Snow Day January 3-6, 2022

 We have had a little snow lately, quite a bit less here than most of our neighbors in St. Mary's County.  I photographed it from the windows a little to share a variety of different impressions in the snow.  

A pair of blue jays visited while there was a tiny bit of snow around.  

Sunset was very windy, so I edited the photo to be blurry on purpose to show the wind.  

 The pampas grass on the left creates a little depth to the photo

I liked the way the snow frosted the tree trunks.

Michigan Trip Highways in Winter

Roadside beauty

St. Mary's City in the Fog

I've taken some lovely fog shots recently near St. Mary's College of Maryland.

 Foggy Morning

Foggy Afternoon.  I liked this one as black and white.

Skyline Drive October 30, 2017

We arrived at Big Meadows in the rain in time for dinner. I called ahead to be sure our room was near the lodge.  When we checked in, our room had been moved to Hawksbill, the same unit as last time, and I cringed. Isnt that the unit with the long walk down the hill?  Yep.  After dinner, Jim felt bad and had to race to the unit after walking in the rain. Sarita was still sick too. I made about 6 trips to our room using an umbrella and flashlight. Ick!! Then it started to snow!  We have rarely seen snow there and only flurries in May once. Deciding to prepare for more snow, I showered that night while the lights blinked a few times. In the morning, the power had gone out, so I wore pink leggings like long underwear and the waterproof boots. There was an inch of snow outside and Jim had to uncover the car using his cane, since he couldnt find the window scraper (two of the doors were frozen shut, denying access). 

     Big Meadows Lodge

     Gift shop vase

We missed breakfast time, but I asked for breakfast anyway and the restaurant staff obliged us. The whole Lodge was running on emergency power.  Another couple sat by the fire at breakfast.  

We checked on the roads and learned that the northern exits and drive were closed due to icy roads and a downed tree. They suggested using the southern exit on route 33 since it was lower elevation, even though the road to the north would be cleared soon. The snow was melting quickly. 

     I saw my first eagles ever near the Big Meadow.  There were 3-5 of them, but I only got one bad photo before they flew away.

We stopped at South River overlook to see the tree I used in my autumn fog photo years ago (not pictured) and a few other overlooks. 

     Massanutten

     Going down from the mountain

We also stopped at Blue Ridge Pottery on route 33 and bought a small pot. We had lunch at the Exchange Café at the David Rubenstein visitor center at Montpelier, after the weather turned warmer and sunnier.

     Montpelier, once owned by President James Madison

The race track.  The property is also known as a site for horse races.

The End of our October trip.

Onward to Mexico photos...

Photos from a recent trip to Pennsylvania

Schyulkill River Canal Lock 60

I think it looks painterly

    Snowy fields near Paoli

    Snow Drift

     Sculpture Near Paoli or Malvern PA

    A bridge in MD

     Chesapeake Bay Bridge curve

Cardinal in Snow now showing in the Photography Exhibit through August 14th

My most popular photo is included in the Photography Exhibit at the Lexington Park Library.  It is currently also for sale as a card and an 8x10 print.  This poor guy's face had ice on it from a nasty winter snow storm.  It was snowing pretty hard when I took the picture.

http://www.zazzle.com/cardinal_in_snow_photo_print-190051261254080832

Snow storm photos

This tiny little Tufted Titmouse was pecking at something during the recent storm.

And a bedraggled seagull hung out at the osprey nest.

Snow Panoramas

I can't resist taking photos of the snowy landscape, even if it is sometimes hard to find a distinctive subject, instead of a haphazard group of lovely trees.  (photo 2)  It is almost hard to believe these photos were taken only a few days ago before the 60 degree meltdown!

Glowing Snowy Sunset

While dealing with several minor illnesses in the last two weeks, it's been challenging to take any photos at all.  The house windows are coated with bits of snow debris, creating blurry photos, but I occasionally stuck the camera out the door in the late afternoon to catch some interesting light.

It is obvious that these two photos were taken on 2 different days, before and after the snow began to melt.

Winter Photography

I thought it might be interesting to share ideas about what to photograph in Winter.  I would really like to get some audience suggestions on this one, so please feel free to comment and add your own suggestions, no matter when you see this blog (next year, next month, etc.)

I did some internet searching and brainstormed about all the ideas I could remember, so from the perspective of a Maryland resident, here is what I came up with for interesting photography:

1. Wildlife is easier to spot in the winter.  Try Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge MD for birds, including eagles
2. Great Falls National Park sunrise
3. Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis WV for winter evergreens
4. Ice patterns on window glass or on water, ice on plants
5. Icicles (I even tried catching the melting water with a star filter, but it takes lots of patience)
6. Red berries on plants
7. Snow photos of buildings and snow in landscapes like mountains, with water, blowing snow (use +1 or +2 exposure or a gray card)
8. Storm photos right before or after a storm
9. Fog photos
10. Snowy buildings with warm light coming from windows
11. Cityscapes at twilight 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise-see http://www.date-and-time.net/  for  a twilight calculator
12. Caves are usually around 50-55 degrees year round
13. Astrophotography when the sky is clear and less hazy
14. Bryce National Park or Yosemite in snow
15. Florida-Corkscrew Swamp, Big Bend boardwalk at Fakahatchee Strand, off Hwy 41 near Everglades city,  Anhinga Trail near the entrance to the Everglades
16. Indoor studio type shots with a photo tent or flash

1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Ice photos

This time of year, you can get creative with ice photos or snow pictures.  Look for interesting shapes in the ice or icicles hanging from the roof or even your mailbox, especially near sunrise or sunset.

Look for ice crystals on your windows too.  You won't even have to go outside!  One year, I used a star filter on my lens and tried to catch the water drops from an icicle hanging off my roof with the sunlight behind it.  I finally caught one, but it took a lot of patience.  I didn't have to go outside for that one either.

I recently photographed some branches growing into the water.  It has an interesting reflection too.   I call it Ice Fingers.

A short while later, I photographed this simple reflection of the sun at sunset, like molten gold.

Feel free to post your own ice picture.

My Osprey in snow just got posted on the Bay Net

See my little annoyed osprey in the snow, (similar the the well known "angry bluebird") on the Bay Net at "State gives Schools a Spring Break".  The photo was taken in Tuesday's flurries.  Here's the link.  

http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/36195

Please comment if you like.

Red Cardinals

One of my most popular prints and Holiday cards uses a photo of a cardinal in snow taken in January of 2010.  So, each time we have a snow fall during the day, I take my camera out, hoping to get another great shot of a red cardinal.  I finally got a shot with a nice glow after the snow storm this week, even though this time you can't see the ice crystals on his face. 

Cardinal After Snow

I liked this one too, but it doesn't have the extra glow.

Here is the cardinal in Snow that is popular as a Holiday card and as a print taken in 2010.  The first and last photos are available for sale on Zazzle.com.

Crazy Weather and Confused Flowers

Last I checked, we don't live near Jackson Hole Wyoming, where temperatures change 30-40 degrees daily. But in Maryland the other week, we had snow on Monday and warm sunshine by Thursday. Crazy! These photos were taken 4 days apart on March 5th (snow) and 8th (sun). My winter iris tends to bloom in early and late winter. I had lots of winter iris this year with mild temperatures. By late February, the daffodils were blooming at the same time as the winter iris, very early for daffys.