Portraits of Winter

The recent ice storm in the Atlanta area provided much anxiety with downed trees and power lines. We were fortunate to have had only one night without power (can we say Internet withdrawal?).

One by product of this event was nature's show of light reflecting off icy surfaces. A glance out the window quickly confirmed that it was time to venture out.  I gathered my gear and flew out the front door as most times the ice is gone by noon.  As it happened in this case the frigid temperatures kept the ice around for several days providing extra time to look for lights and patterns.

Because of dangerous road conditions, I decided to work close to home which provided a plenty of photographic opportunities and a chance refill my coffee cup in between shots to help stave off the cold.

It was a cloudy day, which meant that Mother Nature's softbox provided great light, keeping the highlights from being overexposed in the images.  The trees were transformed into fountains of light with their icy cloak reflecting the cloudy illumination.

On day two, it was time to get up close and personal for some macro

shots.  A set of extension tubes mounted between the lens and camera body on a tripod  enabled a close up look at patterns and details of the icy covering on the tree branches.

A good practice when you bring your camera in from the cold is to first wrap it in a plastic bag to keep the condensation from forming and prevent moisture buildup on the external body, as well as the internal electrical components.  Once the camera reaches room temperature, you can remove it from the bag.

Each season has its own personality and Old Man Winter certainly showed his with this storm.  Lots of white and cool colors distance him from the other seasons, and make for a spectacular show.

Enjoy the day,

George