Wintertime is a fun time to take the camera and play around with black and whites. It’s easy to see why as all the snow makes for the perfect white element so that just leaves the black element. This old barn outside of town made for that perfect element. Since I’ve photographed this barn in the past, I knew it would be a good subject for the afternoon. The white paint job makes it blend in more with the snow which is a unique element compared to most barns that are red and stick out more.
Well it’s starting to feel like winter already which is kind of amazing considering how short fall was. With this last big storm that swept across Montana, a blanket of snow was dropped and it was a pretty good size blanket. We got a good foot here in the valley which is actually typical for November as we always seem to get at least one big storm before Thanksgiving.
When big storms come through I watch the weather carefully never knowing when the whole will come in the clouds letting in just enough light to really make that fresh powder shine. Sunday we had a few hours before the next storm cell would bring in more snow I went out looking at all that great powder. Sadly I returned with nothing. That’s how it goes sometimes. You get all ready to find that image only to return empty handed. Then looking out the window in a brief moment there was the image. This is why it’s important to have a camera on your desk for you never know when it’s going to be needed. This was a simple click with the D5 and 70-200 VRII out my window towards the neighbors horse ranch. A little bit of finishing in ACR and there ya go.
Mother Nature can surprise us with some pretty unbelievable possibilities. They don’t always get noticed, in fact this is a great example of one that my friend would’ve stepped on. Freshly fallen snow is good for a number of different compositions including patterns. I love finding those patterns because it’s natures way of creating an abstract. When it comes to the photograph there’s nothing to it. This was taken with the Nikon 1 V3. Just a quick click but a good reminder of what’s out there.
Winter is hear and proper outdoor gear is important. No matter what your plans are for outdoor recreation it’s crucial that you go prepared for whatever might be thrown at you. Water, food and warm clothing is a must. The goal is to keep the chill from setting in because once it does it’s harder to get rid of it and it’s harder to shoot once you have it.
Along with the proper supplies, don’t be deceived by appearances. Always check before going out the temps and winds to see what conditions will be like for both shooting and standing. Even though it might be sunny it could easily be freezing. Cross Country skiing gloves are great for dexterity and warmth, combined with a good warm neck gator any outdoor activity can be fun.
In winter time there are often more days with overcast skies in the Rocky Mountains then there are sunny skies. This is the case with most areas. While my favorite has always been and will always be puffy cloud days, the winter weather can lead to some interesting moments if you are watching the weather. There are many things that as a photographer you have to pay attention to and the weather is another one of the them.
In between storms cells is often an opening in which some light will make it’s way through providing some shooting opps. If you’re familiar with your local you can take advantage of these times. In order to do that you have to explore and shoot. With the D4 and 24-70 AF-S I made these two basic shots by just going to a couple spots that I had previously been and knew would have the light.
If you’re wondering why one is black and white and the other isn’t it’s really simple. When there was great color I stayed with it. When there wasn’t I went monochrome. This was my thinking while I was shooting because not all of those pockets of light produced great color. But every pocket did create great contrast.
I’ve only had the 18-35mm f3.5 for a couple of weeks now but I got to say I really like that lens! It’s just a great light weight lens. It’s wicked sharp and the 18 to 35 range is great for landscapes. It’s also great for working inside of planes or other small spaces, as I tested that out last weekend at the LA County Airshow. But one thing that I wanted to make sure I did this year was try the 18-35 with snow.
On Monday I went up to Hyalite Canyon after the snow stopped to work with the fresh powder. I love fresh powder. There is something about fresh snow that it’s just crisper or brighter. Whatever it is, there is a visual difference when compared to snow that has been on the ground for a couple of days. Well this one spot just happened to be rather low in the river so it seemed like the right spot to bring out the 18-35. Real simple one click image that was finished in Adobe Camera Raw.
