the pageant Saturday night after strutting in a white bikini and black beaded evening gown, singing opera and answering a question about whether beauty queens should declare their politics by saying Miss America represents everyone.

"Miss America represents everyone, so I think the message to political candidates is that they represent everyone as well," Kaeppeler said. "And so in these economic times, we need to be looking forward to what America needs, and I think Miss America needs to represent all."

Full story: Wisconsinite wins 2012 Miss America crown

Follow @msnbc_pictures

Laski Diffusion / Getty Images Contributor

Lana Peters (then named Svetlana Alliluyeva) in Moscow in 1933 with her father, Russian Communist Party Leader Josef Stalin.

John Dominis / Getty Images

Lana Peters, the daughter of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, in 1967 on Long Island after seeking political asylum in the US.

Steve Apps / Wisconsin State Journal via AP

Lana Peters is photographed on a rural road outside of Richland Center, Wisconsin on Tuesday, April 13, 2010.

From the full story:

"Wherever I go," she said, "here, or Switzerland, or India, or wherever. Australia. Some island. I always will be a political prisoner of my father's name."

She was once close to her father, who called her his "little sparrow," the New York Times reported. She was known as Svetlana Alliluyeva and compared to U.S. actress Shirley Temple, with thousands of Russian children named Svetlana after her.

She was 6 years old when her mother died from suicide, though she was told she had been ill. Her brother was killed during the Second World War with Germany when her father refused to exchange him for a German general, the Times reported.

Read more...