I needed a break from staring at my computer, chugging away at work, so I went downstairs (work-from-home day) and saw some really nice light in the backyard. I got 20 kinds of excited, grabbed my camera and 105mm micro lens, threw on my snowboarding coat and snowpants, gave the wife a kiss, and said that I was off to play in the snow for a bit.
I surveyed my “studio”. There were small leaves embedded in the snow and they were casting really interesting shadows. Photographing in the snow is difficult due to the brightness. It is hard to keep detail in the really white areas without making the snow look grey. I decided on my plan of attack. Even though my eye was drawn to a few leaves in the middle of the yard, I knew that if I wanted to preserve a pristine, untouched background, that I needed to have some patience and work my way toward them, photographing everything else that I wanted to along the way.
I didn’t hesitate for a second to plop right down on my side and start composing shots. The snow was cold, don’t get me wrong, but that was the angle I wanted. I was looking to be at ground level with my subjects and catch all of their tiny details.
A Winter Nap
The fun/frustrating thing about macro lenses is the absolutely tiny depth of focus. Even at a small aperture (f/11 and up) you still get a sliver of what is in focus when you’re that close to your subject. It is also hard to give a proper sense of scale with objects that vary in size. I thought of this and snapped a quick “thumb for scale” on one of my tiniest models.
“thumb for scale”
I worked my way across the yard and found myself laying on my stomach to get the angles that I wanted. I was very happy to catch the long shadows coming off of the tiny subjects.
The individual granules of snow sparkled in the sunlight.
A Frosty Embrace
I’m sure that my neighbors have come to terms with the fact that I’m an odd fellow. Just 2 weeks ago, I carried a ladder out into the snow covered back yard, leaned it against a tree, and came back to climb it, camera in hand. I needed to get a higher perspective for the shot I had in mind. This time it probably went, “There he is again, Missy. He’s just laying in the snow, taking pictures of leaves.”
Autumn’s Remnant Casts A Cold Shadow
I’m fine with it. I was sure to give them one of my calendars as a holiday gift. Perhaps that will alleviate some concerns for my mental state.
I went a little wild shooting panoramas this weekend. It wasn’t a planned thing. The weather wasn’t even close to being conducive to this type of photography. Single digit temperatures and bare hands to take 30-ish semi-overlapping images don’t mix well. My original intention was to capture the ice in the Allegheny river, preferably at sunrise. As with most of my work, I try and get shots of the city from areas that aren’t frequently seen. Everyone photographs from the observation platform at Mt. Washington. The West End Overlook is very popular as well. There is a good reason for this, but I prefer to shoot the city from all over.
Back to that cold, cold morning’s sunrise. I walked down the bank by Heinz Field and found a good spot to get the rising sun. This image below is the result of 28 images stitched together.
Allegheny Ice Flow
The next morning I went back, hoping to capture some more ice in the Ohio river from the West End Bridge. To my dismay, the Ohio was moderately clear. The sky was clouded over completely, though, and there was little hope of catching a nice sunrise. I moved along to the North Shore and parked near Allegheny Landing to photograph a favorite spot between the Sixth and Seventh street bridges. I have always liked the sculpture that is at the top of the hill, but never managed to capture a good single shot if it, so I gave it a shot as a panoramic image. The image below is the result of a 31 image stitch.
Winter Palms At Allegheny Landing
I moved down to the riverfront trail, receiving strange looks from a few joggers that were also braving the cold. I returned their glances with a smile, but I’m sure that they could see the slight head shaking that wasn’t shiver related. I shot 40 images from this spot to create the image below.
Snowy Day At Allegheny Landing
I moved along the trail, towards PNC park to get a better angle back on the city. I shot a few single shots along the way, but when the snow cleared up for a few minutes and I saw steam coming from a building across the river, I set up for one last panorama. This was was quicker, and only has 13 shots that are stitched. It was likely that my fingers were telling my brain that they were about to mutiny. I had been out for about 2 hours at this point.
North Shore View Of An Icy Steel City
I shot a quick video, panning from the Sixth Street Bridge over to the Ft. Duquesne Bridge, then headed back to the car. Here is the video, for those interested.
Since getting my new camera in the middle of August (2013), I’ve managed to fill the vacant Terrabyte of my NAS dedicated to photography. Everything that ever shot with a digital camera, minus what was lost in the unfortunate events of 5/22/2010*, is stored on a RAID-1 array of 3TB discs in a network attached storage enclosure.
Enough techspeak. I ran out of space. I needed more.
Wonder Twins
I purchased two 4TB drives to add to the party. This should hold me over for a year or so… I decided to organize my backups a bit while waiting for the drives to be delivered. I have several backups of my work, on several different types of media. There are 3 external hard drives, many, many blu-rays, and cloud storage. The externals were a bit mis-managed, having no real structure to what was stored on them. My decision to straighten all of this out has taken several days and is not yet completed. The new drives are hanging out, in their anti-static bags, ready to spin into action. In the meantime, here’s what is on my desktop:
So. Many. Drives.
It is very similar to the puzzle game that asks you to create an image by sliding pieces around a single blank space. Can I move all of the weddings onto the 1.5TB drive? How about the 635GB “Done” folder that houses all of my full resolution, polished images that are ready to print? Which drive can that go on? On top of what’s happening on screen, there’s a pile of stuff on the desk.
Desktop Madness
I hope to have things straightened out at some point tomorrow. It is painful to NOT be out shooting.
* many images were lost on that dark night when I saw my hard drives take flight from the 3rd floor. Want to hear about it? It is an in-person, over beers kind of tale only. Fortunately, I’m not upset about it… just sad.
It isn’t a secret that Western Pennsylvania (as well as most of the United States) experienced a cold snap recently due to a weather event called a Polar Vortex. Sub-zero temperatures moved into the area and cooled things down a little more than we are used to.
The Allegheny river filled with ice (although the Monongahela stayed ice free), windows froze, people were throwing pots full of boiling water into the cold air, and so on. What did I do? My wife and I went to McConnels Mill to see what the waterfall looked like on the coldest day in decades. I was expecting a lot of ice. I got more than I bargained for.
We arrived around 4:00pm. The temperature was 2°F, the sun was still hitting sections of the hillside on the other side of the river, and this meant that the waterfall would be in shadow. We parked in a safe place at the top of the hill heading down to the parking area for the falls. Even though the Audi is a tank, I didn’t want to chance getting stuck. As we walked the 10 minutes or so to the parking area, I patted myself on the back for making this decision. There was a smooth and solid layer of ice covering the surface of the road. Good idea.
I showed Adriana the falls from the bridge above and got really excited that water was still flowing over the buildup of ice. I also showed her the ridiculously steep climb that is my usual entrance and exit path. We were going to take a less steep path in, but I had showed her this path via a video recording on my phone before and there’s no comparison to seeing it in real life. We made our way down the “safer” trail.
I had been to the falls not more than a month earlier, in 40 odd degrees warmer temperatures. I was amazed at what I saw as I rounded the corner. The wide, shallow pool had become an ice rink. Wearing my trusty boots, I tested the ice thickness for crossing. I am moderately experienced with cold weather photography and knowing how to “check before you step”.
The Base Of The Icy Falls
Adriana took the path to the left and I crossed to get a better shot from where the stream runs into the river (about 15′ or so behind me in relation to the above photo). Keeping one eye on Adriana and one on where my feet were going, I jumped to a rock close to the mouth of the stream to crouch down and get a good angle on the icy waters.
Liquid Ice
Making my way up and around to where Adriana had stopped, I saw a small branch that had fallen, become coated in a thick layer of ice, and was now the home of many, many icicles.
Icy Teeth
There was still a large volume of water flowing, but it was mostly under the ice.
A Shield Of Cold Above The Flow
I got closer to the tower of ice on the left, which placed me in the pool of water. Adriana just shook her head, pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of me as I was capturing a really amazing nature-made structure.
Towers Of Ice
I told Adriana to head up further to see the main waterfall. I grabbed a few more shots before following her to the base of the top cascade. I was prepared to see an amazing sight, but the area that we looked out on surpassed my expectations. An area that was normally a few inches deep was covered in what looked like 6-8 inches of ice.
An Icy Flow
I tested each step with a hard heel stomp and found a safe path up to the huge rock in the middle of the frame above. Adriana said that she just wanted to enjoy the view from her safe spot. I climbed up to the rock and could see water spilling through spots both above the ice and flowing below it. I snapped a frame and prepared to shoot a little video to show the movement.
The Falls At Two Fahrenheit
I shot a little handheld video and then wanted to step into the frame to show a sense of scale. I propped the camera up on my bag and looked to see how far out I could safely walk. I started recording and shimmied out to the spot, testing the area that I thought was just ice covered rock. When I was sure that it was ok, I turned back towards the camera, smiled, and pointed at the falls. I looked back at Adriana and all of a sudden, the ice gave way. I fell nearly 6′ and caught myself just as my belly dipped underwater. I had dropped, waist deep, into water that was surely below freezing, but still flowing. I yelled, pulled myself up and the ice cracked again. I fell back in, only slightly less deep this time. I grabbed for a handhold and finally pulled myself out. I knew that I needed to get back to the car quickly. I had never been in a situation like this, but instantly some survival skills kicked in and I yelled, “We gotta go.. We gotta go”. I packed up my camera as I felt my jeans freezing on the outside. There was water still in my boots.
I knew that the path back down and around would take far too long, but I wasn’t sure if Adriana could make the climb out on the path that I had showed her on the way in. I wasn’t about to leave her to take the long path. She had to come out with me.
I directed her to a safe crossing spot to get to where I was. She was a little reluctant, but just said that she would follow me out. We started climbing. It was the longest 3 minutes, but the shortest it had ever taken me to climb out. I stopped several times to direct her to the proper footholds and where to grab. In the moments where I leaned on the ground to help and make sure that she was ok, I could feel my pants freezing to the ground. The steepest part of the climb is the last 10′. There’s very little to grab to pull yourself up and loosing footing would mean a slide to a 20′ drop. #aintnobodygottimeforthat.
We finished the climb and began the trip back to the car, which now felt as though it was a mile away. My legs and lungs were burning. There was still water up to my ankle inside my boots. It took us nearly 8 minutes to reach the car, over 500′ away, all uphill on an ice covered road.
We got back to the car and I pulled my boots off, shut the door, and began stripping my frozen jeans off. My upper body was dry, thanks to my awesome coat with a tight waistband. I was out of danger. I was relieved. I was still super cold, sitting in my wet long john bottoms. Adriana gave me her snow pants and I traded out the long johns for dry snow pants. We decided that I would drive us home. I put my dry boots on and we drove up and out towards the interstate.
We laughed a bit about the “imminent peril” that I just experienced, our tired bodies after the adrenaline was out of our system, and then she grabbed my camera to look a the video. I heard myself fall, yell, and then proclaim that “We gotta go”. Adriana was cracking up in the passenger seat. I more than likely looked as foolish as I sounded. I’m glad to have survived the experience so that I can look back on it and laugh. Because I have captured it on video, you too can join in on the laughter.
I present to you, my submission for the 2014 Darwin Awards, titled, “We gotta go”. Enjoy!
Every year (for the past 4 or so) I’ve made a calendar for friends and family. I have used the images that I’ve shot during the current year only to make up each month. I’ve been pretty good at using images shot during that particular month.
Cover
This year, I’ve decided to offer the calendar for purchase. I’ve had a pretty good response so far, so I placed an order for a quantity of 50. I have 34 spoken for so far.
January
If you are interested in purchasing one, you can visit my website here. If you use coupon code DMSHoliday, you’ll get 15% off your order. That goes for all prints on the site as well!
I have found myself doing a good bit of commercial product photography as of late and decided that it was long past due to get a decent macro lens. I had the good fortune to stumble upon a great sale on one of my go-to lens sites and found a new member to the lens family: The Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Micro.
Why hello there, sexy.
This hunk of glass and metal is incredible. It is a beast of a lens. Not heavy or large, but more like a tank. It just FEELS solid. When I yanked it out of the box, I couldn’t help but get really close to a bunch of things…
Adriana and I have a new member of the family. We brought Ilex home on Friday the 15th with the help of John & Susan Kuhn. He was a little reluctant to leave his mama, but he was very well behaved for the 3 hour ride home. We stood with him in the trailer for the extent of the ride and by the time we pulled into the driveway, we were all ready to be out of there. He walked down to his new home with a brave inquisitiveness. He had never seen cats before. He hadn’t walked on a hill before. I managed to get a decent picture of him during a moment’s rest. His little mowhawk mane and tiny chin whiskers blowing in the breeze. He is set to be the most photographed horse ever. Welcome home, pal!
It was 8:15 am and I had just arrived at the Kuhn’s house to help restock the stores of hay for the winter. John and Susan are great friends that I met through my wife, Adriana. They have shared a common love, horses, and a friendship for many years. John is a photographer as well and we have had many a great talk about our fondness for capturing moments. Without getting too sidetracked, the story continues as we jump into the truck to drive to the farm that has, for many years, supplied hay for the Kuhn’s equine family. The farm’s owner, Lou, sadly passed away recently, but the family and a neighboring farmer wish to continue making hay.
After we loaded the first wagon, 168 bales, I peeked into one of the rooms in the barn to see some beautiful light falling on some old equipment. After we unloaded the first wagon, I asked John if it would be all right to bring my camera back to get a couple of shots in the barn. I threw the camera bag and tripod from the car (because, never leave home without it) into the truck for round two.
Another 168 bales were loaded onto the wagon, and John said.. “Grab your camera. I’ve got some things to show you in the basement.” I snapped a quick shot in the room that I peeked into earlier, then followed John to the basement.
Cobwebs And Contraptions
What I saw was a mix of possibly 100 year old equipment next to some modern machines. There was what John described as a “potato picker” in one corner, and a very old, but beautiful International Farmall Super A in the corner, covered in cobwebs. The light was hitting it perfectly.
Retirement
I moved over to the other side and found myself thinking about the life of the gentleman that once rode this piece of equipment. I had met Lou on a previous outing for hay. He was easily in his 80’s, but jumped right up with us and threw bales around right alongside John, Susan, Adriana and I. I thought… If I’m in this good of shape when I’m 50, I’ll be happy.
Lou’s Chariot
I took a few more photos of the collection of things that were Lou’s for many reasons. They were a product of a simpler time, but they still got the job done. They looked amazing in the little bit of light creeping in through the gaps in the boards. I’m a photographer.. that’s what I enjoy doing. Most importantly, though, I took them to remember. I only met Lou once. He made an impression on John & Susan’s life. He made an impression on mine as well. My muscles will remember the day very well tomorrow morning. I will enjoy looking at these images many years from now and remembering the happiness of a morning of the hard, but simple work of stacking and transporting hay with some great people.
I’m glad that it wasn’t overly sunny and beautiful today. It would have made it infinitely worse to sit in my office and edit the 3 overdue portrait sessions that have been waiting for me. It has been a silly week filled with too many things. I’ve worked my usual “nine to five” (ish) and installed 120SqFt of tile in my mom’s kitchen. I managed to get some new rooftop images of Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning (coming soon), and even snagged a couple of fall pics on Friday afternoon. After sorting & culling images from the past week’s sessions, designing a case for a client’s wedding images, created a new business card, modified an old one, and sending all of that to the lab, I rewarded myself. I edited a couple of the shots of a glowing autumn tree from Friday’s quick shoot. Enjoy!
All seems to be progressing well with the new site. I have added many new galleries for work, both old and new. I love the freedom of having unlimited space!
