Unexpected snow calls for old shoes + polarizer

Sun, snow and shadows: a fine scene.

Yesterday’s snow meant a trip to a forest preserve with a camera. My old shoes are perfect for tramping through wet leaves and mud in addition to snow. One lens was enough so I grabbed the 18mm and a polarizing filter along with additional batteries and memory cards. It’s very tempting to begin photographing only moments after leaving the car, but I remember what I heard in a class last Wednesday: See–Think–Act in that order so I took time to find a subject or two. Yes, I shot more than these two images, but these are some of the keepers. Patches of snow still exist so get out to find them. Hopefully, I’ll see you again soon in another class. In the meantime, send pictures when you have some that you would like to share.

Remember: The Documenting Nature Class begins on Saturday, March 29 so don’t wait to enroll.

Surprise snow behind the Camera Clubhouse.

18mm, f8 @ 1/30, no filter

18mm, f8 @ 1/80 with 3-stop ND Grad

I received a 3-stop, soft-edge ND grad filter from the Camera Clubhouse cats. They decided to purchase from Breakthrough Photography since I mentioned that one of my students brought Breakthrough Filters to a recent class and, on inspection, the filters seemed to be very well made. An ND Grad filter starts dark and fades to clear so the placement of the dark portion is determined by both the bright part of the scene and the photographer. This filter made quite a difference in holding down the sun in the upper part of the image. Check out the “no-filter” image and ND Grad image. The difference will amaze you. Please note: I have no affiliation with Breakthrough Photography and chose them only based on student referral.

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