Not sure if the qualifies for this weekly challenge. For me, it is more of an “icescape” perhaps, if it needs to be moved @Mark_Seaver just let me know.
This is my week here in Texas. This is how I feel right about now. Apparently like most of Texas, we have been without electricity, water and internet at various different times and for various different lengths for many days now. Only a couple of times have we been without all three at the same time. Thank goodness.
On a good note, there is so much to enjoy outside and photograph.
Does it feel cold and prickly? Is there enough clarity in the snow to know it is snow?
Experimenting with aperture priority and auto iso. Do these settings work for you for this type of image?
Cropped: 1:1 (13’x13"), luminosity masks for the snow and cacti, added curve layer.
Nikon D7200, f/9, 1/250, iso 640 @170mm, tripod
Oh, very cool (literally and figuratively)! It feels a bit dark to me. My experience with auto ISO is that the camera wants to make everything medium gray, and the files often come out underexposed. I love the icy cactus spines poking out in every direction - very energetic. They maybe could use a bit more room around the edges, especially left and right, so they won’t feel constrained.
I do hope you are doing well, and it’s good that all your utilities haven’t been out all at once for very long. It sounds pretty dire down there!
Thanks Bonnie. I haven’t settled on using auto iso yet. For me, at least, it always seems to overexpose so I am hesitant to use . . .which was why I was doing some experimenting. I did labor over the crop for sometime. . . thinking a 3:2 would create the extra room it wants. Thanks for your thoughts, at the moment it is snowing again, originally we were only supposed to get 1" . . .we’re already up to 3". I heard the last time it was like this was in 1989.
@linda_mellor - This definitely looks cold and prickly. It’s a great illustration of an unusual situation (thankfully). I tend to process a bit dark and I know it can be rather dark on an overcast, snowy day which I think it looks like here. However, I think @Bonnie Lampley has a good point about brightening it up just a little bit. I really enjoyed this image overall.
Linda, lots of ice here, so it fits easily. The spines and their ice coating make quite a double OUCH, cold and prickly. I think your framing works well. I too would recommend against auto iso in many circumstances. Camera exposure systems are designed to provide perfect exposure on an 18% grey card. The result is under exposure when the view is dominated by bright tones and over exposure when dominated by dark tones. Modern exposure systems have gotten a lot better, but it’s still routine to adjust the EV setting to get the best exposure. Letting your iso float still leaves your camera going for 18% grey. The experience in Texas sounds very bad, I hope it gets better soon.
Thanks for your input, Mark. Clearly need more practice, experimenting and experience will help me sort this out. The past week Texas has been a nightmare . . .we do have semi-reliable electricity and internet. … …water company is struggling still. . . .hoping for water by Monday. Thanks.
