A bit of snow
Although much of the rest of the country has had a fair bit of snow over the past few weeks (I use the term ‘fair bit’ in relation to typical British winters, not Canadian), in Castle Douglas it’s only been teasing. It snows, but doesn’t settle; or it snows and settles just enough to get your hopes up, but by the time you’ve had breakfast, donned a woolly hat and scarf and a 2nd pair of socks, it’s raining and the white stuff on the ground is already turning to slush.
This morning, however, there was a good inch or two lying on top of the car so I thought I should head out with the camera. Maggie suggested woodland and trees might be a good option, but then I spent another 10 minutes trying to decide whether I should go with a wide-angle lens (good for landscapes) or my 70-200mm zoom lens (good for getting in close). Eventually I headed off for Dalbeattie Woods with my zoom lens, hoping I might see some ducks on the wee loch there.
As I walked through the woods, the soft snow crunching underfoot, I looked at this magical landscape and utterly failed to find a way to capture it on camera.
I’m a faces man; a portrait photographer. I can make anyone look cool and interesting. But when it comes to landscapes, it’s entirely hit or miss (mostly miss) – I don’t understand the language in the way landscape photographers do. So I carried on walking, partly trying to just enjoy the walk, and partly trying to fend off feelings of inadequacy.
I reached the edge of the loch, which was half covered in semi-melted ice and snowy slush, but there wasn’t a duck to be seen. But I did quite like the way a branch was jutting out over the slushy water.
Further along my walk I saw a bench with snow on it and decided to make a wee snowman (only about 9 or 10 inches high)
I then gave him a nose and stuck him on top of a post to glare accusingly at unwary travellers…
Finally, about 150 yards or so from the car I realised I was at the place I took the abstract photo of the birch trees last month (which I posted at the end of my Favourite Photos of 2012 post), so though I would try the same effect of motion blur – deliberately moving the camera as you click the shutter. And that did, finally, give me a photo I was really pleased with
As always, feel free to click on any of the images for a larger version.
And let me know in the comments what kind of photography you like doing the most
This morning, however, there was a good inch or two lying on top of the car so I thought I should head out with the camera. Maggie suggested woodland and trees might be a good option, but then I spent another 10 minutes trying to decide whether I should go with a wide-angle lens (good for landscapes) or my 70-200mm zoom lens (good for getting in close). Eventually I headed off for Dalbeattie Woods with my zoom lens, hoping I might see some ducks on the wee loch there.
As I walked through the woods, the soft snow crunching underfoot, I looked at this magical landscape and utterly failed to find a way to capture it on camera.
I’m a faces man; a portrait photographer. I can make anyone look cool and interesting. But when it comes to landscapes, it’s entirely hit or miss (mostly miss) – I don’t understand the language in the way landscape photographers do. So I carried on walking, partly trying to just enjoy the walk, and partly trying to fend off feelings of inadequacy.
I reached the edge of the loch, which was half covered in semi-melted ice and snowy slush, but there wasn’t a duck to be seen. But I did quite like the way a branch was jutting out over the slushy water.
Further along my walk I saw a bench with snow on it and decided to make a wee snowman (only about 9 or 10 inches high)
I then gave him a nose and stuck him on top of a post to glare accusingly at unwary travellers…
Finally, about 150 yards or so from the car I realised I was at the place I took the abstract photo of the birch trees last month (which I posted at the end of my Favourite Photos of 2012 post), so though I would try the same effect of motion blur – deliberately moving the camera as you click the shutter. And that did, finally, give me a photo I was really pleased with
As always, feel free to click on any of the images for a larger version.
And let me know in the comments what kind of photography you like doing the most
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