winter

Winter photography: a cold challenge

January 14, 2019

**Bayshore beach, tide-washed and snow-swept.**

**Waves splash onto ice-covered rocks.**

It started with one word: “cold”. I was browsing Instagram on Saturday morning and found a photography challenge on the theme “cold”. I pushed aside my cosy throw blanket, stood up from the couch and looked out the window — snow and ice and bright sunlight — it was a beautiful winter day! So I thought, easy, I just have to step out the door and take a photo.

But snow doesn’t always mean cold. It can be above zero in the winter – I was overheating last week on our snowy walk through the park – and if I was going to go outside on a frigid day, I wanted to show how cold it actually felt. So I decided to go to the beach.

The temperature was -12 Celcius and rising slowly, so I decided to wait until afternoon. Of course taking pictures of the cold meant getting cold, so I layered up: wool socks and tall winter boots, lined windpants, three layers of sweaters plus jacket, scarf, two pairs of gloves and wool hat. I grabbed a spare battery and my camera, the XT2 with the 18-55 and 55-200 zoom lenses. (A zoom keeps the camera away from salty sea spray.)

I parked next to the beach, stepped outside, and immediately noticed the wind. The afternoon may have warmed up to -8, but the windchill brought it back down to -12. I wrapped my scarf tighter and took a few wide-angle photos of the beach before walking over to the rocks at one end.

It didn’t take long to reach the rocks, but I was already feeling the chill by the time I arrived. I was glad to see ice on the rocks, just as I had hoped. I switched to my telephoto and started taking photos of the rocks and the waves, pleased how the strong afternoon light emphasized the teeth of the icicles that had formed.

I’m sure it won’t be news to you, but metal cameras are cold magnets. And two pairs of gloves are not enough. After 10 minutes, I had to stuff one hand in my pocket while I tried to brace the camera on my shoulder – shooting sideways – with my other hand. After 15 minutes, my fingertips were numb. I stuffed both my hands in my pockets and walked back to the car. I was glad I chose a location close to a parking lot!

What would I do differently next time? Hand warmers, one in each pocket, would have been really smart. And I had forgotten to bring my flip-top mitts, to keep my hands warm when I wasn’t taking photos. And yes, there will be a next time because the forecast is for more arctic weather. It is winter, after all.

Have I mentioned that I don’t like being cold? It’s a good thing I do like photography!

**Looking west toward Partridge Island at the entrance to Saint John harbour.**

To view larger images, Click here.

Joy in the park

January 10, 2019

**Cai’s joy is boundless**. Fujifilm X100F f5.6 1/210

After days of bitter cold, the temperature has risen to above freezing, and we are glad to get out of the house. The ice that coated roads and sidewalks is melting, the snow in the park is perfect for walking, and the dogs are full of energy. We follow a trail down into a valley. I see a frozen brook in the woods, and stop to take photos…

This could be a post about the reasons to always carry a camera with you (Reason #1: to record memories). Or I could write about Rockwood Park, one of the largest (if not the largest) municipal parks per capita in Canada. Or this could be about how to use cameras in the winter (that post is coming soon). But not today. Today it is all about joy.

Joy is my first thought when I look at this image. The joy of Cai, bounding happily toward me on the snowy trail. The joy of our other corgi Savvy, waiting with her ears cocked, ready to join in the fun. The joy of Janet, laughing at the big smile on my face as I crouch down to greet our playful dog, camera in one hand with my index finger poised on the shutter button. The joy of this beautiful park, the mild winter weather, the scent of spruce and snow and clean fresh air.

I love this photo because it captures a joy-filled moment. I love photography because it gives me a tool to capture this memory. I love learning about shutter speed, exposure, perspective, aperture, focus (and other details about my camera’s operation) because without those aspects of photography I would be able to take this particular photo. Sure, I could have used a camera or a phone on auto mode, but what are the chances I would get this picture when my camera or phone is making the choices for me?

I have found that the best way to capture these fleeting moments is to know my camera so well that I can adjust my settings without looking. I have discovered that I depend on tactile memory a lot, adjusting settings more by instinct than by deliberate thought. That’s not to say that every image on my memory card is perfect — far from it! There are many times when my reflexes are not fast enough, resulting in blurred or underexposed images, or I haven’t anticipated a shot and the composition is, well, meh. But that’s one of the reasons why photography is a lifelong pursuit for me; I’m always trying to learn and improve. And along the way, I find a few images that give me joy.

the answer lies ahead

January 3, 2019

Simplification is a useful approach in life and photography. Simply put, less is more. It’s easy to be complicated, much more challenging to winnow down the distractions to focus on just one thing.

Snow helps. Compositionally speaking, snow covers over all the non-essential elements even better than using a wide aperture. Soft focus has its uses, but snow is more minimalist, plus falling snow creates a lovely fog-effect in the background.

For this diptych, I found two elements that go well together and are a similar shape and weight: a leaf, and our dog Savvy (short for Savannah). Snow serves to isolate these two forms, and choosing black-and-white emphasizes the simplicity of the composition.

I don’t often use a square crop, but I feel it suits the meditative quality of these photos, as the static frame complements the diagonal direction of the leaf and dog. The way Savvy is looking off into the distance makes me think of my hopes for the new year, and reminds me of a famous quote:

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
Søren Kirkegaard

So I have resolved not to regret what is behind me, but only to look ahead. I am not making any promises, but I have an intention for 2019: to say “yes” more. Saying yes to what is life-giving and life-affirming means saying no to negativity and self-sabotage. And saying yes for me means improving my skills and practicing my passion for photography, and maybe even being more adventurous (I have 2 trips planned already)!

New Year’s sunrise

January 2, 2019

**Sunrise on New Year’s Day, 2014.** Fujifilm X100 f8 1/90

A few years ago, I decided to get a sunrise photo on New Year’s Day. At this time of year in the northern hemisphere, the sun rises at a leisurely hour, at about 8 am, so getting up in time was not a hardship. But dealing with snowy roads and frigid temperatures is hard. Wearing two pairs of gloves plus mittens when using a camera is hard, and windchill requires a full scarf that covers most of my face and threatens to steam up my glasses.

Fortunately it was not too windy this particular Jan 1st and the sunrise was glorious. I chose just one location, under the harbour bridge, where I could park close at hand. I was using the fixed lens Fujifilm X100 and set up my camera before I left the house. I arrived before the sun rose and stayed 20 minutes, then hopped back into the car to warm up.

But when the car wouldn’t start I began to panic. I called CAA and their estimated waiting time was 40 minutes. The temperature was -25 Celsius and I was already chilled from being outdoors. I tried to decide whether to walk or wait. And then I decided to try starting the car again. Big sigh of relief – the car started!

Since then I haven’t gotten out for every New Year’s sunrise, but I have collected a few favourites. There is something about heading out in adverse weather that makes the images more precious to me.

When I woke up in time for sunrise this year, it was snowing. The roads looked sketchy. So I decided not to drive; I bundled up and walked to the nearest intersection, and then trudged home again. I didn’t get very far this year, but I still got my New Year’s sunrise photo!