The Way We See It: ice

Showing posts with label ice. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

January 26, 2013

The Sculpture - Osceola, WI
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE
3-Shot Stitched Panorama

January 26th was another 14 degree morning. The crisp night turned water to stone, and a sculpture was left in its wake. Ephemeral as the day's weather, the ice evolves as warm air replaces cold. The artist, Winter, manipulates her medium with a frequency unlike any I have seen before. Her work is nothing short of a masterpiece, and I am lucky when I stumble upon her unique vision.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Celebration?

On Solid Water - Gooseberry State Park, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 100mm L Macro IS

It was 41℉ (5 ℃) during yesterday’s commute. Less than 24 hours later, the temperature has plummeted 34 degrees. We now expect that tomorrow’s daytime high will be -17 ℉ (-27 ℃).

Winter on Lake Superior - Grand Marais, MN
Canon 1D Mark II + Canon 17-40mmL @ 17mm

2012 was the warmest year on record in Minnesota, and January 2013 has continued the trend until now. Broad climatic shifts now seem to be the norm. A state known for its predictably cold winter now seems more like the moderate East Coast weather that I recall from my youth. While the current bitter temperature challenges my ability to expose, compose and shoot, it is a welcome change. Minnesota ice is back... and I hope that it sticks around for a while.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Tip #51: The Variable Neutral Density Filter

Winter Stream - Osceola, WI
Canon 5D MarkII + Zeiss ZE 35mm f2.0 @ f16 w/ Fader Variable ND Filter

The roots that compose the word for our craft, photography, are photo (light) and graph (picture). Absent from the prefix and suffix is mention of the camera, lens, sensor and resolution. While gear expands the possibilities and entertains our desire for things, it does not define the medium. As such, I have devoted very few words in this blog to discussions about photographic equipment.

Frozen Falls - Osceola, WI
Canon 7D MarkII + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f8

Master photographers perceive the way highlights enhance and shadows define. They recognize how the angle of inclination can alter a mood, and know that controlling a light's tone, duration and intensity conveys an intent.

Winter Stream II - Osceola, WI
Canon 5D MarkII + Zeiss ZE 35mm f2.0 @ f16 w/ Fader Variable ND Filter

Light-picture - manipulate the light to convey your vision.
The variable neutral density (ND) filter is an inexpensive tool for controlling the amount of light that strikes the sensor. When attached to the front element of the lens, a rotation of this polarizer-like filter allows you to block 1 to 10-stops of light. These filters facilitate long exposure photography during daylight hours, thus allowing you to capture the blurred ebb and flow of cars, people and water during the brightest minutes of the day. A long-time tool of videographers and cinematographers, the variable ND permits access to fast apertures and slow shutter speeds when ambient light would otherwise restrict the exposure. Used here at Osceola Falls, my variable neutral density filter was attached to a 35mm lens. I set the gear on a stable tripod, used a cable-release and applied mirror lock-up to shoot a 20 second exposure at f16.