Surprise, Surprise
The Dakotah Blow
In the land of Dakotah, it is not uncommon in spring’s infancy to have winter resist its departure. Spring blizzards are most times, the worst of the snow season. This week, winter blessed us with needed moisture; it came as thirty inches of snow driven by the Dakotah blow. We have front row seats to a weather event that produces graceful sculptures of pure white snow. We keep bird feeders full, and they are the gathering place for Black-eyed Junco, Blue Jay, Sparrow, Nuthatch, Woodpecker, Blackbird, Raven, and the elusive Evening Grosbeak. As evening approaches, deer clean the ground in search of a tasty seed.
Photos are the best blizzard storytellers. High winds and heavy snow mandate photos mainly shot through the windows of a car and the house. Today is day three of the blizzard, the wind has calmed, and just scattered flurries persist.
Taking these blizzard pictures taught me some photographic lessons about shutter speed. Faster shutter speeds are best for heavy snow and wind. A shutter speed of two-thousandth of a second will freeze the snow yet show the action. Faster shutter speeds will also catch birds in flight in snow. Using a fast shutter speed in the available light must be offset with a wide-open aperture and a higher ISO or on auto. As a novice, I like shooting whenever and wherever I can to understand all aspects of photography. I have adopted the SpaceX model for developing skills—make many mistakes and learn from each one.
So without further ado, here is the blizzard story in pictures; I hope You enjoy them.
April Blizzard 1
Alone in snow
Cabin in the snow
Going nowhere
Give me shelter
The weather outside is frightful 1
The weather outside is frightful 2
Evening Grosbeak
Red
Black-eyed Junco 1
Black-eyed Junco 2
Juncos of Winter
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