Hints of Spring, continued. Spinning ice disks on the Frenchman River, below the Newton Lake dam... I don't know whether they were forming or melting and breaking up, but it was an interesting natural pattern of shapes and textures in constant motion. A radical change from the stillness of winter.
Photographed northwest of Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: ice disks water floating rotating spinning breakup spring natural pattern nature river wild prairie Newton Lake Frenchman River square Val Marie SK Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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Final ice image for this winter, I think; tomorrow, the start of another winter wildlife image set.
This is another shot made by slithering on my belly to the ice edge and shooting across a small stretch of open water at the odd shapes, textures, and reflected colours. Once again I used the combination of a low ISO, slow shutter, and small aperture, with the camera on a spare RRS ball head and mini-tripod.
Photographed on the Frenchman River, Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: ice macro close up water flow winter cold beauty nature wild prairie Frenchman River Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023
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Last three ice photos from this winter, starting today: a different location, farther downstream, and one I chose not to crop square. The dark water looks steely-cold (and it was). The distance and height of the banks on either side produce a different reflective quality at this site, though - not as colourful as my preferred spot.
Photographed along the Frenchman River in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: river water flow ice cold winter panorama pano wild prairie Frenchman River Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023
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Something a little different here. Along a small area at the river's edge, faster flowing water had churned up bubbles, and the bubbles had frozen. Warm light was reflecting from the ice surfaces, and at the top of the photo the river water is sloshing over the top of newer bubbles, creating some blur and maybe even some mystery.
One final shot remains in this river ice image set; after that, I plan to celebrate the first day in March by starting a new photo series.
Photographed at the edge of the Frenchman River in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: bubbles frozen ice cold river's edge water light warm-cool contrast pano panorama macro close up wild prairie Frenchman River Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023
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Starting a new image set today: close ups of river ice from November and December, cropped square. Most will be fairly impressionist or abstract; this one is probably the most "normal" look of the lot. I shot most with the macro lens and tripod, but here I lay flat on the ice edge, extending my arms as far out over the water as I could, using a wide angle to try to put these ice shapes in context. To my surprise, I obtained tack-sharp results at 1/15, hand holding. I mean, I've always had steady hands, but this is ridiculous!
These forays onto the river ice were enormous fun. Going through the results was enormous fun, too. Many of the shots I had high hopes for ended up fizzling out into nothing, but there were happy surprises, too.
Inevitably, I was disappointed when the river froze over entirely and was soon covered with a layer of snow. As often happens in nature photography, the process of transition yielded the best images. Dynamic change. Like a storm front coming in during the summer months, or the rainbow that follows. Like interesting, unexpected animal behaviour that unfolds close by and in great light. The main thing is being there. Of course, you also have to recognize what the light is good for, and make all the other snap decisions to come away with good shots. It's a big topic. And we all have unique ways of seeing, so what works for one person might not work for another.
More to come...
Photographed on the Frenchman River in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: ice wide angle close up water river winter square nature warm-cool contrast Wow! wild prairie Frenchman River Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023 4tografie naturesquare
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