Category Archives: Winter

Photographer’s Choice – Kim Hadley

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The Bleakness – And Beauty – of Winter in Ashe

Kim Hadley - Winter in Creston

Kim Hadley – Winter in Creston

All photographers know the great advantage of rolling out of bed early and getting out for that elusive first light in the morning. It requires a particular dedication to venture out into a windy, 22-degree morning after a snowfall with a hope the morning will be special and offer an opportunity to capture a unique and memorable image. “It was barely pre-dawn…and I was facing North. The sun had not yet broken the horizon to the east and actually when it did, it was quite uneventful due to how cloudy it was – so the only show of color was during these few minutes before dawn”, says Kim. “It is a very mild HDR…I wanted to preserve the pink in the sky without losing all the details in the valley to darkness.” She found an opening between the near trees to frame the distant mountains. The closer, darker mountain and the black pond provide a clear focal point to bring order to the scene. The early light had a definite blue bias which could be corrected in post processing, shifting the snow to white, but that would alter the reality of the light, remove the “cold” one feels and take away the very pleasing contrast with the pinkish sky. On this particular morning, Kim was rewarded for her efforts.

Canon EOS 50d fitted with an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens
Focal Length – 18mm
Shutter 1/60 sec @ f/3.5 aperture
ISO – 400

Photo of the Week – Anita Hale

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This image is another example of the innovative and creative uses of a camera. It manages to give a positive result even though it consists largely of overblown highlights and blocked shadows, either of which can be fatal in many scenes. For both to occur simultaneously and yet produce a lovely image is rare indeed. Only the center “creek” area might be said to be “properly” exposed. The stark contrast between the bright snow in the foreground and the sky in the background with the black dead weeds make it comparable to a woodcut. The silhouetted crane is undoubtedly the focal point.

Whether the image succeeds or not is for each individual to decide for himself.

Heron on Grassy Creek - Anita Hale

Heron on Grassy Creek - Anita Hale

Recent member Anita Hale gets credit for this photograph. She is a native of Grassy Creek (where this shot was taken on Christmas day of 2009) but spends her winters in Miami. She has no recollection of herons being seen in the area when she was growing up. As with other members who fly south for the winter, we look forward to meeting her this summer at the Arts Council.

Nikon D5000
Shutter Speed: 1/125
F-Stop: f/5.6
ISO: 900
Focal Length: 300.0mm
Flash: Did Not Fire