Category Archives: Weather

Crystal chandeliers

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Great…now I have the Charley Pride song stuck in my head after titling this post. I almost came home empty-handed in my search for cool photos of iced-up trees on Sunday; just as I got out the clouds rolled in and obscured the sun. I did see that frozen mitt from my previous post, but didn’t really see anything overwhelming in the trees. But then, on my way home, I spotted this.

As you can see, the sun wasn’t giving up so easily. It managed to burn its way through the haze and clouds intermittently, which required some near-frostbitten patience from yours truly. It was absolutely critical to wait until the sun was shining behind this ice in order to highlight it, and I was willing to wait.

I tell my little boys that a sunny day does not always equal a warm one. It did, however, equal a great photo opportunity for a fleeting moment…one in which I was poised and ready to capture a few shots.

The ice that adorned these branches is gone now, so I am glad I was able to sneak out and catch a glimpse. Of course, the best part of seeing such a sight is sharing it with others; that’s the reason I got my cameras in the first place. I’m naturally curious to begin with, and the nature of my work so often puts me in places where I get to see things most people don’t get to see. I think that’s why so many people in law enforcement pick up photography as a hobby, by the way.

I have one more set of icy photos from the day, and I think I’ll post them pretty soon. This storm really provided ample opportunity!

I found your glove

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After receiving a tip about icy tree branches from my pastor I decided to venture out briefly on Sunday. Normally I stay within the city limits on deer opener, but I figured the outskirts might be slightly less dangerous due to weather. I don’t feel like either catching a stray bullet or being mistaken for wildlife and shot by some overzealous idiot with an opening-weekend trigger finger. Thankfully the deer and hunters were hunkered down by the ice, snow, and wind, giving us crazy photographers a little room.

As I cruised down a road east of Lincoln I spotted something that would otherwise be unremarkable in rural North Dakota: a glove (mitten, actually) atop a fence post. What made this one more interesting, of course, was the half-inch of ice encrusted thereupon.

As you can see, everything out there was iced up pretty well; the mitten, the fence post, and even the barbed wire all have a thick coat of ice on their east side. This is the same ice that made driving so treacherous over the weekend, especially with a bed of fresh snow over the top of it.

Anyway, if you are missing a mitten, email me. I’ll let you know where to find it. Some chiseling and thawing may be required.

These are now a precious commodity

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One thing a cold snap will do: instantly remind me that it wasn’t too long ago when I was taking golden summer/autumn sunset photos! This one is actually quite recent. Weather changes quickly in North Dakota this time of year, and it can be quite shocking not only due to temperatures but also as a reminder that the photographic game has just changed for another season.

Get ’em before they drop, and bring your polarizer

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Autumn seems to be the shortest of all seasons in North Dakota, at least the portion of it in which the foliage turns color. For instance: a few days ago I was up at Fort Lincoln taking sunset photos and eyeballing the colors of the leaves on the drive up the hill to the blockhouses. Tonight, as my little four year old and I drove up that same road, the trees were already quite barren. Some areas still thick leaves, but be warned: they won’t hang around long.

The above shot is an example of why you want to take a polarizer with on a sunny day of foliage photography. The shot on the left and the right are taken with identical settings mere seconds apart. The photo on the right, however, is with a circular polarizer. It’s obvious that, given the right angle, a photographer can really deepen the sky and make those fall colors pop! Once again, I advise doing so quickly. It won’t be long before the only place one can photograph those leaves will be on the ground.

A light unto my path

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The colors, they are a-changing. If you are into the fall foliage, I suggest walking the Lewis & Clark recreational trail in Mandan. I ventured out after work last Thursday and walked most of the trail before running out of daylight, and the colors are in full effect. I noticed last night that River Road is becoming quite the spectacle, too.

One thing about fall in North Dakota is that it doesn’t last long – get out and enjoy those fall colors while they last! Before long they’ll be gone for the year.

Rainy day redux

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Last weekend I took quite the soggy (and muddy) road trip with my cameras. While I did the majority of my shooting southwest of Mandan, I actually began north of Wilton. You may recognize this (especially if you’re a photographer) as a familiar old barn north of Wilton a few miles on Highway 83. Sadly, it has now collapsed. It was intact enough, however, to grant me this really nice shot – the streaks of falling rain are more apparent in front of the opening on the full sized version. It may not even look collapsed at all, if you’re not familiar with this structure.

Here’s how it looked just a short while ago. Notice the stone addition on its east side, which is now completely collapsed and gone. While the barn looks intact, it’s actually several feet shorter. Bummer. As you can see, it’s a very photogenic piece of work, and I’m sure it attracts lots of photographers. I for one continue to visit it from time to time and document its eventual demise. In some ways it seems to get even more photogenic with age.

Rainy day road trip

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We were blessed with a steady soaker this weekend, with some places seeing up to two inches of rain. I had a really strong need to roam, so I threw my gear in the truck and headed out on some soggy, spongy dirt roads and trails. I saw some really cool stuff, grabbed a few satisfying photos, caught up on a few podcasts, and managed not to get stuck. In other words, a success.

The rain let up briefly when I grabbed this shot of a rough-looking windmill. The valley in the background is still slightly obscured by the rain, and just after I snapped this shot it picked up again. Thankfully I have lens hoods to keep the front element dry when I poke it out the window of the truck! Yes, I did get out and hoof it in the rain a bit as well.

Humidity, thou art mine adversary

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So there I was, north of Bismarck. I’d left the comfort of my climate-controlled home, with its nice cool temperature and low humidity. I’d arrived and scoped out a really cool sunset irrigation photo. The blast of water was going to intersect the golden, setting sun. The tree line in the background was tall enough to be interesting, not tall enough to interfere. My tripod was in place and I dug out my camera…and that’s when it happened.

The nice, cool camera, having been chilled to perfection in my home, now met the hot, moist air. You can see what happened after that: it fogged up. The filter, the lens elements, the mirror, the prism, the viewfinder, and (presumably) the sensor. I took one shot last night, and this was it.

This has happened to me twice before…once at sunset, and once at last year’s Buggies & Blues. Third time’s the charm, I hope, and that I will have learned to let my camera gear acclimatize to the outside temperature before attempting to use it. Don’t be like me and lose a great shot due to a lack of foresight! Make sure your camera is matched to the conditions before you get ready to click that shutter. Have a good weekend!

Lightning crashes…and curiosity pays off yet again

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A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it! –Charles Dickens

As I sat in the chair reading Dickens this evening I was reminded of a conversation with a friend earlier in the week. He remarked that I’m one of the most curious people he’s met, and that it was meant as a compliment. It’s true, I’m notoriously curious…and that’s one major reason I started this Blog way back when. That’s why the passage quoted above struck a chord within me as I read it tonight.

As a boy growing up in the Rocky Mountains (if at all) I remember looking out over the city below one night and realizing exactly what Dickens describes; each light in the city represents a home, full of people, doing whatever they’re doing, feeling whatever they’re feeling, and so on. It was an epiphany upon which I dwelled some time ago as I stood atop U-Mary hill with my camera, taking a wide-angle photo of Bismarck-Mandan. In fond remembrance I decided to take another such photo tonight.

As I reached the top of the hill I realized that a storm was approaching. I’ve taken almost 80,000 photos in my lifetime, but never really chased lightning; however, in this case it was a target of opportunity. As luck would have it, I was in the right place at the right time as a few giant lightning bolts danced across the frame. I may have to try this more often!

(Yes, the post title is a hat tip to the song title by the band Live)

April showers, viewed from afar

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I took my boys out to Fort Lincoln to poke around with our cameras and watch the weather roll by. Rolling by is exactly what it did, missing the park entirely. The clouds did plenty of rumbling as they drifted past. My guys thought it was pretty cool that we could see rain and wondered if it was going to hit our house as it started to dump south of Bismarck. It was getting close to bedtime, so we headed back to find out.

Along the way we spotted a rainbow, something that hadn’t yet manifested while we were atop the hill. We stopped for a quick photo op and then headed back to town. Yep, our house got rained on. We had just enough time for a snack and some bedtime stories, then it was off to bed for them. I’m about to hit the pillow myself.