A day in the Snow (Landscape & Wildlife)

allymac123 · 04-01-2008, 12:32 AM

Kind of wanted to go to Glencoe today but I feared the snow would prevent me from getting back.

Instead headed up the road to the reservoirs near me that I've photographed before. (only a 10min drive but I still nearly didn't make it back!!)

No doubt if the snow's still here I'll be back out tomorrow (or today as it is now!)

Shooting in falling snow is almost more difficult than heavy rain!!

#1 - The last of the day but my fave so it's going first!!

10mm | 30s | f22 | ND8

#2 - Also posted a shot of this road before without the snow

22m | 2.5s | F16

#3 - Stumbled upon this newly built hide. Not much but small birds to see but a very good opportunity to shoot them so shoot them I did!

10mm

#4 - Annoyingly this robin (probably the bird I wanted to shoot most) wouldn't come in front of the hide like all the other birds would so I had to hang out the window and point my camera round the side to get this.

300mm | 1/100s | F5.6 | ISO 500

#5 - Blue-tit

300mm | 1/125s | F5.6 | ISO 800

#6 - Grate-tit

300mm | 1/125s | F5.6 | ISO 500

#7 - Chaffinch

300mm Cropped | 1/100s | F5.6 | ISO 500

#8

300mm | 1/100s | F5.6 | ISO 500

C&C/whatever most welcome.

Thanks

Astraeus · 04-01-2008, 12:42 AM

I am in love with that first shot. I want so badly to be there, it looks so serene. #2 could be a Christmas card and, even for someone who doesn't much enjoy bird-watching, the shot of that robin is 'cute'.

RobDickinson · 04-01-2008, 12:45 AM

bah for work firewalls. for some reason this weeks target is flikr.

Jimmer · 04-01-2008, 12:51 AM

first shot it absolutely stunning mate

Beachball · 04-01-2008, 12:52 AM

IMO #1 is a great shot Ally.

Elmo · 04-01-2008, 2:16 AM

#1 is a fantastic picture. Love #7 as well. A great group of pics

Liquid101 · 04-01-2008, 8:39 AM

Great shots ally. I'm hoping for some snow down here this year

I'm going to go against the grain here, because i'm not sure about the first one. I think there might be just a little to much white foreground to be balanced. Maybe if you'd gotten lower and made more of a feature of the snow covered plants/twigs, or perhaps got a little closer to the edge to make a feature of the plants sticking out of the water.

However, I love the way the long exposure has given you that wonderful movement in the sky.

The bird shots are great - with my favourate being the blue tit. It might make a great 'Elements' shot

Well worth the cold hands and feet

dazza74 · 04-01-2008, 9:38 AM

Like them all to be fair, but if I was to choose my favourites I really like #1 it seems to have worked wonders on the sky that long exposure and Neutral Grad, like #5 looks to me as if the Blue Tit is about to get blown of the branch, bracing itself against the wind.

#7 Chaffinch, jaw dropped for me when I saw this one, I could sit and study this for hours (and probably will ), lovely close up.

julian_fraser · 04-01-2008, 10:19 AM

Well - can't believe no-one else has said it yet so it's down to me I guess...nice tits!

The robin shot is my fave, really like it.

Tobers · 04-01-2008, 10:31 AM

#1 is shockingly good. Super exposure control on the snow as well. Excellent.

I love #5. Poor little birdie all fluffed up against the snow. Lovely shot.

mpritch · 04-01-2008, 10:45 AM

Hey, your very lucky to have that 10 mins away and the first is simply beautiful.

#1

I too thought it needed a crop as there was a bit too much snow in the foreground, so I tried a few crops in pp, but couldn't get it to work as well as what you have - if you try cropping the bottom the band of snow immediately looks too thin, and if you crop from the right the frosty plants look unbalanced. I love the hills on the left in the distance - it shows how far reaching the snow was. I would correct the horizon level - I think it's slightly tilting to the left.

I'll have to try some long exposures like this on my landscapes. I love how you've made the clouds look very magical. The blue tones make it feel very cold.

#7 Chaffinch - Love it - pretty sharp. A larger DOF would have been nicer but it looks like you had very poor light, even in the white snow, so were battling against noise and shutter speed. Simple composition between the twigs - great.

Can't wait to see your next bunch from today.

Mark.

Torpedo · 04-01-2008, 10:47 AM

So great shots there. Love #1. it's fantastic

Really like how the sky has turned out.

Pieeater · 04-01-2008, 10:48 AM

Great shots, esp. #1, 5 and 7.

The blue tit in #5 looks like it's about to be blown off the twig.

Love the chaffinch in #7, super crop.

As for no.1 - must be luck!

Excellent composition.

Does the 10mm equate to a 15mm in real terms?!

philaitman · 04-01-2008, 10:58 AM

They're all superb but No.1 is incredible.

Luffy · 04-01-2008, 11:10 AM

Wonderful shots as usual
I think I'm beginning to hate you LOL

MAH · 04-01-2008, 12:05 PM

No wonder you put the last of the day first, that is a cracking sky with that hill poking in between the bushes.

Have you used shadow/highlight on the sky as it's brought out a few dust spots in the sky.

vulkan75 · 04-01-2008, 4:41 PM

Great exposure control ally,did you meter of a grey card or something?.
Of the bunch 2 is the stand out image for me, both technically and compositionally. It really drags you into the image The tyre marks and the boarder grass running through the picture is greata, the snow driving across the road gives that distinctly scottish feel,love the ambiance of it.

5 is really great also and tells the story of how harsh winter can be for these little birds,quite an exceptional capture actually.

I can see why 1 is your favourite,very dramatic but Apart from the sky it doesnt really do much for me compositionally,my eye searches for something to lock onto but I just end up looking at the sky.

Great stuff though as usual and look forward to the next installment.

Oh

and im jealous of the snow too

allymac123 · 04-01-2008, 4:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liquid101

Great shots ally. I'm hoping for some snow down here this year

I'm going to go against the grain here, because i'm not sure about the first one. I think there might be just a little to much white foreground to be balanced. Maybe if you'd gotten lower and made more of a feature of the snow covered plants/twigs, or perhaps got a little closer to the edge to make a feature of the plants sticking out of the water.

However, I love the way the long exposure has given you that wonderful movement in the sky.

The bird shots are great - with my favourate being the blue tit. It might make a great 'Elements' shot

Well worth the cold hands and feet

Thanks Liquid. Your comments are always valid. I think when I was shooting I was trying to show the snow so perhaps included a bit more of it than maybe was needed. I didn't want to include any more sky as that would have moved the horizon too central so I think the only way would have been to get closer to the edge (I was perhaps I bit to reluctant to do that at the time as I was already getting wet feet in the marsh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pieeater

Does the 10mm equate to a 15mm in real terms?!

On a Canon 40D, which is a 1.6x crop sensor, it's 16mm. Would be 15mm if it was on a Nikon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAH

Have you used shadow/highlight on the sky as it's brought out a few dust spots in the sky.

Curves to increase the contrast. Did clone a few out but your right there's still some I missed. (that's what I get for stopping down so much!)

Thanks everybody for their comments

allymac123 · 04-01-2008, 4:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vulkan75

Great exposure control ally,did you meter of a grey card or something?.
Of the bunch 2 is the stand out image for me, both technically and compositionally. It really drags you into the image The tyre marks and the boarder grass running through the picture is greata, the snow driving across the road gives that distinctly scottish feel,love the ambiance of it.

5 is really great also and tells the story of how harsh winter can be for these little birds,quite an exceptional capture actually.

I can see why 1 is your favourite,very dramatic but Apart from the sky it doesnt really do much for me compositionally,my eye searches for something to lock onto but I just end up looking at the sky.

Great stuff though as usual and look forward to the next installment.

Oh

and im jealous of the snow too

Thanks Vulcan. Much appreciated.

As far as metering went for the two landscape's I used the exposure simulation on the 40D's liveview to get it how it looked best. I then checked the histogram to make sure I hadn't blown the white's.

Your right about #1 but there wasn't really anything that I could find to dominate. I did think about stripping off and diving in to create a focus point but I didn't want to scare anyone off so I restrained myself.

danrich1 · 04-01-2008, 5:04 PM

Brilliant set of pics, thanks for sharing.
i love the first chaffinch one, it's just so perfect and clear.
Have just started out with DSLR, if i can get anything 1/2 as good as this, i'll be well chuffed.