Winter Magic
A pre-dawn photograph shortly after a March snowfall. Not a soul was stirring at this magical hour.
A pre-dawn photograph shortly after a March snowfall. Not a soul was stirring at this magical hour.
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Action Award
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Top Shot Award 22
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was shot the morning of an early Spring snowstorm in Edina, Minnesota. The winter ice had already melted and all was left was a pristine pond just waiting to be captured.Time
This photograph was taken at 6:51am, about 20 minutes before sunrise.Lighting
I was focused on the forecast of fresh 6-8 inches of snow overnight and also conscious of the lighting (dawn glow) at that time of day before I set my alarm clock. What I didn't realize once I got to this location was that the ice had already melted and the reflection from the water was perfect. I was also blessed by the fact that the snow had ended about 30 minutes earlier and there was absolutely no wind. It was just perfect conditions for a photographer.Equipment
I used a Nikon D600 with the 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 lens at 36mm, f25 at 15 second exposure and tripod with shutter release.Inspiration
I had a client that wanted more winter shots for their local portfolio. I knew that this storm would likely be the last of the season and so I headed put to capture an image at a time of day that isn't normally photographed, especially during winter.Editing
This photograph has very little post-processing except for a 1/4 stop in exposure and a slight tweak to shadow, white and clarity settings in Lightroom. The color was not adjusted at all.In my camera bag
Normally I carry a D600, 24-120mm f/4G, 14-24mm f/2, SB-700 Flash. I like to keep it simple and somewhat light weightFeedback
I've always loved the lighting at twilight and dawn. My advice for others is do your location scouting beforehand and get to your location at least 45 minutes before dawn or 20 minutes before sunset... you just never know what will happen and the lighting can change dramatically within that time base on cloud cover, etc...
