Sub-zero temperatures do have their advantages…
Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 320, f/9, 1/640″ exposure.
Light morning snow bedecks the dried seed head of Queen Anne’s lace—a fine little basket of snow.
Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/4, 1/4000″ exposure
This abstract photo is actually a paw print. I’m guessing a coyote judging by the size and the placement of the prints across the ice. The animal was running across the thin ice surface of a local beaver pond and its feet were breaking through the slushy ice in places. Cold overnight temperatured had allowed for a thin skim of fresh ice to form in the print.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 40mm, ISO 800, f/13, 1/160″ exposure.
Yesterday’s surprise snow storm made for a pretty morning as the sun rose in a cloudless sky. With a strong southerly airflow, temperatures rose quickly and the 4″ of snow we received is on its way to melting.
According to Mary Holland, this is a boom year for conifer cones, and my observations from around our area bares this out. Those critters that feed on conifer cones—red squirrels, voles, waxwings, chickadees, nuthatches, grosbeaks, crossbills, and siskins—should see a bit of a bump in their numbers next breeding season.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 84mm, ISO 800, f/10, 1/640″ exposure.
When the leaves disappear, subtler natural forms start to emerge. This twist of grape tendril caught my eye on my way up Taft Road.
Panasonic GX8, Olympus 60mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/800″ exposure
Early ice and reflected sky in one of the beaver ponds along Taft Road.
There’s quite a growing complex of beaver ponds along Taft Road now. Cold temperatures have started to close the open water, and the beavers are working overtime (if there is such a thing in beaverland…) to gather enough food to make it though the winter in their lodges bound by ice.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 46mm, ISO 800, f/9, 1/500″ exposure.
While skiing up to Bald Hill at the Camel’s Hump Nordic Ski Area yesterday, I came across several places where small twig saplings had been bent beneath the deep snow. As the warm March sun went to work on south facing sections, the twigs had sprung loose to create fleeting impressions in the snow. Kind of a second shadow.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 61mm, ISO 800, f/13, 1/3200″ exposure.
A few years ago, I stumbled across what I’ve dubbed the “cellophane effect” when shooting moving water. I found myself exploring it again a bit the other day as I took some photos along Fargo Brook.
The key to achieving the effect is a fairly slow shutter speed (~1/25″) and shooting with the sun in front of you so that the light is bouncing directly off the water towards the lens. The light traces fine squiggly lines across the moving water.
Panasonic GX8, Lumix 14-140mm lens @ 140mm, ISO 100, various apertures, 1/25″ exposure.
This track tells the story of a coyote trotting across the meadow at Windekin Farm. Coyotes will often meander across a field sniffing and listening for prey—voles, moles, and mice hiding beneath the snow.
John Hadden Photography 