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Painted by Winter & Wind
The previous post and this one are so different and yet so the same. What do I mean by that? In Frozen Desolation on Lake Erie I showed an expansive wide angle view of frozen Lake Erie at sunset. The cloudy sunset provided plenty of color for the scene. I presented those conditions in a contrasty low light photograph.
Today, we remain on the frozen Lake Erie but are visiting in mid-day. The lens is zoomed in to a telephoto setting and aimed down in search of patterns and textures There is plenty of light and shadows are very subtle resulting in a low contrast high-key scene.
An amazing abstract art by nature, a great collaboration of winter and wind. I could spend hours on just a small patch of lakeshore like this, walking slowly and moving my lens over the surface an inch at a time. I could fill many cards with patterns like this one. However, my time on the lake was very limited and I had to call it quits after just a few shots.
When heading to the lake, I did not know what I would bring back. I thought of snow volcanoes, I thought of the arctic like never-ending field of ice, I remembered some details of snow drifts I photographed a few years back (and have not shared with the world yet!). In the end, the details were what won me over on this particular beautiful winter day in Western New York, on Hamburg Beach a few miles south of Buffalo, NY.
Painted by WindAbstract patterns of snow, ice, and sand
Abstract Winter Patterns of Snow, Ice, and Sand
While it may be counterintuitive I definitely recommend a tripod for scenes like this. Despite the abundance of light and a bright subject matter it comes handy. You will be able to use a smaller aperture like f/16 or smaller to increase your depth of field. And once you stop down like that your exposure times will extend beyond the handholding safety zone. Don't have a tripod with you? Don't be afraid to go up with your ISO a bit to get both enough depth of field and a shutter speed fast enough. The newer cameras allow for a high ISO without noise showing up and with scenes like this, the little bit that may show up will get lost in the texture.
Have fun picking your favorite elements!
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), Jackery Bar 5600mAh (usually o hand to keep the smart phone going, especially in winter), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!
Frozen Desolation on Lake Erie
One of my favorite winter activities, a trip to a local beach. Yes, in winter! Isn't that the best time to go anyways? Nobody is there and the views are out of this world! This evening I visited Woodlawn Beach. It's got a bad reputation for being rather dirty but who cares in winter? It's not like I went for a swim. I went to see the frozen desolation of Lake Erie at sunset.
Some years, the lake is frozen flat here. This year, it seems winds worked their magic even here, as they usually do at Hamburg Beach and Sturgeon Point. There were my favorite snow volcanoes at the edge of the beach that I had to get over to get a view of the lake, the sunset, and the colors later on. It was hard to tell how far to go. Where does the beach end and open lake start?
There was also an unusual amount of drift wood sticking up through the ice and snow. The whole scene looked like a spooky desolate graveyard. Remember Lion King? Elephant Graveyard came to mind.
As far as the photograph goes, I made a little bit of a faux pas this evening. I unclipped the right-hand side accessories from my belt and kept the ones on the left. As such, I had my flash with me but not the split graduated neutral density filters! I was not going to let that hold me back though and reached for the digital techniques - a little bit of exposure bracketing and a little bit of HDR. Yes, pushed a little further than what I normally prefer but it felt right for the graveyard (ok, no elephants, just driftwood!).
Have fun with your winter scopes and keep warm!
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Manfrotto tripod (055MF3; replaced by 055CXPRO3 with the convenient Q90 column) and head (496RC2), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), Jackery Bar 5600mAh (usually o hand to keep the smart phone going), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2, Nik Collection HDR Efex Pro 2 by Google.
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!
Smart Phone Battery Life Relief
Mystery abstract of colorful layers
I've commented on the short battery life of Smart Phones couple times in the past: True GPS vs. Smart Phone GPS and New York City - The Smartphone Camera Report. If you have a phone with a replaceable battery, things get simpler and you can have a spare jusrt as you would with a camera or any other device you depend on in the field. However, with the iPhones not allowing for that, life is a little more complicated. However, it is not all that bad on that front either.
Jackery Bar 5600mAh will provide two full charges for your iPhone. Combine that with making sure you leave with a fully charged phone and you will have 3 full cycles on hand, finally providing some freedom to use your device for navigation, mass transit info, and location photography.
Just don't forget to pack a cable too, I recommend an extra one so that your primary remains safely at home just in case. I know companies sometimes go to extra lengths to make sure only OEM parts work but I've had a good luck with the Amazon Basics line of iPhone cables so far, like this AmazonBasics USB A to Lightning for recent iPhones with the Lightning connector.
Need even more capacity or to charge two devices at once? Step up to Jackery Giant 10400mAh for only $10 extra!
Have fun with your smart devices!
The Underground Gallery
Lower Akron Falls at UniversityBuffalo Metro Rail, University Station
The Saturday weather really sucked! I am not sure if that is wording appropriate for a photo blog but that is how I felt, so there you have it. Who needs 50°F and rain in winter, especially when you're in Western New York? It was the second time this season we lost a beautiful dose of clean white snow. I could not watch it and headed for cover.
In 2013, my photos went on display in two highly frequented locations. First, the Mall at Greece Ridge in Rochester, NY included two of my photos as large-size murals in one of the mall's wings.
Later, NFTA (Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority) included two in the subway of Buffalo. I spent several hours on Saturday hopping station to station trying to find them. I was only successful with one, of the Lower Akron Falls, but found it in three copies at the University, LaSalle, and Summer-Best stations. The first one here is from the University Station with an arriving train.
Lower Akron Falls at LaSalleBuffalo Metro Rail, LaSalle Station
The photographic panels are placed on the walls along the platforms of the underground stations in both directions, and also in the above ground concourses. I did not count but am guessing there are about 10 photographs per station. With 8 underground stations that comes to about 80 photographs. They are placed under the lights illuminating the station names, which makes them stand out nicely. However, since the lights are fluorescent tubes the photos take on a bit of green color cast and lose some of their original warmth. For the photos on this page I have used the fluorescent white balance thus restoring the colors back to what looked right (to me).
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Manfrotto tripod (055MF3; replaced by 055CXPRO3 with the convenient Q90 column) and head (496RC2), Nikon SB-600 flash (replaced by SB-700), Stofen Omni-Bounce Flash Diffuser, Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!
Reaching for Life
On a winter hike through Emery Park and along its creeks and ravines, trying to see how some of the waterfalls look in winter. While I successfully located couple the slopes were frozen and slippery enough for me not to attempt a descend. I kept strolling through the snow and enjoyed its creaking sounds under my boots in the 15°F temperature. Finally, I reached a point where the ravine was fairly shallow and I was able to explore right around the water for a little bit. I focused on areas where the creek was peeking through the ice and snow cover and tried to capture minimalist view of those. However, one scene stood out for me and it is the one below. The tiny branch seemed to be reaching above the ice and snow for life:
Reaching for LifeA branch peeking through ice and snow
Reaching for Life in Emery Park
Enjoy your winter strolls!
Equipment Used:
Nikon D600, Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Manfrotto tripod (055MF3) and head (496RC2), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2
Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!