Just walking around, winter version

This weekend there was a perfect winter day to be in the woods.  No wind, temperature just above freezing, good snow cover and hazy clouds over head.  I could wander around holding my camera gear with no gloves on (buttons get progressively smaller the bigger your gloves are) and take my time with longer shots since the woods weren’t swaying in the breeze.  The small woods trail I took was mostly empty – many tracks indicated it had been well used earlier – so I had all that nature to myself.  Even the small herd of deer I scared up weren’t in a big hurry – they seemed to realize it was just too nice a day to worry about a lone photographer on their trail.

As the temperature was just right for melting and freezing water I found some very interesting compositions in a small waterfall along the trail.  Water was flowing under the ice, breaking free in places and splashing around to re-freeze into more ice covering the water.  This is yet another way for icicles to be made and to merge together into ice curtains.

ISO 100, 100mm, f/3.5, 6 image HDR

The old saying is moving water won’t freeze and yet parts of it do.  Without the continual replenishing from upstream I’m sure this would turn into a solid block of ice but for now only part of the motion is suspended into a scene for the wandering photographer.

ISO 100, 47mm, f/3.5, 5 image HDR

One fascinating aspect of the stream is how it isn’t lifeless in winter.  While the surrounding trees and bushes have long since lost their leaves and the ground cover naps awaiting spring, under the ice lives mosses and algae soaking up the sunlight while eating what passes in the moving water.  The green of these hardy creatures is visible to anyone taking a close look, right there under the swirling stream.

ISO 100, 44mm, f/14, 5 image HDR

Winter remains the time to practice, practice, practice black and white photography, looking for textures, tones and structures more obvious in the contrasts of snow.  I find the lines interesting; lines we’d ignore in the spring and summer become visible in winter as the snow frames and blocks to give partial forms and reveal new arrangements of objects.

ISO 100, 35mm, 1/200 sec., f/2.5

Of course the wildlife becomes easier to spot as well, dark moving objects against a white background.  How do you sneak up on a deer in winter?  Park your car behind a snowback along the road in your neighborhood and lean your long-lensed camera on the glass, of course.

ISO 100, 141mm, 1/50 sec., f/4 – 50% crop

Obstacles

ISO100, 35mm, 1/125 sec., f/10

As most of the traditional winter sports require more change in elevation than is typical on the Plains in Nebraska we take advantage of whatever terrain is available.  A local dam works just fine, offering two slopes in one.  Slalom poles are included – courtesy of utility companies.

Back when I knew less

Periodically I browse through my Lightroom catalog, sometimes to change ratings on images, sometimes to see if a new processing technique will give me a better version of an old image, and sometimes just to remind myself where I’ve been going with my photography.  The other day I was looking back at images from this time last year and two years ago.  It seems I’ve gotten better at technique, composition and overall image meaning, but in many ways I’m still making the same images.  Good instructors continually say to push yourself out of  your comfort zone.  Not sure what that means in many ways.  I’ve not yet achieved comfort in what would you considered my comfort zone.  My photography interest is the outside world in many aspects – these are the images I’m most comfortable making.  But I’m not comfortable with the results I see.  I want more depth, more striking-ness, more you-are-there clarity in my images in addition to stories and interest.  As I don’t feel I’m delivering that in my images I’m uncomfortable with them.  I don’t need to attempt abstract art in order to feel uncomfortable yet sometimes I feel that’s what instructors are saying – stop doing what you do all the time and do something unrelated to it.  I appreciate the Zen benefit of ridding your mind of constraints, but shouldn’t I keep working on my discomfort where I know what I want in an end result?  I’m sure it’s an internal argument many photographers go through.

So, I was looking at image from two years ago and came across a winter HDR series I made.  The processing tool I was using at the time really didn’t deliver the look I wanted thus I moved on to other images.  Now I have what I consider better tools and experience using them, as well as a different ‘eye’ on the subject, so I played around it again to see if I could get what I saw at the time.

This time the HDR came out better than before, although it is still obviously an HDR.  Expanding the tone compression (the way software manages to deal with wide dynamic ranges) would make the dark areas lose all detail and blow out the sky highlights so I left it this way.  I used the History brush to enhance the highlights and darker areas, increasing the contrast along lines to make them more obvious.  Also brought a couple of brighter lines from the background to the foreground to simulate sunbeams on the ice.  I like the effect – your mileage may vary.  What I see is an almost surrealistic image, which is about what I was seeing the day I made it.

Another thing about photography, at least for me, is how it mimics chess in your mind.  Much like a good chess player can remember how the board achieved the current arrangement even days after walking away from it, I can look at the images in my Lightroom catalog and pretty much tell  you where they were made, why they were made, what was going on around there at the time, and other aspects of lighting, weather, colors, etc.  Although I made this image two  years ago I remember where else I shot at this location, why I chose this perspective, how cold it was and how I imagine all the people walking by thought I must be crazy standing there taking picture after picture when there was virtually no light on the lake.  It’s an interesting condition, probably exacerbated by my visual learning style, but it sure makes keeping the metadata and key words up to date easier!

Anyone else have this condition as a photographer?

Where did my winter go?

ISO 100, 100mm, 1/200 sec., f/5

It was just a few years ago, not long after we moved to the Plains, we had snow on the ground before Thanksgiving that wasn’t gone until nearly Easter of the following year.  Winter needs snow; it’s one of the reasons to live where winter is a real season.  Lately, though, the snow on the ground comes later and leaves sooner.  Debate whatever side of the climate research you want – I just want the snow back.

Really, didn’t seasons used to gracefully migrate into one another?  Spring showers and flowers would ease into summer greenery and warmth which would evolve into  autumn colors and crispness.  Then once the last leaf fell to the ground snow was right behind it to shape the ground until the spring bulbs pushed their way through to the sun.  You didn’t need a calendar to know what time of the year it was – you just needed to walk around outside a bit and it became obvious.

Now it feels like seasons make a quick appearance, tell a few jokes and then rapidly exit stage left, leaving us with this “in-between” thing that has no name, a time we sit around trying to decide “what season is it?” and our biological clocks get out of rhythm with nature.  It’s like a scene from a bad Chekhov story where the characters sit around wondering why they are there and what they are to do, only to realize the answer to both questions is there is no answer.

Feels like we at least need a name for this inter-seasonal doldrum.  They say naming something makes it real in our minds so that would be a start.

Anyone got any ideas?

Icy contrasts

ISO 100, 71mm, 40 sec., f/3.5

ISO 100, 71mm, 1/200 sec., f/7.1

ISO 100, 24mm, 1/400 sec., f/8

When you have shadows, work with shadows.  This is the perfect time of the year for black and white.  Use low angled light (just before sunset or right after sunrise) to bring out the surface texture and details.  Work with exposure to make sure you keep details in the shadows and highlights (yes, that’s a 40 second exposure above – another moonlight image).  Traditionally you want some pure blacks and whites in an image as reference points but with ice and snow that can look too contrasty so I’ve backed down on each a bit.  For the Zone System enthusiasts out there all these images have tonal ranges between Zones 2 and 8; pushing to 1 and 9 gave me too much stark appearance.  If all that means nothing to you then read up on Ansel Adam’s exposure techniques or play around with your own exposures until you get what you want.

If you want to play around with Adam’s Zone System keep in mind the intent was to visualize tonal attributes in the final PRINT, not the intermediate negative (or RAW file for digital).  Many of Adam’s negatives were actually somewhat flat – he brought contrast to selected areas in the printing and developing process.  For digital, keep your histogram even across the center and then post-process to spread information to pixels at the ends to get the contrast you want.  Use local dodging and burning (or adjustment brush in Lightroom) to enhance selected areas.  If I do that to these images I’ll post what I get and how I worked it out.

 

Bring your own sunlight

The perfect snow day for photographers has to be where the clouds are high and thin, making a huge softbox for the sun to evenly illuminate the ground.  I usually am looking for medium soft shadows where you can easily see details in them.  The clear blue sky typical of winter results in stark shadows cast by the untempered sun, with extreme contrasts between the snow in the sun and snow in the shade.  Alternatively, the other typical winter days of overcast result in no shadows at all, just an even grey cast over the whole landscape.  What’s a person to do when the itch to photograph a landscape turns up?

Well, on a cloudy day you can bring your own sunshine and make your own shadows.  Off-camera flash units are perfect for this sort of light manipulation.  You put them where you want light, attach a light modifier of some sort and adjust to give the amount of light you want.  These are fill lights only – you aren’t going to be able to illuminate acres of ground.  No, this is like big light painting – you put light where you want and use composition to create the total image.

Here’s a before and after of what I’m talking about:

ISO 100, 24mm, 1/20 sec., f/7.1 – no flash

ISO 100, 24mm, 1/20 sec., f/7.1 – flash applied

Sometimes you just need a little extra light to bring more interest to the image.  I used three flash units in the “after” image:  one between the first and second tree on the left, one between the second and third tree on the left and one behind the distant tree on the right.  The first two have a softbox and white reflector attached, respectively.  The third one is just a bare flash.  Each one is attached to a PocketWizard radio trigger so they all fire when the shutter is released.  I like the PocketWizard because the range is well over 1000′ so I can place the flash units where ever I want.  I do wish the Olympus system had a wireless flash adjustment, though, so I wouldn’t have to run around to all the units to adjust the power levels between shots.

Obviously this is more than the on-camera flash built into the camera body, and all those flash units and transmitters do cost extra.  I use mine for multiple purposes, including the rare portrait or group image, so I could justify the purchase.  I like taking the sun around with me for when I need it but it’s more gear to buy and haul around so it might not be for everyone.

Others were using the late evening light as well.  The local deer are able to reach grass under the snow now that it has melted a bit.  It’s amazing to think how an animal of this size finds enough food to stay alive in the cold.  There was still some green grass under the trees, however, and the last snow came down heavy enough to insulate it from the bitter cold of the last week.  Deer will paw away snow to find food and I caught this one in the act.

ISO 100, 100mm, 1/250 sec., f/4.5

They have put on a nice winter coat this year and don’t appear to be too thin.  Talking with one of the park supervisors I learned they get feed supplements as well, placed at various places around the park away from where people will disturb them.  Must be working for them otherwise I think they would hang out around the road begging for handouts.

ISO 100, 100mm, 1/80 sec., f/4.5

Today they were moving around in groups, some feeding and some just lying around.  I’ve read their winter coat is so well insulated they can lay down on the snow and not melt it.  Has to do with the hollow hairs of the outer layer of their coat.  Sometimes you can see them walking around with snow on their back that isn’t melting either.

ISO 100, 100mm, 1/100 sec., f/4.5

They see a lot of car traffic through the park, most of it looking for them.  As a result they usually ignore vehicles passing by but every once in a while something will catch their attention and then everyone has to look up and see what’s happening.

I could have used one of the flash units to put a small catch light in their eyes – I don’t think it would have bothered them.  My lens was resting on the window and I was about 50 feet away so I’m pretty sure my best flash would have reached.  Perhaps next time I’ll plan on that and have all the gear ready to go.  For today I was happy to bring some light to the trees and photograph the deer au naturale.

Can beauty coexist with the beast?

ISO 100, 14mm, 1/100 sec., f/8

This time of year it is so obvious there are two types of people in the world.  Those who can appreciate the simplicity of a snow covered field and those who find it incomplete until they have left their mark on it.  I wonder what signs of this latter creature we should be looking for during the other seasons where tracks are more difficult to observe?  People who find the world inadequate without their personal stamp are around us all the time.  Some come in the guise of titans of business, academia and politics with the self-proclaimed aim of bending the world (and us by default) to their will.  Others show up as bores, busybodies, self-promoters and road hogs.  For me it a pity that this time of the year where pristine is the attribute of beauty we are confronted with those who find it merely a canvas for their indulgence.

It’s not that I would have no means of travel once snow lies on the ground.  How else would I get to the places I want to admire?  This is a photograph of a parking lot, after all.  I do like the lines and how the late evening sun details them against the solid white surroundings.  No, I’m against actions where people go out of their way to tear up the scenery, putting their person graffiti in as many out of the way places as possible with the basic pleasure to simply destroy pristine.

ISO 100, 76mm, 1/40 sec., f/8

Fortunately the ice on the lakes is too thin to support anyone interested in crossing it but thick enough to stop the casual fisherman from stomping along the shore.  The light snow layer provides a good surface for shadows to play across and gaps in the trees allow select beams of sunlight to shoot across the opening to highlight where trees poke through the winter covering.  Challenging – to show the details of the snow in the sunlight while also showing the details of the trees and ice in the shadows.  My goal with this image was to achieve this without HDR, relying only on my camera’s dynamic range and my post-processing skills to bring out the elements I want in the image.

More moon scenes

Another oddly wind-less and cloud-less night just after the full moon.  Couldn’t pass up the opportunity for more moonlight photography.  This night I wanted to capture some shadows on the snow and since the moon was lower in the sky that would be much easier.  There’s a state park nearby with plenty of trees and wide open spaces.

ISO 100, 50mm, 40 sec., f/5

The recent snowstorm had pretty high winds from the north so almost all the trees (and any other vertical surface) have snow plastered against one side.  I was able to find perspectives that gave me the shadows I wanted along with the snow on the trees, a nice contrast on the dark bark.

ISO 100, 15mm, 40 sec., f/3.2

Of course the evergreen trees collected their share of snow, rendering a classical Christmas view to a generally deciduous state park.  Yes, this is moon light – see the stars in the sky?  Digital sensors just keep on collecting light as long as the shutter is open, something our eyes don’t do.  Even dark images will have a surprising amount of detail that can be brought out by increasing the exposure in post-processing.

ISO 100, 14mm, 40 sec., f/3.2

This is my favorite.  Not because it’s such a great composition but because the tree seems to be pointing out that constellation in the upper left corner.  That is Orion, guardian of the winter night sky, always high overhead around Christmas.  Being able to see Orion is yet another indication this is a moonlit shot.

All you need is a sturdy tripod, a shutter that will stay open for many seconds, and a little patience.  And some warm clothes.

And all the while, the moon was shining…

“The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,…”

The Night Before Christmas, Clement Clarke Moore

If you’ve never ventured out onto the snow during a full moon you really can’t understand the magical scene as described in this classic poem.  Although mid-day may be an exaggeration as far as illumination is concerned, there is a lot of light bouncing around on such a night.  Here are a couple of examples I made this week when the clouds went away around midnight.

ISO 100, 30mm, 30 sec., f/4.5

ISO 100, 35mm, 20 sec., f/5.6

The full moon is directly overhead so there are no shadows, which can make an eerie scene.  It’s an effect thought to be the basis for the legend that vampires don’t cast shadows.  I haven’t performed much processing on these images; I think they can be made more dramatic with a little work to enhance the brightness of the snow and darken the sky.

It’s a bit of a challenge to make these.  The temperature was about 10F with no wind but glove are still required.  Makes handling all the buttons and dials on a digital camera a challenge.  And that low temperature just sucks the life out of batteries.  By the time I got the first image composed, focused, exposed properly and set the timer, the battery went dead in the middle of the exposure.  You end up switching batteries from camera to inside your jacket and back after only a couple of shots.

Looks to be cloudy here for the next few nights so these are probably my only good moon shots for now.  Great way to experience the deep quiet of a winter night on the Plains.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”  Norman Vincent Peale

Some tree decorations from around our area, compliments of Nature.