When it gets really cold, neat things happen in the atmosphere. Ice crystals form right in the clear air, and dance about glistening in the sunlight. Mist and seasmoke fill the air above any open water. Long crystals of hoar frost coat the trees. And the intensity of the morning light is unparalleled. The air itself feels different too, it’s dense and honestly feels great to breath!

Going out in these conditions requires proper gear, but I rarely find myself in serious discomfort while shooting. I’ve blogged about proper gear in the past, and taking proper precautions, I’ve yet to lose a limb or had any ill fall upon me befitting the stark warnings I always hear.

This past weekend was by far the coldest weekend of the year so far, and I set out to ‘reshoot’ some scenes that I wasn’t ever happy with last year. The first was from an overlook in North Conway, which had been recently cleared allowing a beautiful view of New Hampshire’s most “Prodigious Hilltop”.

Mount Washington Centered

Mount Washington Offset

Mount Washington - Pano

I shot a variety of compositions here, from centered to offset to pano pan. I’ll let the viewer decide which they like best. I like them all…such great atmosphere!

From there, I drove a few miles down to the dual covered bridges in Conway, and crept down to the river, and cautiously out onto the ice to get the sun rising through the mist over the bridge and river. The light was ever changing, and keeping the mist from icing the lens was a challenge, but the scene remained captivating for about 45 minutes.

Frigid Bridge - Conway, NH

By this time, the sun was high, the temperature was above zero, and I was itching for a cup of hot tea. So I went back inside to a local coffee shop…where everyone else was complaining about the cold, and ignoring the beauty surrounding them.

Frigid Bridge - A Midday Shot that Works Due To Heavy Hoar Frost!

The golden hour is great for photography as the intensity of light is less, and therefore local contrasts are greatly reduced. The light is also warmer; whereas midday light is a cool, blue color that many characterize as uninviting, golden hour light has hues of pink and orange that bring wholly different emotional responses to images. Golden hour light is a commodity, it’s rare, and it’s cherished. I’m sure everyone has had a moment where they were completely blown away by a sunrise or sunset that stops them in their tracks.

When photographing light during the magic hour, there is a strong tendency to shoot the sun itself. Unless I can incorporate the sun as a dynamic piece of the landscape, I tend to compose off of the sun, and sometimes even directly away. This technique is most successful when there are mountains to capture the longest of rays, sometimes when the sun is still below the horizon in the valleys. This Alpenglow can make the harshest mountain landscape seem inviting.

Shooting alpenglow can be challenging. The intensity of the light is low, but the color is high. Additionally, the land below the alpenglow is often incredibly dark, almost requiring split neutral density filters to balance out the scene. In winter, two stops tend to do it. If you don’t have split ND filters, good strategy when shooting for alpenglow in digital photography is to overexpose, or shoot to the right. As long as you don’t clip the highlights, you can dial down back to a normal exposure in photoshop, and have a much wider range of quality tones in the final image.

This past weekend, I caught two great displays of alpenglow from overlooks in Conway and Jackson, overlooking Mount Washington. With the now near blank slopes of snow, the light was fantastic. I hope to explore overlooks that require a bit more effort this winter, like Mount Adams, Mount Hight/Carter Dome, and Jackson/Pierce, whenever the forecast looks clear…but this weekend is just forecast to be too cold. Safety has to be considered, and shooting in twenty to thirty below temperatures miles from a road with a planned hike in the dark is just not prudent. Patience…

Here’s some alpenshots from the weekend…

Predawn Glow From Conway - No light on the Mountain!

Strong Glow over Conway Lake

Early Glow From Jackson, NH

Later Golden Light From Jackson, NH

No goal sheet can begin without stating the purpose of my artistic drive. I have a passion for experiencing and learning about the natural world, and capturing the most dramatic conditions possible.  To do so, I want to continue to challenge myself to experience the landscape with a unique perspective!

This year, I hope to focus more on the Presidential Range, as it’s where I got my start in photography, and no other location inspires me more. I love the light it captures, the terrain on the slopes, and the diversity through elevation. I dream someday of publishing a book on the range, and need a more complete body of work. Some of the shots I hope for this year include…sunrise from Mount Hight, Sunrise from Mount Adams, Sunrise from Mount Clay, and Sunset from Pierce. I also need a quintessential Tuckerman Ravine shot in both summer and winter. And I haven’t shot the alpine flowers in June in a few years…and I miss it! That should keep me busy.

With the unpredictability of the weather on the range, I simply must have other goals that provide easier access for changing conditions. Bogs hope to be a continued focus. A sunrise at Saco Heath, in both spring and fall would be nice. Coastlines don’t inspire me the same as mountains, but I would love a sunrise shot of Portland Head, or Camden Hills.

I would like to further focus on the local landscape. I spend so much time driving across Southern NH with my new job, I’d like to budget time to explore during the commute. I’d also like to challenge myself to control midday light as I’ve learned to during the golden hours in the morning and evening to diversify my portfolio.

Professionally, I’d like to expand my business model to be able to offer tours and/or workshop instruction. To accomplish this, I need to research insurance and liability. Uuugghh.

Lastly, beyond photography, I need to regain my fitness to make getting to some of these shots easier. My hiatus from photography during this past fall while adjusting to the new job has taken it’s toll, and I’ve pledged to get back at it.

Well, that ought a do it. I’ll refer back to here throughout the year to keep myself inspired, and I’m sure new projects will creep onto the list. And, I need to make sure that the list doesn’t limit flexibility, as living beyond the moment can lead to missed opportunities.

Thanks for following!