Abstract in Nature
There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. - Pablo Picasso
I do not do a whole lot of abstract photography but every once-in-a-while I get inspired. Last week we were hit with a Nor-easter that brought with it about six or seven inches of snow. This was the first substantial snowfall we have had in quite some time as the last two winters were not very productive in that aspect.
While looking out my back door - looking for deer in the woods - I noticed the lilac bush was throwing some beautiful shadows across the snow. The snow had created some subtle "waves" and after a few days of warm followed by cold there was a thin layer of ice crystals giving it a little bit of sparkle. There was nothing else I could do, the next thing I know I am putting on my boots, grabbing my gear and heading to my back yard. It was fairly warm - about 50° so I didn't bother taking time for a jacket, this is t-shirt weather in January! 😆
How many of you shoot snow scenes? How often are you disappointed with the results? I spent a lot of years when I was learning the craft wondering what I was doing wrong. This was in the days before YouTube had 1,000's of tutorials telling you how. I have gotten better over the years but just recently added a "secret weapon" to my arsenal - a set of white balance cards. This is a set of three (3) plastic cards - black, white and 18% gray. When I went out to shoot I laid the cards out in the snow in approximately the same light I was going to shoot and took a frame. This was my reference for color balance. I then filled the frame with just the 18% gray and took notice of the exposure. I now had my "base" settings. This is the first time I used the cards - I received them as a birthday gift in December - and they worked like a charm.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the images.
Technical information:
- Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
- Lens: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
- Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
- Vello White Balance Card Set (Medium)
- All images - ISO 100
- All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent is in parentheses.
- Focus and exposure were done manually*. The shutter was tripped with a wired remote.
* - I set the focus and exposure manually but that in no way means you have to do that. I was playing with exposures and it is easier to do so in "M". I typically use "aperture-priority" when I am out.
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