In the bleak midwinter

Winter has arrived, and I'm out long before dawn in sub zero (Celsius) temperatures, and a mind for a bit of experimentation. Tripods still have myriad uses, from long exposure times to precise composition, but their nuisance value is high if hiking any significant distance with one. Enter the Auto ISO function.

Choosing the shutter speed and aperture manually, today I'm letting the camera decide on the ISO setting for a normal exposure; applying exposure compensation as and when deemed necessary. Modern cameras, and modern editing software specific to noise reduction, are getting to the point of making sensor noise a thing of the past.

It also means I can leave my tripod at home.

© 2024

The first bite of winter

Winter proper has arrived, and the thermometer reads 3ºC in spite of the cloud cover. It's even trying to snow. 

© 2024 

Storm Henk

Storm Henk (do they name these things in a bid to desensitise us about their increasing regularity?) blows further north than forecast, although there are still some strong gusts of wind to deal with along the south coast.

It should be noted that these storms are nowhere near approaching the ferocity of a hurricane or typhoon; sea temperatures in Northern Europe are too low to create one. But where they do hit they can cause widespread flooding and some structural damage to buildings.

© 2024

First day; first light.

Starting the year as I mean to carry on? Probably not, but the pre-dawn walks are becoming something of a regular fixture with me, and finding something to photograph along the way is always a bonus. 

© 2024