I have a real tendency to want to zoom and and get close up with subjects. I have been without a long lens now for my main camera since making the switch from Nikon to Fuji, as I patiently wait for the 100mm – 400mm lens to go on sale. So, I thought that this is a great opportunity to embrace the gear I have, and explore the world in wide angles only. I am going to limit myself to 25mm and under for this project. I went out and played around with the concept yesterday in my yard… or what I can access of it with the amount of snow still on the ground!
We had a fair bit of snow overnight on Thursday, and much of the snow remained on the trees still by Saturday morning. With a strong wind and clear blue skies, it was interesting to watch the snow flying through the air. The images didn’t turn out quite as expected, mostly because I physically couldn’t get into the position I wanted to to take the shots, but that’s how things go sometimes.
Watching the snow fly. Fuji XT-2 with XF 18mm – 135mm lens, at 18mm. Cropped slightly to remove the vignetting from the filter stack I was using.Luckily the large clump of snow heading downwards missed me and my camera by a few inches! Fuji XT-2 with the XF18mm – 135mm lens at 24mm, cropped slightly to straighten the image.
Another week, and another trip down memory lane in terms of my photography. I’m really glad I made the decision to work on images already captured for this month, as we got rather buried in the snow the past week, and I haven’t had the time, or the energy, to get out and try and capture anything new.
This week is a mixed bag of images, shot locally and in Africa, in colour and black and white.
From 2014, a sunrise image of the Golden Ears from the dikes in Pitt Meadows where I used to walk my dog. Flying over Victoria Falls on the way into Livingstone airport in Zambia. Previously, I wasn’t really able to pull out any decent texture from photos shot through windows. Zambia, April 2013.Victoria Falls from the Zambian side. I was very fortunate to see it with just the right water level; enough so the falls looked incredibly impressive, but not so much that it was completely shrouded in mist. Zambia, April 2013.
For my then and now image, I chose this zebra from my first trip to South Africa. The original black and white conversion was done in Lightroom using a few basic adjustments, not long after I returned from my trip. The updated image was edited recently using a combination of plugins in Photoshop, including MacPhun Tonality and Topaz Detail. I’m sure I could achieve similar results simply using On1 Photo Raw (I’m not using Lightroom any longer for processing), but I like the ease of using Tonality for black and white edits.
Then – a basic black and white conversion lacking a lot of contrast.Now – the zebra stands out much better against the foliage, and there is a lot more detail throughout the image.
I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with night photography in winter. The biggest pro is the incredibly short days which means I don’t have to stay up late to capture night sky photos. The biggest con is the possibility of incredibly cold temperatures, which makes being outside for any length of time taking photos rather painful. And of course the trouble is, the clear sky nights tend to be much colder than the overcast ones.
Last night though everything lined up rather nicely. A beautifully clear sky, temperatures only in the -12C to -15C range, which isn’t tough to manage, and a lovely recent dusting of snow on all the trees. I find the fresh snow and the moonlight a beautiful combination, and I am glad I had the chance to try and capture it.
This was the first time I used my Fuji camera for night photography and I am quite happy with the results, though I definitely need a lot more practice with it. I was surprised that my 10mm – 24mm lens produced a starburst effect from the moon at f4; that is something I will need to do more research on as I was used to getting that phenomenon at apertures in the range of f16 and smaller with my old Nikon set up, though to be fair that was with a 28mm – 300mm lens; I have no recollection what my old Nikkor 10mm – 24mm did.
I did have one major missed opportunity yesterday evening. I only brought out one camera with me, and while my camera was busy processing an image with the long exposure noise reduction, a deer popped out of the woods and stood highlighted by the moonlight for a few wonderful moments before heading off. Of course, the camera wasn’t able to do anything while the processing was happening, so I missed the shot. Note to self, always take both cameras when doing longer exposure work.
A few random thoughts on night photography in winter: dress appropriately, know your gear, make sure you can operate your gear with gloves on, and stay safe!
I only have two images to share today, I hope you enjoy them.
The moon was behind me, lighting up the snow on the trees, and allowing for a faint view of the stars. 10 sec, f4, ISO 1000
A moon bright enough to cast shadows in the snow. 8 sec, f4, ISO 1000
When I decided on the topic for the month, I had many plans for posts. Many plans that I have not been able to put in to action because of the weather. C’est la vie.
This week has seen warm temperatures and generally lots of overcast days, though I did manage to get out a couple times for a few quick photos when the sun was out. The warm temperatures and occasional rain have left the snow covered in a sheet of ice; areas almost look like they have been glazed with the fancy icing that goes on sugar cookies. I found that to be difficult to convey in an image though, and reducing everything to black and white made it somewhat more apparent.
I hope you enjoy my selections for the week.
The tracks of snow machines heading off along the edge of a lake.The icy surface of the snow being illuminated by the midday sun. The days may be getting longer, but the sun is still very low in the sky.I hadn’t been expecting the see the rocky shoreline when I went out to the lake to explore a bit. Faint tracks of snow machines head off in both directions.The temperature may have been unseasonably warm, but the trees aren’t buying it yet. Definitely no buds to be seen, just barren branches reaching skywards.The collapsing snow looked to me like to surface of the moon… or perhaps like Swiss cheese if you’re hungry 🙂
For this week, I decided to focus my Frozen World post on the animals that visit my yard during the winter time. Once the cold temperatures set in, and the risk of bears diminishes, I begin to fill up the bird feeders. Once the snow falls, I add in a bowl of food for the deer as well. There is plenty of wildlife to be seen all year round, but with the feeders out in winter, there is activity all day long, just outside my office window. Deer visit frequently, along with chickadees, hairy woodpeckers and nuthatches. This year, the pine grosbeaks and common redpolls are back, along with occasional visits from the magpies, ruffed grouse and northern flicker.
Tracks along the road and through the yard show just how much activity there is. Although I haven’t seen any this winter, I have come across the occasional moose tracks through the snow, along with hare, fox and coyote. I was lucky enough to look up from my lunch a few days ago to find a pair of coyotes in the yard, sniffing around the various feeders. Even though he is always on leash, I was extra cautious letting Spencer out later on that afternoon.
While it is not ideal, all of these photos were taken through my window. When the temperature is hovering between -20C and -30C, the animals would likely be gone by the time I bundled myself up enough to get outside and capture a photo or two. And trying to do anything with a camera while wearing mittens is an exercise in both patience and frustration!
I hope you enjoy seeing what I see when I look through my office window out into the frozen landcape.
This image was from before Christmas, but it is not often that I see the male deer around, especially this guy with his impressive antlers.Incredibly skittish, this coyote was constantly running back and forth to this spot. I’d left some peanuts for the birds and squirrels under a few of the trees the previous week; perhaps she found a couple that were missed.The big source of her skittishness seemed to be all the birds swarming around her. There had to be two dozen or more redpolls flitting about, and every time they took off for the trees as a group, she would run around and then stop and gaze into the sky.This one stayed further from the house and didn’t seem to be as skittish or bothered by all the birds flitting around in the area.This morning the whole gang showed up for Sunday breakfast. There were two Mom’s nibbling at the trees in the yard; here the four youngsters enjoy some tasty grains.
This past week I was pondering my reaction to the weather quite a bit. I spent the first 8 years of life in Ontario where we had a true winter each year, but then moved to the Vancouver area, which doesn’t get much in the way of winter weather, and then the past 3 years in Prince George where there is a guarantee of significant cold temperatures and snow throughout the winter.
For many years, I said that I hated the snow, but I’ve come to realize what I really meant was I hate the snow that gets delivered occasionally in the Vancouver area; heavy, wet snow with temperatures hovering near freezing. The area essentially gets paralyzed by the weather, roads turn into skating rinks, and getting to and from work, which would normally be an easy 15 minute drive, could turn into a 2 hour nightmare. It was the inconvenience of it, and living in a place ill equipped to deal with it. I never believed people when they said winter was so much nicer further north. The thought of the cold and all that snow filled me with dread.
But, I must say, all those people were right. The colder temperatures and generally brighter, sunnier days are much more pleasant than the continual fog and grey skies at the coast. The colder, drier air here often feels less cold than the chilly damp that seeps into your bones further south. I’d still prefer plus 30C, but I now realize that for me, dealing with -15C is much easier than dealing with 0C in Vancouver. Know thyself, right?
Now to this monthly project. Last weekend I jotted down ideas with gusto. I planned and prepared, and then mother nature decided to turn up the thermostat for a couple of days and deliver rain one evening, and constant grey skies for the last couple of days. It was like being transported to the coast, without having to go anywhere. So much for all my photo plans.
But the freezing rain did leave some lovely frozen droplets on branches, and a light dusting of snow yesterday coated the branches once again. So I went out on a short walk to see what I could find.
Another year has drawn to a close, and I have welcomed 2018 with open arms. I’ve taken a little break from posting over the past week; it has given me a chance to reflect on my blog, and come up with some plans for the future.
I feel like I lost focus with my blog in 2017; at times posts were rushed or forgotten about altogether; shoved to the bottom of a to-do list that never seemed to get any shorter. I’m sure that is something that everyone struggles with from time to time, and I am very grateful for everyone that continued to view my posts and photos, despite the lack of focus.
For 2018, I have decided that I need to add some structure to my photographic life; in terms of continuing education, time out in the field and with my editing. I have a couple of year long photo projects that I am finalizing, but I am also planning to explore a different topic each month, and use that to guide my reading, shooting and editing. I really thrive when I have schedules and plans of action, so I am hoping that this will ensure that I am getting out to shoot regularly, and be able to post some interesting content each month.
For January, I am going to focus on the frozen world. With the cold temperatures we have been having, it is a timely starting point. I’ll be posting on the topic each Sunday in January, and then move onto something new for February.
I’ll be working to participate more regularly in the WordPress topic of the week, and will still be posting my usual Monochrome Monday and Wordless Wednesday posts. I still have lots of images from my last trip that I am working on as well, so I should have lots of content to share over the year ahead.
Below are a few photos from out and about over the last couple of weeks; its not much, but it gets the ball rolling.
Here’s to a fantastic year ahead.
This is why I love getting up early. A beautiful sunrise greeted me while out for a morning walk with Spencer a few weeks ago.A few of the 7 deer that stopped by the yard late yesterday afternoon.Right now, the time between sunrise and sunset is rather brief. We do get a beautiful long twilight period though, which looks even prettier with some snow on the ground and in the trees. A quick snap while out for an afternoon walk, it was too cold to stop and do much more!
Since I started working from home 2 years ago, I have posted quite a few images taken from my office window. There are times when it is difficult not to be distracted by the deer wandering through the yard, the birds congregating at the feeders in the winter, or a rare visit by the fox or bear. The photo challenge for this week is to either feature images that include the framing of a window, or taken from a window.
I hope you enjoy these images taken from my office window.
I have a ground level window, and one of the deer spotted me with my camera and was very intrigued, and kept coming closer to get a better look.Mama with one of the youngsters.When it was very hot and dry in the summer, I made sure there was a small dish of water out for any birds or animals that needed a drink. The mama deer makes use of that on a soggy day.Coming back for a second look.This young deer was very aware of me watching, and very curious.
