Electric Lichen

I went out this morning when it was still dark, hoping to catch some nice color with sunrise for some further experiments with waves and water. When it got light, however, there was a thick blanket of cloud so decided to focus down on some of the smaller plants I pass every day. Here is a lichen that caught my attention by its brilliant yellow color. It seems to be one of those plants that is thriving in this cold, wet weather

Water in Motion 2

About a month ago I wrote a little about my experiments with using a couple of polarizing filters to mimic the effect of a neutral density filter. The purpose was to achieve that silky, misty water effect at less cost (neutral density filters being very costly). At the time I was limited to using my 50mm prime lens since it was the only (non-telephoto) lens I had that I had two polarizing filters to fit. Recently I was able to complete a second set of two circular polarizer filters that will fit some of my other lenses and here is the first experiment. I am quite pleased though I still don't feel in complete control of the effects. There is really a nice wide range of exposure times available. The photo above is composed of two exposures fused. One was a 15 second exposure and the other was a 4 second exposure. In addition to allowing one to mess around with the intensity of the light the polarizing filters nicely increase the definition of the clouds.

Hard Landings

I visited Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary several times in the spring and summer so I decided to see what kinds of birds it had to offer at this time of year. The Inner Harbor is hosting flocks of Mergansers - both hooded and Common, American Wigeons, Buffleheads and lots of Mallards. I didn't see any Mergansers, Buffleheads or Wigeons at Swan Lake but there were plenty of Mallards being very charming and tame. I wonder why Mallards seem to be so much more trusting than other ducks that reside in human habitats? As well as the ubiquitous Mallards there were some Ring-necked Ducks and some American Coots. But the woods surrounding the lake seemed almost empty of birds in comparison to spring and summer when the Red-winged Blackbirds and other songbirds fill the air with their chirps and warbles. Most of the lake was covered with a thin sheet of ice as in the photo above.

Dogged

Victorians of greater experience than myself can correct me but I think our recent snowfall was a little unusual. Generally snow here arrives later, in December or January. However, whenever it comes, it seldom gets very deep or stays long. And, except for the odd patches in the shade here and there, it is pretty much gone now and even yesterday it was looking pretty tacky - gray and slushy. One thing I've learned about snow is to photograph it when it's fresh as in these photos. The footbridge on the left is the same as was featured HERE about three weeks ago. Quite a remarkable transformation for such a short period of time.

Weather

It seems when winter comes I spend a lot more time talking about the weather. Part of the reason is that I spent much of my life living in an area (in Africa) with very predictable, dependable weather. From mid-October to mid-May there was not the slightest possibility of rain and very little cloud. The temperature varied from hot to very hot. Every day dawned sunny and bright. The rest of the year was rainy season and one could expect a downpour for an hour or two every day or every other day. Here it is hard to see a pattern though it seems that Victoria often is cloudy in the morning and clears up during the afternoon. Beyond that it is very difficult to guess what the weather will be like on any given day. But another reason for my obsession with the weather is because I spend a lot of time outdoors taking photos. Hence, the amount and kind of light is very important and this is a direct result of the weather. The snow scenes I took yesterday are so drained of color as to be almost monochromatic. This gives them a kind of calligraphic appeal that I like, but I love color.