Inside the Refrigerator
Happy New Year! May your 2018 be excellent and fulfilling.
This is a short entry. I got my wish, and the last couple of weeks have been downright frigid. I was able to test both my camera and some new clothing in the relative safety of nearby Bird's Hill Park. But the outings were still limited, and between that and the holidays, not much photography was done. I can't say I'm that happy with most of these. I think I have a better sense of what I want to do, which is an improvement of sorts, but I'm not getting it right.
I can put partial blame on being distracted with equipment and performance in the cold. After a while studying a scene, and your hands are fumbly with mitts on, and your breath has fogged the viewfinder a couple of times, it's tempting to yell "Just take the picture already!" and move on. I need to slow down.
On to the pics. First up: sun dogs. When there is moisture in the upper atmosphere, and the temperatures fall below -25 or so, we often get a rainbow-like effect. The title shot is from the bottom of our floodway, where some water still flows despite the temperatures. The next below is on the way out of the park, where the road splits:
If you get to a fork in the road, take it...to the sun dog.
Back out in the field, I continue to find the contrast of the weeds in the snow compelling. But I realized just today I'm framing them wrong:
I'm including the shadows, but after playing around with some tighter crops I think I can do a better job by excluding the shadows. This next is similar, though the beads of snow scattered by passing animals was the main point:
One of the books I'm reading (Understanding Composition, Bryan Peterson) suggests learning to get closer: before clicking the shutter, take two steps forward. Looking at these, I think he's right. I have a hard time making those steps, but I'll have to find those specific weeds again (believe it or not, I do know where they are...), and get down in the snow. The weeds are somewhere in the little valley below, over to the right, near the far ridge:
One of the nice things about getting out in weather like this is there are very few other people crazy enough to do it. The landscape is crisscrossed with animal tracks of all kinds: deer, fox, coyote, rabbits, and mice or voles. I'm tempted to invest in a blind, hunker down under a thick sleeping bag, and wait for something to wander by.
Moving on, one of the days was quite blustery, with blowing snow. I didn't really set this one up or time it right, but I think I have an idea how to make it better. I should either be almost under the lip of the snow bank, or much higher above it. I just need a day with fresh snow and a stiff breeze:
Finally one I do like, using a telephoto with a tight depth of field. I think it has a stark African savannah feel, but with snow:
The next pic is terrible, I'm only including it for the story:
Yeah, I'm flyin', and it's -30. What's it to ya?
Every time I have been out, just about the only bird I see are crows. And I always see them flying around, no matter the wind, temperature, or precipitation. They "talk" to each other and play games in the air. I'm kind of amazed how hardy they are. And smart: they might float around and above me while I'm walking (I actually had a few start circling while I was laying in the snow trying to get a shot), but if the camera comes out, they are gone. This one must have been surprised, and Pentax never won any awards for quick autofocus, nor is my telephoto lens that sharp, so I can't expect much. Later in the day I did find where about 15 of them were roosting. A hawk came by and chased one, but sadly the picture of that is even blurrier. If I want to do wildlife photography I either need to sit still and wait, or get a different camera.
Anyway, in all I spent a few hours out each time. The camera performed really well, only faltering when the battery got cold, so it's essential to keep a warm one (or three) in a pouch next to your skin. The only thing that really held me back was my mukluks, the liners are a bit old and after three hours at -31C they weren't up to any more. Easy fix.
The last day ended with the rise of an almost full moon. I'd lost track of the moon phase, so it was a nice surprise:
The coming weather looks to be hovering around -20C... Piece of cake! Until next time, stay warm and hug somebody cold :)
