January « 2012 « Photographs by Frank

15 January 2012

Snow on the Landscape… Finally

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,Winter — Tags: beaver swamps, landscapes — Frank @ 12:59 PM

On Thursday and Friday, we finally got some significant (about six inches) snow… that is, if you don’t count the twenty one inches way back in October!

Yesterday dawned cold (about 20 degrees) and gray. However, about 2 PM, I noticed the clouds starting to break up as the expected cold front arrived; the temperature was still around 20. I headed out to the north end of “our” beaver swamp to see what would develop. I took my first photo at 2:35 and spent the next hour photographing the swamp in very changeable conditions; both the clouds and the lighting were in constant flux.

The sun went below the ridge of Robb Mountain just about 3:45 putting the foreground in shadow. Thus, I broke the tripod and my feet free from the ice, packed up and headed home as the temperature dropped rapidly.

It was about ten or twelve degrees by the time I got home. The temperature continued to drop into the night and it was right around zero when I rose this morning. As I write this (at about noon) the temperature stands at about five.

Today might be a day to prints some of the recent photos in my nice cozy studio!

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P.S. As I went to publish this, I notice that it is my one hundredth entry; my first entry appeared on 24 May 2010. The first anniversary passed unnoticed by all!

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8 January 2012

The View from Robb Mountain

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,The "New" Yard & Environs — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 11:00 PM

Today we decided to climb Robb Mountain. This peak is the southern most part of the ridge “behind” (west) of our house; at 1,820 feet it is the third highest point in Antrim.

There has been extensive logging on the Robb Mt. in the recent past so the terrain is not pristine. However, the views afforded by the clearing are quite spectacular.

The clearest views (and thus best photographically) are to the south overlooking Willard Pond. Mount Monadnock is hidden behind Bald Mountain but Pack Monadnock, North Pack Monadnock and their connecting ridge are clearly viewable above Goodhue Hill.

The steep climb (and probably more so, the descent) are hard on the knees, but the view was worth it. The temperature was in the mid-thirties and it was windy “up top” but not unpleasant.

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7 January 2012

A Warm January Day

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,The "New" Yard & Environs,Winter — Tags: landscapes — Frank @ 11:00 PM

With the temperature in the mid-40’s, we were tempted outside and on another hike this afternoon. Our goal was Willard Pond. We headed over there via the beaver swamp and came back via the “new” trail.

I spent a little time photographing the pond, but the light was not particularly good nor were the clouds. I spent much more time photographing the stream which feeds the pond.

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6 January 2012

Another Beaver Swamp in the Snow

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,Winter — Tags: landscapes, Snow — Frank @ 12:00 PM

Late yesterday afternoon Joan and I headed out for a “quick walk”. We ended up at a large beaver swamp that lies between the house and Willard Pond. There had been a couple of very light flurries earlier in the day, but just as we arrived at the beaver dam it began to snow a bit more earnestly. Nonetheless, I persisted in making photographs from a position just below the beaver dam.

The walk back, in fading light, was “interesting” as the snow made it difficult to pick out the icy patches along the road! We proceeded slowly arriving back at the house in the dark.

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3 January 2012

“Our” Beaver Swamp

Filed under: Landscapes,Monadnock Region,Winter — Tags: clouds, landscapes, phototechnique — Frank @ 6:00 AM

We, and our neighbors, share the back of our lots with a beaver or two. The beaver swamp runs roughly north-south for about half a mile and we live at the southern end. There are two dams and two lodges. Last summer I spent a lot of time stalking odes in the marsh and around the deep water near the southern dam and lodge; these are probably on our property (although its hard to say for sure).

Yesterday afternoon, I headed out to photographed this wet land from the northern dam. In the afternoon, the light is better in this direction and as I headed out I was hoping for some dramatic clouds as the weather broke.

I was well rewarded for a mile-and-a-half (round trip) walk and the ninety minutes or so that I worked the scene; staying until the light in the foreground faded. The temperature was about thirty degrees and there were three or four brief periods of snow. The wind was blowing which meant lots of changing clouds. All of that sounds worse that it was, dressed properly and thoroughly engaged in “the moment”, I did not feel cold at all.

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Warning… photo geek talk ahead! Proceed at your own risk!

The right equipment really helps. Both of these images were taken with a graduated neutral density filter. I have had a couple of these filters for years. In the past, I often left them at home and ended up regretting not having them with me. The reason? No room in my backpack. I recently bought a much larger (and better fitting) backpack. This time I had the filter with me!

While on the subject of gear… On Saturday I put a winter coat on my tripod. Aluminum tripods make for good heat sinks and thus very cold hands (even with gloves on) . Thus the winter coat!

My tripod’s winter coat consists three pieces of foam pipe insulation of the appropriate diameter and a bit of duck tape. An eight foot length of the pipe insulation cost $3.49 at the hardware store. Less than 10 minutes after I got home, my tripod was fully clad with insulation on the upper sections of each leg and ready to go. I even had enough left over for a fourth leg! Come spring, I’ll remove my tripod’s winter coat and store the pieces away until the following winter. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find them again!

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2 January 2012

A New Year’s Day Drive

Filed under: architecture,Landscapes — Frank @ 11:00 PM

Yesterday, Joan and I took a drive wandering through the towns of Windsor, Lempster, Unity, Bellows Falls and Alstead; all in NH except Bellows Falls, which is Vermont!

We had an enjoyable time. However, the falls in Bellows Falls are not very photogenic… way too much anthropogenic “stuff”. Oh well, I guess I should have known!

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