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Jan102014

No Northern Lights; Oh Well

Fence and bare tree sillouetted against night sky

Lacking any anticipated Northern Lights, This bare tree and fence on a downward slope made an interesting composition.

So the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis, was supposed to be quite visible to us here in Maine. That’s cool, I’ve seen the pictures. I’ve always wanted to see and photograph them myself. This seemed like a good opportunity. One problem; well, two really: First, the night time temps were around 10 degrees. Secondly, in order to see them well I would need to get out of the city away from the ambient light. I was thinking Turner perhaps.

So did I really want to see them? Yes. Did I really want to go out there in the cold and dark? No. But I knew I would be kicking myself  if woosed out and then saw all kinds of Northern Lights photos from Maine on Facebook the next day. So I bundled up and headed out to Turner with my camera and tripod.

About half way along Upper Street I found a side road that allowed me to get off the main road and gave me a perfect view to the north. So I parked and opened my thermos of hot cocoa and sat waiting and watching…. and nothing was happening.  I was getting updates by phone from my wife, who was back home snug and warm, checking up-to-the-minute updates on line. Her info said I should be seeing something… but still nothing.  You see where this is going.

Fence and bare tree sillouetted against night sky

Don’t forget to explore vertical options of the same subject. The pink glow on the horizon is from the glow of city lights back in Lewiston

Long story short, the lights never appeared. But I didn’t want to waste this trip. Kind of like ‘all dressed up and no place to go.’ So I started looking around. The sky was perfectly clear with a good half moon out illuminating the surroundings. So I decided to do a little experimenting with some night shots, which isn’t easy in below-freezing temps. First off you have to hold a flashlight while trying to set up the camera and get the correct settings. Then you have to “try” to see through the viewfinder to get a pleasing composition. Then set the proper focus manually because it’s too dark for auto focus… and then refocus every time you move the camera. And of course your fingers are getting more numb all the time, making it harder to push the necessary buttons.

So anyway, I didn’t get to see the Northern Lights. In fact, don’t ask me to get excited about the possibility any more because I just won’t be interested. But  I did come away with two or three interesting shots on a cold night that I couldn’t have gotten during the day. So the trip wasn’t a total waste.

…And I’m starting to get some feeling back in my thumb.

Daniel J. Marquis Photography Home Page

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Jan072014

Taking What You’re Given

Apple trees encrusted with ice at sunset

Apple trees encrusted with ice at sunset

The other day I went out with fellow birder and photographer Jim Walker to look for a Snowy Owl that had been spotted and photographed in Sabattus. Now, being bird watchers first, our main objective was to first and foremost actually see the bird. After all, a Snowy Owl is not a bird that a Mainer can see just any day.  But as photographers, our hope was to see the bird in a setting and situation that would enable us to get some decent photos as well. So out we went, well equipped with both binoculars and 500mm zoom lenses.

Being familiar with at least some of the Sabattus countryside, we cruised slowly around all the field and farm areas that a Snowy Owl should like to frequent, scanning posts and roof tops along the way. Needless to say we didn’t have any luck.  However, as the sun was getting low, along with our hopes, we happened upon an apple orchard with its trees still encrusted in ice. The setting sun was behind the orchard, which created a very interesting setting. So even though we weren’t set up for landscape photography, with our long zoom lenses, we quickly stopped and got out of the car to take advantage of the scenery that we were given.

With our long lenses we weren’t able to shoot any wide shots that encompassed the whole orchard, so we settled for some tighter, more intimate images of two or three trees. As the sun was low on the horizon with a milky white cloud cover, the sky was quite bright, or hot, anyway, so eliminating most of the sky from the photo made more sense. Here I was able to include enough of the sky to show the warm light from the setting sun without blowing out the background. But I still got the back-lighting illuminating the ice-encrusted branches.

So, the moral of this story; Don’t lock yourself into a preconceived notion of what your photographic outing will be. It’s good to have the extra equipment to change to to fit the situation. But you need to be ready to roll with the changes and take on whatever situation is presented to you. Because you never know when you’ll come across a good photograph.

Daniel J. Marquis Photography Home Page

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