Brrrr

So pretty, oh so pretty

It is storming today and looks nothing like the above photo (taken last month).  It looks more like this:

Crappy. Blowy. Colder than a witch’s elbow.

I’m not entirely sure about that particular expression but with a windchill of -31*C (-23.8*F) I’ll use it.  It’s one of my Dad’s go-to expressions. *laughs*

I, who refuses to go out if it’s eight below, got dressed up and went outside to take pictures.   I put on jeans, a long sleeve tee, two pairs of socks, ski pants (snow pants?), my boots, a vest, a heavy sweater, scarf, gloves, snowmobile minutes, a hat and my coat.   I think I gained five pounds just in fabric and insulation.  

I trudged around looking for photo ops and ended up taking eighteen photos.  Not all of them made it to the folder but I wanted share what I like best with you.  Pull on a sweater and take a look!  

(I’m wearing a heavy sweater over my clothes and a large down sleeping bag as a blanket. 😀 )

First up, I gotta say, snow is hard to get focused on when you’re using a lower end camera (The Olympus D-700)  Snow is white, it reflects light [painfully] and makes it difficult for the camera to focus.  (She says like she knows.)  I may not know the mechanics (yet) but I do know that all of the pictures came out with a kind of soft focus.

So, I turned to the backyard when I stepped outside.  The first thing I saw was, well, snow.   It was on everything, everywhere.  Kind of the point to a snow storm, eh? 😉    We have a row of bicycles locked up to the trailer-cum-workshop and they were intriguing.  The shapes, the light, and the shadows all pulled me.  

I want to ride my bicycle! (And the musical reference is)  …Not. I’d freeze to it.  

The snow is giving me the gears. (*cackle*) See how off the focus is?  It appears out of focus, kind of makes my eyes argue with me about what’s being seen.

On the other hand, I like the contrast of light and dark,  the white and black.  I like how even the jagged edges are soft yet still menacing. The whole thing just makes me happy, even while I’m infuriated by the lack of sharpness in the focus.

See? Lack of focus.

And yet, it looks like  the sky on a cloudy day.  It’s snow on a fence.

Like this.

The snow is so sticky that it just…. foomp…sticks to whatever like fake snow.  The side of the car, the fence, the front door and the living room windows.   It’s kind of awesome (even if it did pull power lines down).

I got heavily involved in light and shadow today (how could you not?) and I’m in love with a couple of the shots.

This is at the top of the private stairs. The horizon and the lake are one.

This one is almost Yin Yang in its awesomeness. Hints of light in the dark and dark in the light.

And then there’s this…

…my absolute favourite.

I love the texture in this one.  The spiky needles, the curves on the pine cone and the roughness of the branches in the background.  It is, as Val says, Christmas card worthy.  

And that’s it, folks.  We are still in the throes of our wee storm and I’m on tenterhooks about the power going out.  I’m off to make soup and get scraps of chicken for the cat that roams the neighbourhood.  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and take good care of your loved ones.

Muah!