Tag: #cold

Bald Eagle in Winter

February 28, 2020 — It was just after dawn in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with temperatures hovering around 8 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was scouting for wildlife with three other photographers. We spotted a Bald Eagle high in a frosty tree. A long lens (400 mm Sony) afforded us a closer look.

#baldeagle, #eagle, #winter, #wyoming, #wildlife, #nature, #jacksonhole, #eagleintree
Bald Eagle in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on a frosty morning in February 2020. Perched high in an aspen tree along a stream, this eagle kept watch for possible prey.

For my friend Chris, this was his first time seeing a bald eagle. I had just been bald eagle watching and photographing in Florida the previous week, but seeing a Bald Eagle is always exciting.

We were only weeks away from the lockdown to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, but we were blissfully unaware. How blessed we were to complete this trip to Wyoming before the crisis hit the United States. I think of that childhood game of Musical Chairs. This is where we were just before the music stopped.

Crystal trees in Jackson Hole

As we begin another week in Southwest Florida of temperatures around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and a heat index around 100, I’m thinking back on a bitter cold morning in Jackson Hole when my fingertips and toes were frozen.

Venturing through Grand Teton National Park with two other photographers, we spotted elk, bison, eagles, trumpeter swans, big horn sheep and a coyote during the day. We also admired the shapes in the snow-covered landscape.

#hoarfrost, #frost, #jacksonhole, #winter, #snow, #snowy, #cold, #ice, grandtetonnationalpark, #gtnp, #morninglight, #sonyalpha
Hoarfrost coats the branches and leaves of this enormous bush in Jackson Hole, WY, February 2020.

A visual treat of the early morning light was the hoarfrost on the trees along the creek. Rising water vapor coated branches and froze overnight. Before the midday sun melted the ice, we were able to capture some photographs of these crystalline trees.

#hoarfrost, #frost, #winter, #snow, #snowy, #cold, #winter, #landscapephotography, #naturephotography, #landscape, #nature, #morninglight, #sonyalpha, #gtnp, #jacksonhole
Hoarfrost makes the trees look crystalline in early morning light, Jackson Hole, WY, 2020. Zoom in to see the branches in detail.

Morning Has Broken

The moments when the day’s first sunbeams spotlight the mountain tops are very special. I have awoken in the dark and the cold and dragged my weary bones to the right place. Am I awake? I’m not sure. My buddy has brought the wrong tripod, and is struggling with the settings on his camera. He is not awake.

As the time for sunrise approaches, the sky begins to lighten, and there don’t appear to be any clouds in the sky. Darn, clouds would help to enliven the sky and pick up the rosy tints of the rising sun. Perhaps 50 photographers line the shore along Schwabacher’s Landing, some with DSLRs and tripods, others with iPhones. Looking back toward the parking lot, I see a line of headlights as more photographers flock to this popular site.

And then the magic begins. The tips of the peaks reflect the sunrise first, and moment by moment, that rosy light grows and moves down the Grand Teton range. The full moon (well, it was full the day before) just as swiftly slides downward and to the right toward the peaks. Yes, morning has broken at Schwabacher’s Landing.

#grandtetonnationalpark, #schwabacherslanding, #schwabachers, #sunrise, #fullmoon, #moon, #clearday, #photographers, #cold, #dark, #stress, #workshop, #tripod, #sony
The first light of day first kisses the peaks of the Grand Teton range and then rapidly expands its spotlight to erase the shadows from the lower elevations.

 

 

Snow in the Forecast

Winter storm Benji is blanketing the Northeast of the United States with fresh snow today. Thoughts of fresh snow on the landscape remind me of a very cold morning in Bryce Canyon National Park.

#snow, #bryce, #brycecanyon, #nationalpark, #winter, #landscape, #landscapephotography, #cold, #windchill
The wind chill was super freezing here on Sunset Point (at sunrise), but the snow made Bryce Canyon National Park even more beautiful.

After that morning shoot, I went shopping for a second layer of gloves. I am not a Morning Person!

First Day of Winter

nigara3073proc
Niagara Falls, from the United States pier on a wintry day.

The first day of Winter may be tomorrow December 21, but the icy cold weather is already here. When I go outside to walk my dog in Sewickley PA, I think about what Niagara Falls looked like after an exceptional winter in April 2015. Brrrr.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

I see green grass out my window today, but it’s starting to snow, and the blustery wind blew my hair up and in every direction. I was so cold, I had to come inside and take a hot shower!  I’m reminded on this photo I took six years ago today after a fresh snow fall.

I used a textured brush tool in Photoshop to reveal the image through a layer of solid white for a notecard. It almost looks like I have scraped the fresh snow off my window.

#winter, #snow, #december, #tree, #howto, #pennsylvania, #sewickley, #photoshop, #cold
Brushstrokes reveal a wintry scene of a snowy tree, shot in December 2010.