Snow | Wabi Sabi

Archive for the ‘Snow’ Category

TRACKS IN THE SNOW

Posted: April 9, 2016 in Deserted, Photography, Railroads, Snow, Wabi Sabi, Winter, Wisconsin
Tags: While this appears to be a quiet spot I was on a sidewalk only a couple of feet from traffic which was not only loud and wet but caused the road to bounce in a mildly unsettling fashion

Petite wet-snow blizzard Friday afternoon. It was like shooting in the rain.

I’ve driven over this little overpass a few zillion times in my life, but it never occurred to me to stop until I caught a glimpse of it in the storm on Friday.

Just when we think our lives are settled and predictable, circumstances can change abruptly, rocketing our complacent selves into a whole new narrative. That doesn’t mean bad things are happening in Wabi Sabi land, but an unexpected turn of events has switched us all onto a wildly different track. I put aside my camera for a while, something I haven’t done in years, but I’m thinking it’s maybe safe to quietly exhale now. Even new narratives should yield a little creative space.

Hmmm…maybe I should buy a new lens. Major metaphoric statement, yes?

WE’RE BIG FANS OF WINTER HERE

Posted: April 23, 2014 in Barns, Black and White, Black and White Photography, Details, Flash Fiction, Ice, Industrial, Photography, Snow, Wabi Sabi, White, Winter, Wisconsin
Tags: An absolutely unvarnished account of a brave Photographer and Savage Nature, Factory farm outside of Green Bay, January 2014, Subtle Game of Thrones reference

It was soooo cold this day, like maybe 100 degrees below zero and raging gale-force winds. I bungeed myself to the handle of the car door to keep from being swept into a nearby field.

Standing determinedly in the middle of the road with nothing between me and the raw elements, I began to shoot. The wind screamed savagely, tearing at my face and messing my hair up really bad. I fell a few times, feeling something crack…my femur? my sugar-free gum?…but hauled myself back up, determined to get the shots.

Finally though, with camera buffeted by the wind and my eyelashes snapping off at the roots, I knew when to withdraw from the fray.

It had been an epic 30-second battle between me and Mother Nature and Wabi Sabi lost.

“I’ll come back when the weather isn’t so bad,” I thought.

I’ll have another chance in a few months because everyone knows…dramatic pause here…

Winter IS coming.

Okay, in all seriousity here: I’ve captured all these fans mid-spin so that they look very still, but they were indeed running. I find it supremely cool to think that all that ice is really the frozen breath of hundreds of toasty-warm cows.

MINNEAPOLIS IN MARCH

Posted: March 19, 2014 in Architecture, Canon 7D, Deserted, Details, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Photography, Snow, Uncategorized, Wabi Sabi, Winter
Tags: Last snowstorm of the winter in Minnesota. Tomorrow is the first day of spring.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Posted: February 5, 2014 in 70-300mm lens, Canon 60D, Deserted, Details, Green Bay, Photography, Snow, Wabi Sabi, Wildlife Sanctuary
Tags: Bright orange barrels, Fishing spot, the a-lure of winter, Wildlife Sanctuary

What? No sinuous smoke-dances curling across the page?

We will return to industrial grit shortly but I was so delighted with this picture, that I had to share immediately.

This is on East Shore Drive where it passes between Bay Beach and the Wildlife Sanctuary. Every time I see this orange barrel in the snow I think “I really need to stop and catch this picture.” So, a few days ago, on my way to shoot some more towers and steam, I did just that.

Fast forward a couple of days and I am playing with this shot and it has turned out much better than I’d thought it would. I blow it WAY up and see all these small-but-bright color flashes scattered through the trees. “Oh, poo,” thought I. “Some kind of lens flaring? Tropical birds? Gang turf marking?”

By the time I checked out the third brilliant blip, it was my Eureka! moment.

View this as large as you can on your screen and check out the yellow spots in the trees.

If you can read the sign posted near the lagoon, you will see that this is designated as an “urban fishing” spot and trust me, these banks have lots of folks fishing from them all summer long.

Recognize those yellow and red things now?

This picture makes me genuinely happy and every time I look at it, I break out in a smile. I’m going to go back and try to shoot it same-but-better, but I suspect that the serendipity factor just can’t be improved upon.

WABI SABI STEAMY

Posted: February 2, 2014 in 70-300mm lens, Canon 60D, Details, Green Bay, Industrial, Photography, Smokestacks, Snow, Wabi Sabi, Wisconsin
Tags: Bar Graphs, Does anyone else get an Old Testament vibe from the smoke in the last picture?, Paper Mills, Steam

I’ve been out four times now, going from paper mill to cement factory to the Pulliam Plant and back to some more paper mills, questing for steam and smoke. Only sheer will power is keeping me in the house today.

This particular set is finished just a little differently than usual. I’ve chosen to crop down to relatively small details with some–I think–interesting results.

While I prefer the first image, a little further cropping brings us to the following: “Winter Bar Graph.”

And now, a shout-out to Mother Nature, supplier of organic lens filters. This last shot is very grainy because Saturday was thick and gray and I was shooting through snowfall. I like the effect.

Be forewarned: I have more.

MONDAY MORNING at the MARINA

Posted: January 28, 2014 in Canon 7D, Deserted, Details, Photography, Snow, Wabi Sabi, Water, Winter, Wisconsin
Tags: Bay of Green Bay, Evil wind and foul temps, Ice, Marina

Yes. It is still cold here.

Facing the Bay, Pulliam Plant to my left.

THE ATMOSPHERE WAS A BIT CHILLY…

Posted: January 27, 2014 in Architecture, Black and White Photography, Bridges, Coal, Details, Fox River, Green Bay, Industrial, Photography, Pulliam Plant, Smokestacks, Snow, Wabi Sabi
Tags: I never use my telephoto lens but dragged it out for today's quest thinking I could get far better detail on some of the industrial sites. Oh dear! New old favorite!

I believe I have mentioned the heart-breaking soul-numbing mind-bending cold we’ve been experiencing here. These shots were taken this morning before noon. I am back in the house now and have no intention of leaving again until Wednesday morning when I have to (gasp!) go to work. (Weather note: temps with wind chill are expected to hit nearly -50 F after midnight tonight.)

The tower you see in this picture is the Pulliam Plant with the Tower Drive Bridge (now open to traffic!) in front.

More on the Pulliam Plant in upcoming posts. I really went out today with the determination to get some good shots at that site, and I think I may have succeeded.

But then I got caught up in chasing smokestacks. The next shots are from a paper mill and a cement company.

Nothing says Arctic Blast like the vast acreage of steam around mills and power plants.

Wabi Sabi

Latest Posts

Categories