Cold and Stormy

Those are the words that describe January, 2014. Photography was tough due to the cold and I didn't get out much. the highlight of the month was the sea caves that have been in recent posts. Last Sunday I shot my first video of the year. It was a blizzard but what better opportunity for some action video. After all how many photographers, or any sane people, go out into a blizzard to get some pictures? After talking to my daughter she asked if the shots were taken with the weatherproof, waterproof GoPro. My response was " I wish I had thought of that instead of using the expensive 7D."

Technical: manual exposure, 2 second interval for about 10 minutes

Ice Burst

Ice comes in many forms: icicles, black ice, pancake ice, icebergs, and the list goes on. However, an ice burst does not exist in nature, only through a wide angle lens. The diagonal lines form the illusion of depth creating a "bursting" impression. 

Cathedral Ceiling

I have seen a few cathedrals with their intricate designs and architecture that are a testament of man's creativity. However nothing I have seen compares to the fascinating patterns of ice and sandstone seeping through the roof of an ice cave. 

Technical: wide angle lens, image rotated of produce symmetry, shade WB (7500k)

Sunset is not the end.

Sometimes sunset is the beginning. In this case I used my headlamp to brighten the interior of the cave. Light painting can be garish, and frequently is, but I like a more subtle approach without overpowering the natural light, using it as a fill light. Another example of making choices to reflect what you "see". 

Watching the light

After wandering along the shoreline for an hour it was time to settle down and find a location to follow the light into the night. This portal had earlier been filled with people sitting on the ice bench getting their photos taken. As the afternoon passed it became quiet with only a couple photographers, Gary Leeper and myself, enjoying the changing light. Quiet and beauty missed by those using a clock to control their lives.

Technical: HDR image merged with Photomatix. Three images at 2 stop intervals.

Sea Cave Ice

Where do you start? How do you turn awe and amazement into images? The sea caves along the  south shore of Lake Superior are the current rage for photographers.  After a five year absence of enough ice to get to them, they were opened to the public last week. A moderate walk along the shore to reach them is rewarded with otherworldly sights.  If you are going dress for the wind. I'm starting with this iconic location shot, more images to follow.

Editor's Choice

I posted the lower image a few days ago and showed the original to my editor who liked the color version. She has the benefit of being objective, not remembering the struggle with numb fingers and crusted snow required to get the shot. I have trusted her judgement for 37 years.

Prairie Snow

This is another image from Cottonwood Prairie SNA. Despite all the snow in northern Minnesota this area has not had that much. The beauty of space and sky keep me returning to the prairies.

Prairie Sunset

Yes, this is a Minnesota prairie. I made a trip to Cottonwood Prairie SNA yesterday afternoon. While returning to the truck I was rewarded with a sunset with character but not much color. Technical: Lightroom used to converted to B & W and lighten the foreground

Winter Color

Today is starting gray and windy which reminded me of this shot from a few years ago.  Most of my black and white shots are taken during the winter, making the most of the contrast range.  I'm not getting many new images this month, the shutter finger is getting twitchy.

Winter Bliss

Birds at the feeder, good music on the radio, and a camera in hand.  Does it get any better than this in January?

Sweet Light

 The  winter afternoon light and eastern sky were captured while doing yoga positions in the snow on snowshoes.

Above zero

There is something about the number zero. It is not really that much different than +5 or -5 but the psychological impact is there and it has kept me indoors for too long. Yesterday afternoon the temperature was in the single digits so I was out the door roaming the prairie.

Frosted pane

What do you do when the wind chill is -45 degrees and you want to take a picture? I dressed like an Eskimo to get the mail this morning (a bill and two catalogs) and decided to get some frost shots. The garage windows were frosted and out of the wind but it was still -20. Anyhow, I got some clicking in before the fingers went numb. Technical: dirty window cleaned with Lightroom clone tool

Winter Web

I was outside letting my mind drift last week. I have a 25 year old 100 mm macro lens that is my walk about lens when  looking for details and patterns.  Instead of trying to force color into the image it was converted to black and white relying on contrast to carry the image.

A Real Minnesota Winter

It is cold! Each morning I get up and say this is the day for a winter sunrise, then I look at the thermometer, make coffee, look at the thermometer, drink coffee, look at the thermometer. . . you know what I mean.  This is an image from a few years ago when it was warmer and I was younger.

Happy New Year!

One of my goals in photography is sharing the beauty of the natural world and this blog helps fulfill that purpose. Along the way a few opinions are interjected just to keep life interesting. To those who have viewed this blog during the last year I would like to say thank you.  A quote from Mary Oliver:

Instructions for living a life.Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it. 

May your new year be filled with astonishment and sharing.