There Will Be Beautiful

On winter coming:

"It won't be so bad.

There will be beautiful."

Sugar Coated

Sometimes we just need things sugar coated.

Hoarfrost

Nothing quite like it,

when hoarfrost pays a visit.

The Fruit Remains

Even in the cold

the fruit remains.

Frosted Forest

If Winter Continues...

...so must we.

It's a Foggy Morning

Eyelashes

I saw her coming down the street and noticed the frost immediately. Taking advantage of the exceptional daylight, I shot this picture of my daughter just as she opened the door from a cold walk. The frosted hair and eyelashes were stunning and needed to be captured before the warmth of our home made them a memory.

Making sure to focus on her eyelashes, the rest of her hair could blend softly into the background. I made sure to keep the important features in focus. Depth of field is important.

I shot with a shutter speed of 1/100 and aperture of f/2.8. My focal length was 34 mm and ISO 100. 

Louise Bridge

Winter in my Beautiful City

Snow in the Dark

Again, the frost remained overnight and I woke up to a lovely snowfall as well. Off I went with my tripod and camera to stand in the middle of the street to take some shots.

I shot these in the dark, obviously, so I decided ahead of time to lug my tripod up the street to help with steadying my camera. The streetlights were helpful with casting the light necessary for focusing.
I shot both at a speed of 1/20 with an aperture of f/4.
My ISO was 500, which I normally do not choose, but for a snowy scene, any increased grain wasn't an issue.
Once on my computer I converted to black and white, ridding the images of the orange hue that often accompanies low light photos.

Frost Remains

As was my hope, the frost remained overnight and seemed to only multiply today. How beautiful, our city! How beautiful, the frost!

I shot this image at 1/100 with an aperture of f/2.8. My focal length was 68 mm and my ISO was 100.
It is good to find something to contrast with the otherwise white scene that frost often gives. Here the hearts turned out to be the perfect contrast!

Seeing this lady make her way through the winter wonderland, I knew I had to take her picture. Her bright coat and hat were exactly the right pop in the frosty landscape. The blur worked quite well with this composition.
I shot this image at a speed of 1/60 and aperture of f/5. My focal length was 70 mm and my ISO was 100.

Couldn't resist shooting Garry! I love to get shots of pedestrians in the city. I do make an effort to make sure they are not so easily identifiable by softening the image or at least the person.
I shot this at 1/50 with an f stop of f/5. My focal length was 40 mm and ISO 100.

The contrast between the strong, steely corporate buildings and the gentle frost is significant. Further contrast is found between the teal glass and the greys/whites in the image.
My aperture was f/2.8 and shutter speed 1/125. My focal length 38 mm and ISO 100.

Frost and Fog in the City

 

Winter in the Woodlands

Misty Morning

I shot this on a cold misty morning. Snow and ice were all around except on this lake, the deepest lake in Manitoba. This lake is interesting in its origin as it was formed when a meteorite hit the earth, creating a huge crater that became what we now know as West Hawk Lake.

My shutter speed was 1/125 and my aperture was f/5.0. My ISO was 100 and focal length 190. When I converted the image to black and white, the frosted trees seemed to separate from those without, the mist became more obvious and the negative space more effective.

Hoarfrost at Dusk

Last winter was an amazing winter for hoarfrost in Winnipeg. Instead of disappearing with the sun's rise, some days it lasted well into the day and on occasion into the evening and night. Hoping for more of the same this winter.

Winter-Kissed

Making sure to compensate for the full white composition, I bumped up my exposure so the camera actually indicated the image was overexposed. I shot at f/8 and a speed of 1/800. My ISO was 100.

Once on my computer, I converted the image to a black and white because I wanted to rid the shot of the blues that are often found in snow compositions. However, it is not a true black and white as there are some warm tones present.

This wintry scene originally presented quite grey with a blue cast. Using a preset and then adjusting the colour from there, I eventually found what worked best, but the image was not yet complete. I brought it into Photoshop and applied a texture layer over-top.

In camera, I shot at f/8 with a speed of 1/800 and ISO of 100.

Swirl

Light is so magical! The absence of it makes things seem dark, still, stuck. The presence of light brings movement and hope.

I shot this on a beautiful crisp morning. Frost had come but the sun came out and before the warmth melted the frost, I was able to get some shots.

I used my 60 mm macro. When going out to shoot frost, that is my lens choice, every time. My ISO was 100 and my shutter speed was 1/800. I chose an aperture of f/2.8, allowing the background, which was not so far off to drop away into blur and movement. The sun and sweet bokeh created this magical swirl and feeling that just cannot be matched on a grey day.

Catching Sunshine

We've had a stretch of overcast and rainy days here in Winnipeg. Yesterday the sun returned and this morning for a bit as well. The forecast is for the sun's hiding over the next several days so I made sure to get out there with my camera for at least a few minutes this morning.

There is a patch of sunflowers not from from us. The faded flowers share space with some corn and a few other things in a community garden.

I got in close and then once on my computer I cropped even closer. The way the sun shone through the tired flower was so pretty. The f/4 aperture was just right to catch the detail in the flower and seeds both, and allowed the stem to fall off into blur. I shot at a speed of 1/30. Because I did not have my tripod it was really quite a fluke that I did not get camera shake. I usually don't go slower than 1/50 or 1/60, depending on the lens choice. All in all I think the image turned out as I hoped.

Prairie Diamonds

How beautiful, these prairie diamonds! Soon to disappear, like riches can and do, these glistening gems of frosted wheat were to be enjoyed in the present, not hoarded nor wasted, but enjoyed...and shared.

Positioning myself and lens so the sun was shining just right on on the subject with the right amount of glisten and silhouette, I began to shoot. My shutter speed was 1/640 with an aperture of f/9. As is my habit, I used ISO 100. This was no problem with such bright conditions.

I softened the image by adding a gentle texture layer over top in Photoshop.