Snowy Saturday

So yesterday was a beautiful snowy day here in PA. My sister and nieces sent me a picture of a snow family that they made and it inspired me to go out and play in the snow also. Of course my playing was with my camera to see what I could capture. I took a short walk (only about an hour and a half) around my neighborhood and to a park that was close by. Here are some of the  things I found

This bush is right outside my door -- I loved how the snow clung to the branches and the way the light made it sparkle

again this is right around my apartment. I loved how the beams of light were hitting the fence - such a beatiful scene

same scene just a touch different, I love how the chimney peaks up behind the tree

this big crane caught my attention and I love how the little bit of smoke is in the bottom

this crow was high above my head but it was so cool against the blue sky and the way the branch is made it look like the perfect perch

the way the light was capturing this snow made it almost look translucent

the red and white was awesome together

one of the side streets, I loved the tree on the left and just the framing of the trees over head

This house looked so nice with the snow, the trees and the sky. 

Slides in the park -- its all about the snow 

another view, highlighting the twists and the shadows and of course the snow

a view from below -- loved the combination of shapes and colors 

the light just seemed to emphasize the twisty branch and I loved the knot on the right

red, green, white and blue and I loved the patterns of the branches

close up of pine branches in the snow -- its all about the textures

lines and colors -- again an over head shot

just felt like a winter wonderland and I loved all the lines ...

lighing and lines (are we seeing a pattern here? ) 

this was just too fun not to take. I think it would pretty fun in black and white too

since it was so warn and sunny yesterday afternoon, some of the snow was dripping -- I caught a few of the drops and really like the reflections in the windows

I loved the layers of roof tops and the tree shadows in the snow, plus the blue sky 

this is the tree with the branch that looked like the snake, covered in show and so pretty 

It was so beautiful outside yesterday and I am really glad I went out. I just can't help drinking in the amazingness that is mother nature. For the camera savy, I use a Nikon D3200 in manual mode, I use my favorite 55-200 lens and took most of these shots with an f/8 and ISO 100. My shutter speed and focal length varied based on the light and of course how far away from my subject I was. Thanks as always for sharing my photos with me. 

Cold and snowy scenes

Its been a way too long since my last post, but the end of the fall semster and the holidays were pretty busy times for me and I was not on the computer a lot during most of it. I have also been working on a professional portfolio video that took a lot of time and which I am happy to say is finally finished. Click the link below to check it out: 

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Pep7fMcd1-QmFLbS0xY1JFY1k/view?usp=sharing 

This semester I am taking a narrative photography class where we really will be learning about story telling in our photography. Before that begins to take up all my time, I thought I would post some of the winter and snowy scenes that I have taken over the last few weeks

I took this photo while looking out the 5th floor window at work. I loved the texture of the clouds, the fact that their are a few crows in it and a small streak on the left -- I think from a plane

This one is one of the walls by the library. I loved how even though it has been really cold, we still have some color with the ivy and the berries and I loved that the branches make an arch 

Some ice on the sidewalk. I loved the shapes that it made

Again this is all about the color and I loved the way the bright sun made the shadows on the fence ... 

Found this leaf hanging out on the blacktop -- it reminded me of a four leaf clover and it was one of those right place right time moments, a gust of wind blew it away right after I got my shot ... 

Some pinecones in the yard by my place. I loved the contrast of the brown and green and the little bit of snow ... 

A little stone walk way, again by my apartment. The afternoon light on the bushes to the left made me have to take this shot. 

Believe it or not this is a branch in a tree that is crazily twisted. It reminded me of a snake and the light just seemed to draw my focus ti it even more. 

Taken on my walk home Tuesday night. there was just enough snow to make everything look frosted. I used the street lights which made it look a smidge pink, but I like the effect 

Again it looks like the branches were frosted and I love the messy pattern... 

Close up of the branches. I really love the depth the faded background gives this 

Again using the available street lighting. It was just enough that the background just drops off and I love the effect ...

This one is all about the shape and of course the light-- 

The next 3 photos are some I have been looking at and planning for a bit. I walk by these bikes all the time and notice the reflection. Having the snow there made them even more fun.

I took this one using the natural street lights -- however, I had my camera on auto white balance and it came out with really yellow tones. I was going to try and convert it but the more I look at it, the more I like the mood the yellow creates

I took more and converted this one to black and white and really love what it does for the contrast 

A little closer and a different angle -- I love how I captured not only the shadows from the bike, but also  the footprints in the snow

I really enjoyed taking some of these snowy photos and especially playing with the ones at night. Thanks as always for sharing my photos with me.