IN THE FIELD: SNOW SQUALL

 

The weather forecast for this past February 13th called for a brisk sunny day. No snow was forecasted and there were no storms of any kind showing on the radar. It was mid afternoon when I happened to glance out the window and it was snowing sideways! This snow squall materialized out of nowhere and caught everyone by surprise. Traffic on the nearby highway had slowed to a crawl. The storm lasted about 20 minutes or so and then the sun reappeared from behind the clouds.

Ya know…this image may be something to refer back to this summer when the outside temperature is 90 degrees and it’s oppressively humid!

 

 

 

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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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ISO 100

cloudy WB

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.

 

IN THE FIELD: Sunset Snow

Yesterday evening I was closing the curtains for the night to help keep the warmth inside. And to cover the big black holes that form at every window opening when it’s dark outside.

As I looked out one of the windows on the western side of the house, I caught a glimpse of yet another vibrant sunset. The sky was brightly colored with yellow, orange, pink, lavender, and purple. As a bonus, the snow in our side yard was glistening from the light of the setting sun. I grabbed my camera and was able to take a few photos before the color began to fade.

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ISO 200

cloudy WB

IN THE FIELD: Winter Wonderland

This certainly has been quite a winter for some folks. It may not be the snowiest as in years past, but the storms sure have been frequent. Another storm blew through this past Sunday night thru Monday afternoon and deposited nine more inches of snow. Last night was a night of freezing rain and snow…and guess what? There is more winter weather predicted for this weekend. The area around here is beginning to look like the Great White North.

I’m not complaining because I really enjoy the winter season…I just need a break from the outdoor gym (shoveling).

Yesterday I ventured down to a nearby small creek for some scenic winter photos. I was surprised to see the water flowing at such a high rate. I thought the water would have been frozen solid since the temperature has been below freezing since…well, I can’t remember when it wasn’t.

Here is a shot I took looking upstream. It was late afternoon and there wasn’t  much sunlight at this location because of the hillside on the left was blocking the setting sun.

After viewing the image, I decided to de-saturate it to see how it would look. I like the color version because the brown leaves add some interest. I also like the monotone rendition for the really cold feeling in conveys. I think I’ll keep both.

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cloudy WB

 

IN THE FIELD: Time Warp

This morning I was walking through the family room and couldn’t help notice the pink glow beaming through the transom window over the front door. I quickly grabbed the camera to get a shot of this beautiful sunrise. I took the first photo at 7:15 this morning from the front porch of our house. The second photo was taken four hours later at 11:15 this morning from the same spot. What a difference a few hours can make!

 

 

IN THE FIELD: Nap time

Another winter storm passed through the region yesterday and last night. With it came fluffy powdery snow, very cold temperatures and bitter wind chills of -17.

“Ya know…it’s hard to play and very tiring with ten inches of snow on the ground. We sure are glad our humans shoveled the snow in the back yard. Bet they are ready for a nap too!”

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ISO 100

cloudy WB

IN THE FIELD: Christmas Lights

I took this photo of the trees we decorated alongside our driveway at our old home. I love the peaceful feeling the lights present.

 

IN THE FIELD: The Other Half Of Serenity

This photo was taken the same morning as the photo in the previous post. I was facing in an easterly direction when I took this shot, as compared to facing in a more westerly direction when I took the former photo. The two shots were taken within a minute of each other. Shortly after I took this shot, the subtle colors of the sunrise and distant forest were obscured by the fog moving up the valley.

The exposure settings for both photos were actually identical. I wanted to show the difference in color tones from two different view points and to illustrate the difference in the light, even though the scenes were very close to each other.

I used a cloudy White Balance setting for both photos primarily because I rarely use any other setting. I feel the color tones in photos have a warmer feel when using the cloudy setting. Sometimes I will need to make a custom white balance setting for really difficult, mixed, or artificial lighting situations, or if the camera is just not duplicating the color I am seeing.

I also like to experiment, if time permits, by taking several shots of the same scene using different WB settings. Not only just to see the difference, but also to determine what works best for me. There is no right or wrong, just a personal preference.

ISO 200

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Cloudy White Balance

IN THE FIELD: Serenity

A few weekends ago, mother nature created a winter wonderland during the wee hours before dawn. And I took the opportunity to step out on the deck to view the sights before breakfast.

The world around me was completely covered in white from a light snowfall. A dense fog had formed due to the warmth of the ground in the lower parts of the valley and it was heading my way. No sounds were to be heard…no traffic, no voices, no wind. Several minutes passed before I decided to get out the camera and try to capture what I was seeing.

I knew this would be an interesting exercise in exposure, due to all the reflected light and changing conditions. The sky behind me and to my right was bright, but the sun was still obscured by clouds. The scene before me and to my left was all white, foggy, and mostly monotone in color.

Because there was so much reflected light, and in order to expose for the snow and keep it reasonably white, I overexposed most of the shots from what the camera meter recommended by 1-1/3 stops. Any adjustment of more than 1-1/3 stops and the scene was overexposed. Any less than 2/3 stops overexposure, and the snow was rendering too grey and the overall scene was a bit too dark. Those darker shots are still usable but it was not the look I was going for.

Every snow scene is different. Some scenes have more contrast (dark objects vs. light objects) and some have less, as in this case. Either way, I usually start by overexposing the shot by 2/3 stops. This is because camera meters are designed to render a scene as middle grey…or about 18% reflectance. And since snow scenes can be so bright, camera meters suggest closing the aperture to reduce the amount of light that would reach the sensor.

Experimentation with various aperture settings is the key to see if the camera is rendering the snow as white, and to see if there is still detail in the snow and the darker areas. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little of both to get a satisfactory result.

I took about a dozen photos of my surroundings, turned off the camera, and went back to enjoying the ever-changing view. Then had breakfast and took the dogs for a walk so they could also enjoy the splendor of a fresh snowfall.

All in all…a nice way to start the day.

ISO 200

1/200

f5.6

Cloudy White Balance