Ice Tree
Seems like one day a year there is the right combination of temperature and water vapor to coat the trees and then freeze along the river. I was lucky enough to...
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Seems like one day a year there is the right combination of temperature and water vapor to coat the trees and then freeze along the river. I was lucky enough to be out in the magic morning light that one day with camera in hand. Really bizarre seeing all the trees coated like this.
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Jan, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Virtuoso
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in the park by the old bridge across the Yahara river, in Stoughton, WI. The river through town is the low spot, so it collects what I call 'heavy air', in this case moisture laden air that 'sank' into the river valley, freezing as it did so. As it flowed down and froze it also was freezing on everything it came in contact with. I could even feel it as I breathed the air in. Definitely a weird feeling!Time
This was in the morning after dropping my kids off at school, probably right around 0800. The sun was up and shining bright a short while after I took this pic, so the conditions were fleeting, lasting only as long as cold, wet air was allowed to be cold enough to freeze. As soon as the sun started to warm, it all went away!Lighting
Natural lighting. Very flat, yet somehow bright enough for a reasonable shutter speed, I think because the sun was above and filtering through which made the scene more 'gauzy' (it that is a word) than foggy.Equipment
Good old Nikon D-90 and the 18-105 stock lense. For me, a good pic is more about the discovery (human powers) than the equipment (techie stuff). I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and so did not need anything fancy for this shot.Inspiration
Feeling the cold, heavy air in my lungs as I drove into the little valley, and knowing this was something special. Thankfully, Stoughton is a small town, so I could quick run home and retrieve my camera and still get back while the freezing fog was still visible.Editing
Don't think I did anything to this pic.In my camera bag
Nikon D-90, stock 18-105 and a bigger 70-300. Simple tripod.Feedback
KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. Photography, at least for me, is much more akin to hunting than some technical pursuit. I get out, I walk slowly and I observe what is around me' letting my eye roam left to right, high to low and near to far. In the time since I took this shot, that practice has grown into a pleasant pastime for me. Rather than the eternal, classic landscape vista, I find things much more interesting up close and personal. Plus, here in the flattish midwest, there are far more up close, detail type shots available than there are breathtaking vistas.
