IN THE FIELD: Frosty Windows

 

Spring may be right around the corner…at least according to the calendar. But just the other morning when I went outside to warm up the Jeep, Mother Nature said winter is still here. 

Luckily for me the sun had just risen above the horizon and I was able to capture this display of ice diamonds on the passenger window.  

 

 

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INSPIRATION AND ASSIGNMENTS: LOOKY WHAT I SEE

 

Most of the subject matter I photograph falls into the “nature” category. Flowers, trees, scenics and everything in between are typical subjects. There are times when architecture even comes into play.

While out shooting these “typical” subjects, I am always on the lookout for something fun, different, or the unusual.

Images that don’t have a specific category on my computer yet, and could be classified as unusual, or different or fun, are stored in a folder I have named “Abstracts”.

Here is a photo that has just been added to my abstracts folder. I would bet that most folks have seen this a time or two.

 

 

 

 

Inspiration And Assignments: Look Closely And You Will See

This photo was taken just two days ago. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and  you folks will probably figure this one out pretty quickly. In this day and age of modern technology what you are seeing can be a pretty common occurrence if the weather and light all gel together. In fact, I would bet you have all seen something like this in your travels.

Inspiration And Assignments: ARCHIVED IMAGES

Every couple of months I will review my archived images. Sometimes I will just pick a random category and really scrutinize the images. Other times I will review several categories and just look at them to bring back memories of the time and place. I have found it to be an inspiring and rewarding activity.

My latest foray into the depths of one of my hard drives was looking through images in my  Weather folder. Some of those photos brought back memories of a very stormy evening which started out as a beautiful sunny late summer day.

Then Mother Nature decided it was time for a change. It was after all, early evening, and there is no better time for change than early evening. Dark ominous clouds moved in, the winds picked up and it started to rain. Well, really it was more like a monsoon. The weather app on my phone started alerting me that severe weather was on its way. Really severe weather. Mesocylclones were all over the map. These are large air masses associated with tornados. And these air masses were very close. Like a mile away close. It really is best to stay inside in these situations. Besides I was still at work so I had no choice. But in reality I wanted to photograph what was happening outside. So I made the best of the situation and took cover under the front porch of the store where I work. At least the roof offered some protection from the rain. The wind…not so much. I kept a vigilant eye on the radar but none of the rotating clouds formed into actual tornados.

Following the mantra of photographer friend of mine Ed Heaton, “Learning to capture light will make extraordinary images from ordinary subjects” I looked for a light source that would make for an interesting image. I wasn’t able to capture lightning strikes so I had to look elsewhere.

The headlights from a customer’s truck were shining at the perfect angle to highlight the raindrops striking the parking lot. And after the storm passed through the area, the sun highlighted the remaining cloud cover with fantastic light and color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE FIELD: Weekend Weather

The weather here has been pretty gloomy for the last couple of weeks. It is either raining, or foggy, or overcast. In fact the weather forecast is for all of the above  the entire weekend. It’s not all bad news though. With these conditions, the light has been perfect for photography.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

IN THE FIELD: IRON HORSES

About an hour from where I live is a major freight yard for the Norfolk Southern railroad.

There is usually a lot of activity with various locomotives moving freight cars of all sorts from one track to another and coupling them together in long trains headed for destinations around the country.

Although you can not get up close to the equipment due to security reasons, there are a few places in the parking area that provide good vantage points looking east or west. A zoom or telephoto lens comes in real handy for close ups and for compressing long distance perspectives. It’s a great spot for railfanning.

It was an overcast day when I took this photo and the light was pretty flat. So I decided to use black and white to better capture the mood.

In The Field: Winter Light

Subtle

Not So Subtle

Sunsets in the winter season are so varied. The first photo was taken this time last year and the second one was taken last week. Both photos were taken from the same spot looking in the same direction.

This season has been exceptional as far as intensely bright sunsets go. Some I have photographed and others I have just gazed in awe. It’s good to do that on occasion.

IN THE FIELD: HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!

 

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IN THE FIELD: Shadows In The Snow

Early morning or late afternoon is the perfect time for catching some great shadows in the snow.

I took this photo in the early morning using a custom in-camera B&W mode. I chose B&W because I liked the stark contrast of the tree trunks against the softness of the snow.

Another reason I didn’t shoot this in color was due to the deep blue shadows from the early morning light. Even though the scene is a cold visual, I didn’t want to show it as any colder.

When shooting in color, there are times when the snow is that blue from the light and shadows, it can be difficult to expose the snow as white without overexposing the whole scene and losing detail.

Of course there is always the post processing route to fix things, but I would rather get it right in camera rather than spend time adjusting the image on the computer. I suppose I’m from the old school in my way of thinking. Plus, I would rather be out shooting photographs.

There is still about two feet of snow on the ground with more on the way late tonight. This certainly has been a long snowy winter this year. It reminds me of when we were kids and the ground would be white for months.

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IN THE FIELD: Snow Day

Yesterday was another snow day where I live. It wasn’t a big storm, but we did get about three inches of fresh light fluffy snow.

For some reason I wasn’t able to get warm…all day. So I decided to stay inside and play with some close-up photography. I looked around the house for objects that would photograph well, and tried to create images that were not easily recognizable.

Okay, okay, I’ll tell you what the objects in the photos are. The first image is a close up looking down into a drinking glass.

The second is a portion of a glass vase with a blue light placed inside to add some color.

The last image was taken as I was preparing dinner. This is a pot of water with some safflower oil floating on top.

You are probably wondering what in the world was for dinner.  Winter comfort food….cheese ravioli in a rich chunky tomato/vegetable sauce. I finally felt warm after devouring more than I should have eaten. After all, the internal furnace needed fuel.