NATURE'S ABSTRACT 2013

I'll let the viewer figure this one out.  Mother Nature will often place a nice image directly in front of you, and the hiker will just step right over it.



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DECEMBER SNOW STORM 2013

This snow was made for photography, and I took full advantage of it. When you live in the midst of such beautiful scenery, you often need to go no further than your yard, and that is how this image was made. I simply stepped out on the front patio and the composition could not have been any better. I then spent a full hour walking through the forest making one nice image after another, and there wasn't a bad image in the lot. This is one of my favorites. Oh yes, always use your tripod just to make sure the image is sharp.

This was a snow that stuck to everything it touched, and when the wind let up, it just got better. In all, we had just over a foot of fresh snow and this morning (two days later) the temperature was minus nine F. Make sure you keep your camera and battery reasonably warm. I keep my camera in an insulated shoulder bag, and after I have made my exposures, it goes right back into the bag. Sub freezing temperatures will drain the battery rather quickly so always keep a spare in your shirt pocket. Your body heat will prevent it from rapidly loosing it's charge.

I also like to work with a pair of insulated mittens, and having a finger slot in my trigger hand is most handy.  You would be surprised at how fast your finger will lose it's sensitivity when the temperature is down in single digits or below zero.  As you age, your hands become even more sensitive to cold weather. I will be eighty in a few weeks, and I can tell you for sure that my right hand started to hurt this morning, even after a few minutes of  handling the camera and metal tripod. At least the temperature had gone up to zero when I went out after breakfast.

Never, ever misjudge the temperature when going out on a cold day. You could pay dearly for that mistake. I have been seriously making photographs in cold weather since the mid fifties. Ditto for a pair of insulated boots. Your feet can freeze up faster than you might believe.

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