Pic of the Month: December ‘11

by | Jan 1, 2012 | Pic of the Month | 5 comments

Home in the Hills

123011-JAS_5387

Happy New Year!

I took this picture a few days ago, knowing that I’d have to take down the Christmas lights soon. No snow came like I was hoping for, but I think pulling away from the house and up the hill a ways helped hide distractions that snow would normally have covered. It wasn’t pitch black yet, so the sky came out very nice and saturated, and I really like the moving clouds made to look the way they do with the multi-second exposure. The tree limbs were accidental, actually, though I think they add a lot. Considering all the above, plus the fact that the camera was balanced on the top of an 8 foot ladder, I would say the picture is nothing short of a marvel!

Get each article as soon as it goes live!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Blog Archives

  • Recommended Ebook

    5 Comments

    1. Benjamin Cahill

      Very nice!

      I hadn’t thought of smoothing out clouds, I’ll have to try it sometime. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Elizabeth Lindsay

      I have to agree with you, James…that picture is pretty!

      Reply
    3. James Staddon

      Just use a long exposure of 15sec or more. Only possible in low light conditions or if you have a powerful ND filter.

      Reply
    4. Craig

      Actually I think the tree limbs add a lot… gives the shot balance, and the feeling of being surrounded/cacooned by the forest to the viewer.

      Reply
      • James Staddon

        Agreed! And I still can’t get over that incredible slot of time when the sky can be picked up as royal blue. It appears black with our eye, but it’s a different story with the camera . . . does anyone know the exact amount of time it lasts and how it relates to the time of sunset?

        Reply

    Submit a Comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Send the next blog post straight to your email inbox!

    Send the next blog post straight to your email inbox!

    Thank you for subscribing!