I have several images of this farm at sunrise. It is a place I enjoy going to and is not that far from home. Here is a link to one of my favorite images of it.
I decided last night to drive out there in the morning and prepared everything before going to bed. I woke before the alarm to the sound of blowing wind. Discovered later those winds were gusting up to 30 mph. I made a mocha latte, put it in my mug and headed out.
Needless to say, way too many images were not usable as it was difficult to keep the camera and tripod steady. For the image of fence below I parked the car on the west side of me as a wind block and then placed my tripod low to the ground to reduce as much shake as possible. I’m down low in the snow, in a bar ditch where most landscape photographers hang out.
Even with nylon wind pants, the wind found ways to penetrate and, as usual, it did not take long for my hands to get cold. I shot everything prior to sunrise and then headed home to warm up, shower and download images. These are the two images I think best represented the morning.
I also seem to have a rather large dust spot on my Fujifilm 18-55mm lens. It’s not a drastic spot and is almost impossible to see it. Only noticeable on light open skies and when you look for it. It has shown up that last few times I’ve used it and gone through the process of cleaning it. This morning I spent more time trying to make sure I have it cleaned. If not I may have to take it in. Stay warm and hang on to your hat.
11 Comments
Karin
Wow, a very beautiful but chilly looking morning. Loving those deep colors! I would have crawled right back into bed so I say, well done, my friend.
Monte Stevens
Thanks, Karin. I actually do stay under the covers more than when I was younger. 🙂
Steve Skinner
Great images; the blue colors scream cold!
Monte Stevens
Thank you, Steve. Hope all is well.
Tom Dills
There’s nothing like a clear morning sky to show the impression of cold. Great colors, and I especially like the scale of the silos on the horizon on the first image.
Is that spot on the lens, or more likely (IMO) on the sensor? I doubt that you’d be able to notice a spot on the lens that you couldn’t see. But spots on the sensor can be a bugger to find.
Monte Stevens
I’ve thought of that but I don’t see it on my other two lens. I will do some testing today to see if it is the sensor.
oneowner
I may have to put on another sweater after looking at these for a while. Really well done, Monte. I have taken to looking at each shot at 1:1 in Lightroom to “spot” photos. It seems tedious but I used to spot prints when I was making them in the film days and this is much easier. The Nikon is prone to sensor spots which show up mostly in areas with little detail, such as sky and clouds.
Monte Stevens
I cleaned the sensor today on my camera and will see that solves the issue. Oh, my Nikon’s, both the D100 and D300, were notorious for dust. I really do not change the lens very often with these two cameras. I also do the tedious 1:1 look/see.
Michael Dave Dizon
Hey Monte! Quick question about the X-T10. How did it perform in “below zero” conditions? I’m thinking about getting it but knowing that the X-T1 is weather sealed, I wasn’t too sure if that was a deal breaker. I’m in Canada and we have all four seasons. I just want to see if the X-T10, not being weather sealed, can perform okay in winter/cold temperatures. Your info and experience is greatly appreciated! Cheers!
Monte Stevens
Michael, I’m not a cold weather photographer much any more. I leave that to the younger photographers while I pull the blankets up around my neck. So, I’ve not done much shoozing in subzero temperatures. Your concern about which to chose was mine also. However, since extreme weather is not a concern for me the X-T10 was my choice.
Michael Dave Dizon
Much appreciate the reply, Monte! With your opinion, as well as many other articles I’ve read, the clear winner for me will be the X-T10. I’ve rented it before as a trial run and was completely astounded by it’s small size but the dynamic range of colours. Can’t beat that price, either! I know I’d be saving lots. And like many have mentioned, if it’s downpour rain or below -10ºC, there’s no reason for me to be outdoors shooting! Haha! Enjoy your cozying up with the blankets! haha! Sounds divine!