Woohooo... a three part blog! This totally has to make up for those times... albeit rare... when it took me more than a week or two to get a blog entry in. And, what has happened in the past 3 minutes since I posted the part II entry...well, I filled my coffee cup and checked the forecast to realize that the wind has dropped in the past few hours from 80kmph gusts down to 50kmph. Who knows, if it gets down another 30kmph I may even drag my snowshoes out and head out into the night to take some pics.
Before I start this final entry I thought that I would include a little tidbit that I came across quite a long time ago but to me it completely rings true. I have always believed that having an eye for creating an image is one of the most important aspects of photography... to go along with that you also have to have a camera with you. Both Rob and I carry a camera of some form with us every single time we go anywhere... it's true... can you count the amount of time you saw something that caught your eye and you didn't have anything to record it with??
"Ansel Adams got his famous Shot “Moon and Half Dome” on his way to happy hour. Yes, he pulled his Cadillac over at 4 PM and grabbed his Hasselblad and got that shot. Got back in his car and drove off to have some more fun. Ironic how photographers now line up in droves to try to get the same shot. Ansel loved to get shots of the moon, and was prepared to jump when he saw that shot."
Okay...enough about my "take a camera with you everywhere you go" lecture and onto some more photos:
ISO - 100, F -18, Shutter Speed - 1/15th sec, Exp Comp - +1.3
Above are just a few of the superb images that Rob shot of some snow drifts.
This is a picture that Rob sent of his cat Bristol... I affectionately have re-named him "the cat that is constantly caught in the door"... why you ask? Well, the answer is very simple as I am sure every single time I have ever talked to Rob on the phone you can hear Bristol meowing very loudly in the background so I automatically tell Rob to let Bristol out as he is obviously caught in the door??? On a side note Rob's dog is named Daytona ... bet you all are having a hard time figuring out what one of Rob's favorite sports happens to be lol.
ISO - 100, F-13, Shutter Speed - 1/2 sec, Focal Length - 105 ... Macro Lens {To this day all I see when I look at this image is a little animated bird flying towards me}
{This thing conjured serious martian images... martians with strangely curved feet and HUGE lips}
ISO - 100, F-7.1, Shutter Speed-1/8th sec, Exp Comp - +1.3
The above were a few of the shots that Rob took at the Floral Conservatorya few weeks back. The pictures below are a few that I shot when I went last weekend.
ISO - 250, F 16.0, Shutter Speed - 1/5th sec, Focal Length 200mm
ISO - 500, F 5.6, Shutter Speed - 1/640th sec, Focal Length - 200mm
The above 2 shots were taken of the frost on the panes of glass on the roof of the conservatory. The patterns were fantastic and I intentionally did not compensate my exposure as I wanted the white frost to come out with a darker more bluish grey tone so that you could see much more of the detail in the images....okay, that totally made me sound like one of those techno wiennies that I love to make of ... sorry Robert 
{you better be}
ISO - 250, F 2.8, Shutter Speed - 1/1250th sec, Focal Length - 200mm
Wow... that's it for this week and now that I just realized it is already 1:00 PM I guess that I should find some breakfast. I am going to leave you with a few tips for shooting in the cold as I hear that this warm snap isn't supposed to last all that long 
When shooting in the cold try to remember to do the following:
- Let your camera acclimatize to the conditions... whether you are going from cold to warm or warm to cold give your camera time to adjust... the bigger the temperature difference the longer the time needed. The one thing that you don't want to happen if to get condensation on your sensor. When going from one temperature to another keep your camera sealed in your camera bag or a ziploc until it has had the right amount of time to gradually warm up or cool down.
- Always try to keep some of silica gel packs in your camera bag... for those of you who aren't familiar with those they are the little packs that always come in new boxes of shoes that say "Do not Eat" 
{Also don't pack too many of them in your carry-on or you will be asked a number of chemical related questions at security}
- Keep a absorbant micro fibre cloth in your pocket at all times so if your camera gets snow on it etc then you can just quickly wipe it off as we all know that the #1 killer of cameras is moisture. {Yes, then insert your damp camera in your pocket for de-moisturizing}
- Don't forget that the cold also effects your batteries. Low temperatures also affect batteries that are not in the camera. {So are we affecting or effecting here?} Always try to keep an extra battery in your pocket and try to rotate them from pocket to camera as you will get much longer life from them by doing this. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if your battery is reading dead in your camera by taking it out and letting it warm in your pocket for a bit you can usually get at least another dozen shots out of it.
Well, that's it for now... I seriously have to go and find something to eat! Have a great week...or two and try to get out shooting while the temperature is at least bearable!
Devona {and Rob}
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