Winter Still Refuses to Die

I know we technically have two weeks of Winter left, but for Winter to go out with a record snowstorm in Kentucky is like a child throwing a tantrum when told to go to bed. Here in Lewisport, I measured 6.5 inches by the time it was all over. Locations south of me, like Hartford, received 21 inches or more. Considering that this time three years ago we were getting intense severe storms, including tornadoes and some of the best lightning I've ever captured, I think the month of March is the most bipolar, unpredictable month weather wise.

I do my best to turn every weather event into a photo op. Snow is a double edged sword when it comes to that. You can capture beautiful landscapes, but it can be tricky. At night, you need a tripod and shoot long exposures like in the image below. The street lights casting shadows in multiple directions made for a great composition. I still can't decide if I like the color or black & white version better.

Shooting snow on a bright sunny day can really be tricky. You need to shoot 1-2 stops underexposed because all the white really throws off the accuracy of your light meter. This is expecially important when wanting to shoot something dark in front of snow such as birds. Needing a fast shutter speed for the birds as well as a mid range f/stop meant I had to bump my ISO up to 400.

The roads should be better by now, so I hope to get out this weekend and capture some images away from home. I'm looking forward to the warm up over the next couple of weeks. Warmer weather hopefully means storms. I look forward to bringing you new lightning photos, but I may be having back surgery soon. That may cut into my shooting time for a while.