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| After sunset, December 10. Sony a6000, Sony E 18-135mm lens at 59mm. 1/25 sec @ f8. ISO 400 |
Four days ago the first snow in the glen this winter arrived, always an exciting moment. Four days ago I came down with a cold, always frustrating! Especially now. I've been waiting for this snow for weeks. It usually comes sometime in October. But my cold was bad enough to make it clear venturing out into the hills would be exhausting and definitely not good for my health. I'd watch the snow from indoors and maybe venture into the garden. I would take photographs though. I always photograph the first snow and a cold wasn't going to stop me.
Heavy snow fell on the 7th. Then in the evening brightness through the curtains showed the moon had risen. I made it to the porch step and gazed at the moonlit scene. The porch light cast a yellow glow. I took the following image but it didn't quite look how I felt the scene should. Too warm, too colourful. Though I do like the clouds and the two stars.
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| 21.52, December 7. Oppo Find X5 Pro, 5.97mm, 1/8 sec @ f1.7. ISO 11520 |
I switched off the porch light. The scene changed instantly. Lit by the moon the landscape was still bright but now it was a cold colourless light. I took a few steps forward to cut out the rather boring foreground and took another photo. This is how it should look!
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| 21.54, December 7. Oppo Find X5 Pro, 5.97mm, 1/7 sec @ f1.7. ISO 18752 |
I thought of fetching my mirrorless camera but to take good images I'd need my tripod as well and take some time. If I hadn't had a cold I'd probably done so, and roamed around looking for better viewpoints, but I was already feeling shivery and my nose was streaming. I retreated inside.
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| 15.55, December 8. Sony a6000. Sony E 35mm lens. 1/50 sec@ f5.6. ISO 100 |
The next day light snow fell on and off all day. I kept my cold indoors, only taking photos through the windows. The sky stayed grey until dusk when there was a very brief flash of colour. A swift change of lenses - I had been photographing documents and books with a fixed focal length lens - and I was able to zoom in on the light and produce what I think is my best image of this week.
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| 16.30, December 8. Sony a6000. Sony E 18-135mm lens @ 53mm. 1/15 sec @ f5.6. ISO 100 |
Snow fell heavily most of the night and the next day. The light was flat and grey. I took no photos. I stayed in, kept warm, and did a little written work, though my cold-stuffed brain was not very co-operative.
The greyness continued into the next day, though the snow was lighter and intermittent. I felt a little better and reckoned it was worth trying a short walk. I really wanted to be out in that snow!
I soon found the soft snow was deep enough to make walking laborious. And deep enough to come over the tops of my boots, even though I'd dug out some higher-topped insulated ones that I only wear in winter. I hadn't bothered with gaiters as I wasn't going out for long. I should have done. I hadn't even thought about snowshoes. I should have done that too. They'd have been worthwhile even for this walk of less than an hour. Skis would have been even better but only for a longer trip.
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| December 10. Oppo Find X5 Pro. 5.97mm. 1/280 sec @f1.7. ISO 401 |
A cool breeze had blown much of the snow off the trees. Cattle were hunched around hay wagons. This isn't the weather for them. The hills were hidden, as they have been for days.
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| December 10. Sony a6000. Sony E 18-135mm lens @ 134mm. 1/15 sec @ f8. ISO 400 |
More snowfall is forecast for the next few days with temperatures getting colder. I have an overnight trip for an article for The Great Outdoors arranged for next week, arranged because it's with a photographer. Where we'll go will depend on the state of the roads and the forecast. Somewhere in the hills. Somewhere in the snow.
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