Snowy Places

The winter cold and snow have certainly slowed me down a bit.  Outdoor photography, though very beautiful, can be challenging.  I’d like to drive back down to Livingston County and shoot the farms again.  It would be a nice add to my collection of rural images.  I just hesitate to drive that far on snow and ice covered roads.  The odds are when I get there I’ll find the gravel farm roads have not been plowed.  My little car might not be a sufficient vehicle for such an excursion.

So, I’ve opted for places a little closer to home.  A few weeks ago I spent a couple hours walking around on a local golf course with another photographer.  It was my first attempt at shooting in the snow.  Most of my shots came out under exposed.  Of course, that is a typical beginner mistake, which I learned a week later.  I was purposely under exposing because the snow was so bright.  I should have over exposed.  So, another trip is needed. 

 

We walked around for about three hours.  I was so focused on what I was doing that  I didn’t feel cold until I was well beyond freezing.  I opted not to bring my tripod thinking there was plenty of light.  My shutter speed would be fast enough.  My second mistake of the day.  I did in fact need the tripod.  I was so cold that I was shaking and causing some camera blur.  Though, I couldn’t see it in the little display on the back of my camera…unless I held my breath to prevent it from fogging up. 

While we had plenty of light, we did not have many shadows.  That was a little disappointing.  The other photographer with me fell in love with one particular tree.  She thought it looked like a skull.  I didn’t see it so I took a few shots just for the heck of it and moved on.  Later that evening I reviewed my pictures and realized the tree was fantastic!   The round shape between two pine trees, the red color between the deep green, and the snowy branches made it absolutely perfect.  I nailed the composition without even trying…but the exposure was just too dark.  I had to over process it just to bring it to life.  I’m not happy with it, but it gives me an incentive to go back…out in the snow…and the cold….and try again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Karie

Street People

Just a few weeks ago I took a trip downtown with the photography club to the Chicago Water Tower.  The task of the day was street photography.  Basically, this entailed finding a spot where lots of people happened by and watching for something interesting.  It was mid November and relatively cold outside.  I did not bring my tripod because I figured there would be enough natural light so early in the day.  Plus, I needed the freedom to move quickly with my subjects.  It wasnt as bright and sunny as I had anticipated, so my first 10 shots or so were under exposed.  I'm still a beginner so I'm a little slow to adjust to situations. 

I didnt realize just how badly I was shivering, until later that night, when I looked at my shots on my computer screen.  I was so disappointed with the amount of blur.  Despite my failure to adapt properly under adverse conditions, I did end up with a few interesting shots.

There were quite a few of us hanging out on the street corner.  Every time the walk sign changed, a group of us would aim our cameras at the crowd and click away.  Some people noticed, and loudly wondered what was going on.  Most people were completely oblivious.  They were engaged in conversation, or busy trying to keep warm. 

I managed to survive the cold for nearly three hours, at which point we decided to hit the Borders across the street for a warm coffee.  They had a lovely cafe upstairs that yeilded a few nice shots as well.  These, of course, turned out well because my shivering had ceased.  It was nice to spend some time chatting with the other photographers. 

Each time I go on one of these outings with the club, I try to learn something. Usually, I've had some sort of photographic failure.  I try to figure out why, and how to prevent it in the future.

What I learned:  Its ok to increase your ISO to compensate for low light.  Something I regularly forget to do.  I dont know why. 

K