April Fools!
I look forward to at least one late season snow storm every year. This is certainly far from the latest we’ve ever had…but it seems that the temporary return to winter on the (erroneous assumption of the) continuous march towards spring can be a downer. To an opportunistic nature photographer though, spring snow often brings scenes that can’t be captured any other time of the year.
Midwinter snow is cold, dry and rarely sticks to the trees. Streams are frozen over with thick layers of ice, and contrast, drama and texture in the landscape are tough to discern and capture. Spring snow changes the game significantly!
This morning, a heavy helping of mashed potatoes clung to every branch in every tree. Streams, free of ice for a few weeks now, ran swiftly through a re-purified landscape. It felt like spring and looked like winter, except for the robins, and the crocuses and the pussy willow. Opportunities abounded!
I headed to the waterfalls of the Merrimack River Valley, around Milford, Wilton, Lydeborough and Hillsborough. The snow in the trees didn’t make it past my first stop, but the hour plus I spent at Tucker Brook Falls offered some of the most beautiful winter scenes of well, the entire winter!
I spent a lot of the time at the stream experimenting with the strength of the polarization of light reaching my sensor. I almost always keep my polarizing filter on, as it enhances almost all types of shots. But one of its specialties is removing glare from the surface of water, of which there was no shortage of this morning. I offer two pictures below as examples of what this amazing filter can do to a scene. One is completely un-polarized, the other fully.
I was completely consumed by the process of deciding how much to spin the filter. These two shots have very different moods, and evoke different feelings in the viewer. And truly, as a photographer, you want to allow the viewer to experience the scene with you. So I chose a happy medium, and zoned in on a final composition. The only thing missing for the viewer is the opportunity to dodge the massive snow-bombs dropping from the trees!
…and now…spring can arrive!
Jim Salge’s Guild Gallery
Jim Salge Photography
One Comment
Very nice Jim. I like using a polarizer also and think that water shots always come out better when using one. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
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[...] One thing I just read about is, if you add a polarizer to your lens it may improve your contrast. Check this article by noted NH nature photographer Jim Salge where he shows us what a difference a circular polarizer can make on a cloudy winter [...]
[...] Lens filters are not usually needed. The only exception is when shooting the horizon in the direction of the setting or rising sun. In that case, you may want a graduated neutral density filter (GND) to lessen sky exposure. (Jim Salge showed us how a winter scene can be improved with a polarizer here). [...]