Away! A crow takes flight from a field of snow.
DUST OF SNOW
by Robert Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
photograph
All posts tagged photograph
Accidental Abstract
Messing with my little Canon M3, I accidentally pressed the shutter release whilst turning the camera over to remove its memory card. I was quite surprised when I viewed the image that resulted and actually pleased with what I had done! The image looked nice as retrieved from the camera but what you see here has been “played with” a bit.
Lakeview Park Beach, Lorain, Ohio, in January 2018
Late in January we had a bit of a break in the weather. Yes, it was still cold but the sun was shining and the temperature was in the double-digits. We paid a visit to the Lake Erie coastline.
At Lakeview Park, Lorain, lake ice, pushed onshore by winds and waves, lay in piles dirtied by flotsam also thrown up by Erie.
Gulls sat on nearly every ice floe in Lake Erie, off Lorain, Ohio, as the old lighthouse stood watch.
Gulls rode ice floes in the open waters of Lake Erie off Lorain, Ohio, as the lighthouse stood watch. One ring-billed gull, on a chunk of ice of its own, seemed pretty relaxed; it yawned widely as we watched.
A Ring-Billed Gull yawns as it stands on an ice floe just offshore of Lorain, Ohio.
Wow! I haven’t posted anything since October?! Things have been happening, not all of them happy, but I did get out today on a little solo hike in the snow and fresh air. I also brought home a nice collection of new photographs and here are a few of them…
Memories of Times Past, Hope for the Future.
I spied a little bird’s nest in the branches of a small tree, the branches bare and the nest full of snow. I wrote this to accompany the photo:
A bird’s tiny nest,
Carefully woven in springtime,
Young fledged and gone away,
Nest now filled with snow.
Memories of times past,
Hope for the future.
The day was breezy and cold — 20° F– and as I was paused, photographing something at trailside, a gentleman passed, trudging through the fresh snow. “It’s refreshing today!” I answered, “That’s a word.” Perhaps not a witty exchange, but it was accurate.
Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Though it won’t officially be winter for another several days, the weather, woods, and wildlife tell a different tale. Birds, especially, were scarce and mostly silent. In fact, during the first portion of my hike near the frozen wetland of Buckeye Woods Park, Medina, I saw no birds at all. Finally, in a small area along a branch trail, could be heard chirps of feathered ones. In the distance, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and a woodpecker flitted from tree to tree. A Chickadee eyed me warily, half in fear, half in hope of my bringing lunch. Only a lone female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) lingered long enough and close enough for me to grab an image. The bird glowed in muted colors, lit from beneath by white snow. She soon joined her kind in trees far from me.
I ended my foray by venturing to the end of the trailhead parking lot. Across the road and a field was a derelict barn surrounded by bare trees, white snow below, white sky above. I think it might make a nice holiday card.
Old Barn – Last Legs
I must get out more often.
October Sky 7155.
A thick bank of cloud was approaching from the west while rain showers passed to the northeast over the flat farmlands of Northwestern Ohio. I watched as intense spots of sunlight swept across the landscape — a dramatic contest between light and shadow.
Sunset: Vickery, Ohio. October 29.
Lately, when I travel to visit relatives, I’ve been taking the slow road — state highways instead of Interstates — as a sort of “road trip.” The slower pace and varied scenery of a road trip removes the sameness from regular travels. On the return leg of this weekend’s drive, I made a stop along the way for dinner and was rewarded with a pretty nice view of sunset-lit clouds over open fields in Northwestern Ohio.
Into the Light. A Northern Water Snake seeks sunlight from its woodland perch.
Photo hikes in nature can present one with surprises. We visited the Lorain County MetroParks’ Sandy Ridge Reservation hoping and expecting to see an assortment of birds native to that wetland. What we did not expect to see along the way is, well, what you see here: a couple of small snakes literally hanging from and on trees! The first was a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) stretched out along the skimpy branch of a tree along the trail. When we first saw the dark-colored reptile, a spot of sun was shining on it from between the trees; perhaps it was catching some rays to warm its cold blood. The snake allowed fairly close approach and did not move at all during the “photo session.” On the way back from enjoying the birds — there’s a long hike through a heavily-wooded area between parking lot and wetland — we spied another little snake. Snake number two had hung itself vertically on the trunk of a tree, head curved out parallel to the ground. The tree-hanging Butler’s Garter Snake (Thamnophis butleri), like the water snake, held perfectly still during our entire time watching and photographing it. Snakes alive, what a surprise!
Hanging out (literally) on a tree is this Butler’s Garter Snake (Thamnophis butleri).
Lightning over Medina County, Ohio, September 4, 2017
A train of strong thunderstorms rumbled through Ohio late Monday night. In some areas the storms were declared severe, even dropping a tornado or two, damaging trees and homes. Here, we were treated to needed rain and a brilliant light show.
Clouds, Rain, Lightning over Medina County, Ohio, September 4, 2017
Most of the lightning discharged somewhere in the clouds, the bolts unseen but lighting up the sky in brilliant repeated flashes. The sparks themselves could occasionally be seen and a few were spectacular.
Final Shot of the Night: Lightning over Medina County, Ohio, September 4, 2017
Over the course of an hour or so, I managed to capture several cloud-to-cloud strikes, most of which were fairly ordinary for such an active storm. I did see work from another photographer, who has a perch overlooking Lake Erie, in which twisted arcs fill the sky and reflect from the lake waters. I do miss Lake Erie.
Radar Image of Line of Storms. September 4, 2017
For all of us not asleep, the storms brought a lightning-brightened night and an opportunity to witness and record something of Nature’s power.
Eclipse at Maximum
Yesterday (August 21) millions gathered along a thin path crossing the continental United States to watch a total eclipse of the Sun. Those with favorable viewing conditions along the path of totality enjoyed an amazing sight and experience. Totality fell close enough to a west-to-east center line across the continent that at least a partial eclipse was visible to anyone with access to clear sky.
Since, with some self-doubt, I had decided not to travel to the path of totality, I organized and promoted the Hiram Eclipse Watch event. With the support of the Hiram College Physics Department, it took place on the campus of the college.
Moving Toward Maximum
I planned to set up two telescopes: a six-inch Meade refractor with a Baader Planetarium Safety Herschel Wedge, and a 90mm Meade refractor with glass/metal filter. I also was to carry my Canon EOS 7D Mark 2 camera, 400mm telephoto, and 2X teleconverter (>1,200mm focal length equivalent), and white light film filter. Only a day or so ahead of the eclipse, I was testing focus and exposure using the gear I’d planned to carry with me. The camera failed! I contacted Canon and they advised it needed to be sent in for factory service. Fortunately, I’d saved my old Canon EOS 50D DSLR. I pulled it from its storage box, charged the camera’s batteries, and without testing, bundled it up and took it to the Eclipse Watch site.
The 50D performed like a champ, making the images I’m showing here!
Despite last-minute worries over cloud cover, even possible rain, we had clear to partly-cloudy skies for the duration of our 80-percent partial eclipse. An estimated 375 visitors came out to share the experience, and by all accounts had an excellent time. Several guests even sought me out and thanked me profusely for bringing out the telescopes and hosting the watch event. Some families even brought blankets and enjoyed a picnic on the lawn in the shade of old trees!
Their happiness and excitement = my pay day!
Detail From Above – Looking along the Moon’s dark curve, Lunar mountains, craters, other relief features show subtly in silhouette.
It was very hot and fairly humid and I labored hard in the sunshine erecting and operating the telescopes, rationing out eclipse viewing glasses, explaining the eclipse event and solar features, and making a few photographs of my own. By the end I was dripping with sweat, dehydrated, hungry, and very tired. I packed the gear quickly because a newspaper reporter wanted me to email her my eclipse photos for publication.
Intrepid Photographer with His Camera and Very Large and Heavy Meade Telescope. Credit: Dave Dreimiller
In the cool air of the Physics office I was ready to edit and upload my image using my iPad and cellular connection. Oh, right. No adapter for the old-style memory card the Canon 50D uses! I had a memory card reader with USB connection with me but >> gad! << Hiram College computer network was down because students were returning to school and bringing malware in with their laptop computers! The Physics Department’s computer didn’t have a card slot for camera cards so I couldn’t transfer files from old card to new and to the iPad from there. Frustrated at every turn! So, I had to rush home to process and upload a photograph of maximum eclipse to a newspaper.
At home, I loaded the images on to my computer, edited the best one, composed a brief email, went to click [send] and the computer froze!! First. Time. Ever. Fortunately, after an emergency restart, the computer came back up as if nothing had happened, the message and image attachment had been saved in [drafts] and the email was transmitted. Whew!
End of day I was tired, wired, and dirty.
Oh yes, and happy.
The (Ravenna) Courier-Record – August 22, 2017 – Page 1
A Beautiful Storm – Panorama
Stirring in my bed this morning, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I heard a severe weather alert tone from my phone. Looking at the screen, then checking radar, I was surprised to see a compact and intense area of heavy rain coming our way. It had the hallmarks of a storm that might offer visual drama! So I threw on some clothes, grabbed my trusty camera, and headed out to meet the monster at the city limits.
It’s wonderful having access to high-resolution weather radar in near real-time available on-the-road via iPad. Though I had no problem getting through from one side of the city to the other, the storm was fast coming. Looking around I spied a road I’d never explored; it looked like it offered a wide view to the west so I made a turn and parked at the curb. Yes, a very nice view and just in time!
Layers
Rolling in from the west was one of the most beautiful storms I’ve seen: It featured layers of smooth clouds, separated by striations and trailing off into graceful waves. The morning was quiet, the storm silent as it approached. Until the rain pushed in.
Outflow: Rolling in with Rain
I could see above the treeline a soft, curved cloud feature below all of the other layers, slightly glowing in morning light. I began to hear a sound in the distant trees. Wind? No, rain! The outflow cloud was running ahead of a torrent! I shot a few additional frames, calmly walked to my car, got in, and the rain arrived. I headed home.
It was a wonderful way to start the day!
PhotonStopper 