The huge temperature swing was refreshing this morning. No crazy sub-zero temps or windchill’s to contend with. Instead, we were in for a hazy February sunrise.
The crescent moon just above the horizon upon arrival was an unanticipated bonus.
Jupiter and Venus where still shining bright as were quite a few stars. It was a spectacular site.
The sunrise sequence was filled with a lot of color and wonderful clouds.
I didn’t sleep in this morning. The weather forecast was good as was the Photographer’s Ephemeris Skyfire sunrise prediction. It was a titch chilly, but with a hot cup of Caribou and the proper clothing, this wasn’t going to be a big deal. It was a Brrr-b-b-beautiful sunrise. The pre-sunrise color was spectacular.
23 Frame D700 Pano25 Frame D700 Pano
The sunrise wasn’t too bad either.
At 16mm
At 150mm
Beautiful morning all-the-way-around.
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A short time lapse of the sunrise and steam this morning
I know better. When in doubt…go anyway. Even in sub-zero weather. You can always go back home.
This last Friday I looked at the forecast and figured I should pass based on the cloudy forecast and pending snow. The Photographer’s Ephemeris Skyfire, however, was predicting a good sunrise.
Weather Underground
Photographer’s Ephemeris Skyfire
I elected to sleep in. By the time I woke up and looked outside it way beyond sunrise and it looked like I missed a good one despite the forecast.
By the time I reached Bay City, the snow clouds were moving in and the sun was barely visible.
Bay CityBay City
I drove to Maiden Rock to see how the ice looked there. The ice heaves are nothing closed to what they have been in years past. I stopped by the Warrentown Coulee Wayside before Maiden Rock to capture the wide-open vastness from that location.
Warrentown Coulee WaysideMaiden Rock
Lots of ice fisher people. The clouds were closing in and the light fading fast. It didn’t take long for the sun to disappear altogether. By the time I arrived back at Bay City is was almost a complete white-out.
Every time I see the steam rising off of the open water one of Abbas songs starts to play in my head with queen replaced with steam. You know the song I am referring to. Good luck getting that out of your head now. You are welcome 🙂
This a.m. I remembered my spotlight and managed a short snippet of the steam. It was -11 and the camera froze up in just under an hour.
Nikon D700 | ISO 800 | 150mm | f/7.1 | 1/160 secondNikon D700 | ISO 800 | 150mm | f/7.1 | 1/40 second
It was a pretty spectacular sunset this a.m. The color was beautiful.
Pre-surnise
Just before sunriseSunrise
Here is a panorama I shot; you can see the long line of steam
No drone photos/video this a.m. Too cloud to stand around for very long.
It was a subzero sunrise this a.m. Albeit only by a degree, it was enough to bite your exposed fingertips and slap you in the face. The camera bared most of the cold atop the tripod just outside my toasty warm car. You can see that Jupiter and Venus have ventured significantly closer to one another.
Nikon D700 | ISO 200 | 16mm | f/7.1 | 6 seconds
I forgot my spotlight this a.m. that I use to aid in obtaining a focal point. I ended up with a short and out-of-focus time lapse sequence. It is still a bit interesting; especially the steam rising off the opening in the ice.
That was definitely the case this cold January morning. It was just under 30 degrees, but the 5 mph breeze out of the east (across a huge sheet of ice) made it seem significantly colder. It was mostly cloudy upon arrival and after a bit, there was only a hint of color on the horizon; them boom! The color came. And just like that the color was gone just as quickly as it appeared. It was a fleeting moment of spectacular color.
Some moments are nice, some are nicer, some are even worth photographing in the cold January weather.
Here are three frames captured 40 minutes apart.
D700 | ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 4 seconds | 16 mm
D700 | ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 1/20 second | 16 mm
D700 | ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 1/30 second | 16 mm
A 4 second clip that encompasses those 40 minutes.
I am really happy with both the vertical and horizontal panorama shots.
Mavic 2 Pro | ISO 100 | f/3.5 | 1/20 seconds | 10.26 mm | 7 Frames
Mavic 2 Pro | ISO 100 | f/3.5 | 1/20 seconds | 10.26 mm | 7 Frames
I shot my first automated drone 360 sphere this morning. The images looks interesting.
Mavic 2 Pro 360 sphere
After a bit of manipulation in Photoshop – viola. Sunrise-o-sphere.
360 sphere
EXTRA
Out low across the ice and back high
Bay City Campground
Here is an aerial view of Bay City Campground.
A shot of two fellow photog friends capturing the sunrise this a.m.
Bay City Beauty – I never tire of the beauty of this shoreline, this bay, the bluffs and the sunrises that happen here. Another work gone and an early morning spent marveling at the palette of colors mother nature painted the sky with today.
D700 ISO 200 | f/10 | 4 seconds | 16 mm
D700 ISO 200 | f/10 | 1 seconds | 16 mm
D700 ISO 200 | f/10 | 1/160 seconds | 16 mm
It was also another opportunity to practice drone photography. I’ve always leaned toward portrait orientation in my photography, but I am really liking the result of the vertical [portrait orientation] panoramic images from the drone.
Mavic 2 Pro| ISO 100 | f/6.3 | 1/25 seconds | 10.26 mm | 7 Frames
When I arrived at my favorite sunrise location this a.m. the sky was quite clear; so clear that you could see Jupiter (bottom) and Venus (top) easily next to the silhouette of the tree.
D700 ISO 200 | f/7.1 | 25 seconds | 17 mm
January starts out with Venus shining above Jupiter in the morning sky, yet the month ends with Jupiter shining above Venus. Day by day, Jupiter climbs upward, away from the sunrise, while Venus sinks downward, toward the rising sun. The two will meet for a conjunction in the morning sky on January 22, 2019. ~EarthSky.org
As the morning progressed the clouds cooperated wonderfully even though a completely clear sky was in the forecast for this morning. This morning started out like most other mornings at this particular location, but the situation changed dramatically. The new perspective is courtesy of a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone I received for Christmas from the best wife ever.
I am pretty happy with the results given this was my third flight and first ever attempt at shooting the sunrise with a drone. The shots are a titch grainy given ISO 400 . The vertical panorama is my favorite drone photo of the day. This morning without a doubt spawned an enthusiasm for drone photography that will not likely subside any time soon.
Horizontal Panorama
Mavic 2 Pro| ISO 400 | f/9 | 1/60 seconds | 10.26 mm | 7 Frames
Vertical Panorama
Mavic 2 Pro| ISO 400 | f/9 | 1/60 seconds | 10.26 mm | 12 Frames
I am finding that even though I am not experiencing ideal conditions for sunrise, nature always provides a beautiful canvas. When the pre-sunrise color isn’t there, the subtly of the clouds provides a focal point. The waning crescent moon was also shining bright this morning and added a nice touch to the frame.
EXTRA
On the drive home I ran into a herd of Wild Turkeys.
