Pt Bruce, yet again.

I couldn't blame you if you are getting tired of my fascination with Pt Bruce, in winter.  I won't promise that this will be the last post of snow and ice from there.  To me, it's such a great place to go.  Only a few minutes from home but once there it's like another world.  Today's shots were sunrise, not sunset.  Thank goodness for the colour of the sun as it was a very grey morning otherwise.

Back to the Beach

It's been about two weeks since I had my little adventure on/in the ice at Pt Bruce.  Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and the forecast for today was cloudy and snowy.   What better time to plan a return visit to the beach, right?

Pt Bruce Beach

OK, so it's been very grey out lately.  But not last Thursday.  Bright blue sky.  Cold and windy though.  That's OK.  I've gone out in worse conditions, so I checked out of work on time.  A quick change into warm clothes and off to the beach. 

I got there and the sun was starting to set.  Its colours were warming nicely.  This image of the pier and lighthouse was made about 5 minutes after leaving the truck.  

Then, the reality of the weather set in.  The wind was causing my forehead and nose to burn.  My heavy gloves were no match for the cold.  While I could have operated my camera's controls with the gloves on, my fingers were so numb I couldn't feel the buttons.  

I was on the beach alone.  Just me, my camera and other people's footprints in the snow.  As I shuffled up one icy snow/ice dune my left leg fell out from under me. I was suddenly down to my crotch in a chasm.  My other knee was folded tight, like it hasn't been bent in over 10 years.  While I squatted there, I realized that I did have my cell phone in my pants pocket.  If needed, I could get it out.  I know there is a signal there (usually).  But, big but, my fingers were so cold I doubt whether my phone's screen would have reacted to their touch.  I hauled myself out of my hole.  Took this shot and shuffled back to my truck.  Total time out of the truck; about 20 minutes.  Total time of comfort out of the truck; none.  It's funny how some days we can handle the cold and say "Bring it on.  I'm ready for more".  Thursday, I guess, I was just tired.  But at least I went out and got two shots.  It's now more than two days later and my "bent" knee is still letting me know that it didn't like our little adventure.

Port Burwell

Last night I got out all my coldest weather wear...long johns, two pairs of wool socks, snow pants, wool sweater, down jacket, snowmobile mitt/glove combo, hot packs for mitts.  Saturday's high was -10.  Up before dawn on Sunday and the temperature was -4.  What to do?  I put on all the stuff.  I was headed to Lake Erie where in the past week, winds out of the south had been driving sand so hard that visitors just stayed in their cars.  This morning was supposed to be sunny.  Well Mother Nature thought that I needed an overcast morning in which to shoot.  The winds were pretty strong but no sand was blowing nor water as the lake was frozen for as far as I could see.

Now grey skies present problems for photographers.  "When shooting in cloudy conditions, compose your image to limit the sky to a minimum."  Well I thought that the speckled sky gave me just enough contrast and a little bit of blue to break that rule.

Rust & Oliver

The temperature this morning was only -10 but felt like -20.  After suffering in the wind for too long I slipped in behind the barn for some shelter.  When I saw the pile of rust I thought of my niece Meaghan.  Then back in the barn I saw the tractor, an Oliver.  Meaghan runs a business named Oliver and Rust.  Google it.  You'll be amazed at what she can do with treasures from barns and basements.

 

PORT BRUCE AGAIN

What can I say?  It's a quick drive from home and the view is stunning - well at least to me it is.  No I don't live minutes from the Arctic.  This is Lake Erie.  The lake froze over this winter.  It hadn't done that since 1998 (I think).  I was surprised this day when a couple decided to walk out on the ice.  The wind was bitingly cold.  The air temperature was probably no higher than -15 Celsius.  Wind chill = well nobody lasted more than 15 minutes before they went back to their vehicle to warm up.  The couple lasted... yep you guessed it, only 15 minutes and they made a beeline for their car.

I was enamoured of the day.  The bright blue sky.  The white snow.   The black and brown you see was created when we had a brief thaw.

I met a woman with about 3,000 kids.  Well it seemed like that to me.  You try waiting in the cold wind for all kids to get out your scene... Well it really was fun to watch one boy try to pick up huge chunks of ice that looked clearer than an ice cube from your home's freezer.  That ice was something special...and yes I do realize it came from Lake Erie.  That's what mad it so surprising.

I gave up and went to the car to warm up.  So after up the kids were gone, I went out shooting again.  I didn't see the woman (looking out over the water, in the image below) get out past me but I liked the effect.

The first image's vantage point I found unique because in the summer I would have been underwater by a few body lengths.  That day I walked out farther than I have ever been onto Lake Erie at Port Bruce.

I went back this week.  I took a two hour lunch and had the entire area all to myself.  However, a lot of the snow was dirtier and there were far more footprints everywhere.  Now, over the last couple of days, temperatures have risen.  We've seen zero degrees now twice.  While the ice is probably safe still, its pure colour would be gone.

Maybe spring will arrive before next winter.

LEMONADE

OK, I do like to play with post production programs.  On a day like today, they helped make lemonade.

Last night we had about 6 hours of rain.  Following that we received a little less than an inch of snow.  Meeting some friends at Archie Coulter Conservation Area for sunrise with temperatures about freezing, delivered deep gray skies.  No sun, no sunrise, no blue sky, no shadows.

All these shots needed lots of help.  Software to the rescue.


Fence line

Probably my favourite of the day.  Remember, I said less than an inch of snow?  That snow clung to every branch and wire.  In Lightroom, I reduced the clarity of all the background parts and increased the clarity of the fence post.  Increasing the exposure overall (even though I did over expose in camera) gave this a very soft, white result.

Tree tops

Remember, I said no sun, no blue sky?  This is an HDR image.  Back in Lightroom I increased the blue colour saturation and luminance.  If you look closely, you will see the snow on the branches.  It's not a "tell" of HDR as the white is not on the bottom of the branches.

Catfish Creek

 Here, the lack of sun or shadow worked well in monochrome.  Lots of playing with getting the level of detail and balance of whites and blacks just right.

And yes, Ron and Charon, I did these while watching TV.

Lunchtime Picnic

When we speak of backyard lunches, warm summer days come to mind.  Not true for this Broadwing Hawk (or his quarry).  Can you see the snow flakes falling?  Shot from inside our house, through two panes of very dirty glass, this hawk ate his lunch then proceeded to "brush his beak" with the tree branch at his foot.  Very cool.

Return Visit to House and Barn

Our first visit here was in October.  I remember thinking how cold it felt that morning.  Wow, that day had nothing on this January morning.  Fortunately there were lots of walls to hide behind to avoid the bitterly cold winds.  No matter how well dressed, the cold penetrated.  The house was made with mud walls about a metre thick.  Out of the wind but still sub-zero temperatures in the house left my fingers numb in short order.  Even still I was almost the last person to pack up my gear.

Port Bruce, Winter 2014

Yesterday, after a night and morning of snowing, the roads weresurprisingly clear and the sky started to clear up. I'd been wanting to get to Port Bruce for a few weeks now.  These conditions were perfect, except for the temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius with a wind chill probably below minus 20!!

I stayed out there long enough to go from blue sky to having some colour with the setting sun.

I really liked the shadows in the snow of this picnic table.

Boats on Ropes

Port Stanley, Ontario is known more for suntans and volleyball than as a destination for photographers in January.  However, while there this morning our group met a second group, both groups looking for interesting subject matter.  We all had the same problem - a very dim, grey sky.  No distinct shadows.

Raptor Conservancy

I got the chance to spend an afternoon at the Canadian Raptor Conservancy earlier this month. I set a personal record; 1138 shots in 3 hours.

European Eagle Owl

Red Tailed Hawk

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Snowy Owl

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Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle

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Barn Owl

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Great Horned Owl

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Great Horned Owl

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Great Horned Owl

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Ferruginous Hawk

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Swainson's Hawk

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Swainson's Hawk

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