Aspens and pines in an autumn snowstorm, Toiyabe NF, CA, USA; 1/8 sec at f/22, ISO 50
In October I fulfilled a long-time dream: to photograph autumn aspens in the snow. I posted one photograph from that snowy day here, and two more from the following morning here. But I made a lot of other images during that storm, and now finally have a chance to show you some of them.
On that snowy October day it was a challenge to keep my camera dry, keep snow and water drops off the lens, and stay warm myself. But it was a rare opportunity, and I didn’t want to wait until the snow stopped, because the falling snow itself gave the photographs an ethereal quality, almost like fog.
For almost every composition I tried a variety of shutter speeds. Fast shutter speeds, like 1/125th of a second and above, rendered the falling snowflakes as little white dots, giving the photographs a pointillistic look. Slow shutter speeds, like 1/8 of a second and below, would make the flakes disappear and turn the atmosphere into a thin fog, especially if it wasn’t dumping too hard. In-between speeds (in the 1/30th- to 1/60th-of-a-second range) turned the snowflakes into streaks.
It was impossible to photograph into the wind, as water drops would quickly cover the lens. Even when looking away from the wind a long lens hood was necessary to keep the front element dry. That meant that I used my 70-200mm zoom exclusively, but that wasn’t a problem, as it was the perfect lens for these more intimate landscapes. There are many commercially-available camera rain covers, but I just threw an extra rain jacket over the camera. No matter how careful you are, however, under these conditions it’s inevitable that the camera will get some water on it, so I was thankful to have a well-sealed camera body.
This was such a fun day, despite the cold and damp. As I said before, I was like a kid in a candy store. The only problem was that it was hard to pick out the best images later! So if you have a favorite from this group let me know.
— Michael Frye
Aspens and blowing snow, Toiyable NF, CA, USA; 1/45 sec. at f/11, ISO 3200
Aspens in an autumn snowstorm, Toiyable NF, CA, USA; 1/180 sec. at f/11, ISO 3200
Pointillistic aspens, Toiyable NF, CA, USA; 1/180 sec. at f/11, ISO 1600
Aspens with a dusting of snow, Toiyabe NF, CA, USA; 1/180 sec. at f/11, ISO 1600
Aspens and pines, Toiyabe NF, CA, USA 1/8 sec. at f/22, ISO 50
Aspens line a watercourse during an autumn snowstorm, Inyo NF, CA, USA; 1/10 sec. at f/22, ISO 100
Related Posts: Autumn Snow; A Landscape Transformed; Dealing With Bad Weather; A Rainy, Misty Day in Yosemite Valley, and a Quick Fall Color Report
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Wow, as usual I like them all! But my favorite is the single tree “Aspens with a dusting of snow”. The colors are beautiful, and it looks like a painting. Gorgeous. It’s very “simplistic” and I really like the composition. What a great opportunity that doesn’t happen too often. I think the best images are usually the ones we have to work for. And weather is the key to a good image to me.
Stunning set of photos, Michael!! Thanx for sharing!!
They’re all gorgeous. I like “aspens and pines” for the comp, “aspens and blowing snow” for its cool mood, but my eye keeps going back to “aspens with a dusting of snow”. I don’t know if it’s because of the three layers of color, but it just feels like eye candy to me.
I like the Aspen and Snow Blowing picture ( 1/45 sec. at f/11, ISO 3200).
Thanks Nancy, Patti, Kevin, and Enrico — I appreciate all of you chiming in!
Great set of photos, Michael! My favorites are Aspens and a dusting of snow, Aspens and pines, and Aspens in an autumn snowstorm. I think the last one in particular would look really nice as a large wall print.
Thanks Greg!
Hi Michael,
I like them all but aspen and pines in an autumn snow storm is my favorite. I really like that you included the exif data. I’d love to see that on all the photo you post. It’s helpful to some of us amateurs who struggle with that on generally high contrast shots. 🙂
I’m curious why you shot some of them with high ISO even though the noise is probably pretty unnoticeable in a snowstorm. Others seem to be slow shutter speeds at normal ISO, any specific reason for the exceptions?
Thanks John! I included the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO information here because I talked about different shutter speeds in the text. And I also explain why I sometimes used high ISOs in the text, at least indirectly — in order to get a faster shutter speed and freeze the motion of the falling snow.
Yeah, I guess you did. I need to pay better attention. 🙂
Thanks Michael.
These photos are very striking; composition, color and simplicity.
Thank you Yvonne!
You just never know when you will be able to get the shot you been waiting for. I am happy for you. Also it is a pleasure to see the results. The question I have is, on the ISO, did you manually switch it or did you let your camera set it after you set your shutter speed and aperture? I am assuming you manually set the ISO.
Thanks Jack. Yes, I manually set the ISO, as well as shutter speed and aperture.
Michael,
Congrats on turning your dream into reality. I myself like the pictures of the fir trees mixed in with the aspens in the frame. Thanks again for sharing your shooting data and techniques for benefit of your readers and their growth as photographers.
John
Thank you John!
Loved all of them, but I found the last 2 especially striking.
Thank you!
Thanks Sameer!
“Aspens line a watercourse..” is just stunning Michael.
Thank you Sudhi!
I vote for Aspens and Blowing Snow!
Thanks for chiming in AP!
Hi Michael,
For me, it’s Aspens line a watercourse. It’s a stunning photograph with a great line for the eye. With the lying snow, the image almost looks monochrome on either side.
I also really like Aspens and pines, the yellows are fantastic.
Thanks for letting me know Francis!
Hi Michael,
It’s very hard to pick a favorite! “Aspens lining a watercourse” jumps out at me for the lines and the pop of color the trees bring. It’s like Mother Nature did some selective coloring for you. I also like “Aspen and pines” for the layering of colors and textures. Really nice series. They all invite one to come back and take a closer look.
Thanks very much Vivienne!
Thanks for sharing these awesome images, Michael! I think that “Aspens in an autumn snowstorm” is my fav, but hard to choose.
When using 1600 or 3200 ISO, do you ever use Noise Reduction software beyond how you use Lightroom as described in you Lightroom 5 ebook?
Thanks Bill — I’m glad you like these images! I typically just use Lightroom for noise reduction. I’ve actually been experimenting lately with different noise-reduction solutions for an image I made at 12,800 ISO with the Nikon D800e. I tried Photo Ninja, Capture One, Topaz DeNoise, and Lightroom, and ended up liking the results I got with Lightroom the best. It took some work to get the most out of Lightroom though. Of course there are a lot of other noise-reduction tools out there, so this was by no means a comprehensive test. I’ll try some other tools at some point I’m sure — in my abundant free time. 🙂
Have you tried DxO Optics Pro 9 (Elite)? I’ve heard they have a good noise reduction engine. They offer trial version. I’m curious if that gives you better results at your image.
With ISO 12800 you have to do extensive noise reduction and even manually clone out bright pixel. High ISO performance is great in the recent DSLR and mirrorlens cameras but you still sacrificing image quality. Higher ISO not only is more noise but also reduces the dynamic range.
Enrico, I haven’t tried DxO but it’s on my list. I don’t believe anything I hear until I try it myself. 🙂
Thanks for this info! FYI, I’ve been using Noiseware for many years and have found it very helpful in the few situations where LR or PS don’t do the trick… esp when prepping images for large output.
You’re welcome Bill, and thanks for the tip about Noiseware — I’ll give it a try sometime.
Aspens and Blowing Snow. It has a painterly, abstract quality that I really like.
Thanks for letting me know Kirk!
Hi Michael: – WOW Fantastic images, you certainly live in a very beautiful part of California.
All your images are fantastic, and an inspiration to others.
The image that I make my favourite is”Aspens With A Dusting Of Snow”
That is not taking anything away from the rest of the images.
As They Are All Great.
John R McNally.
UK
Thanks John! I do live in a beautiful area, but the whole state is pretty nice. 🙂
I love you potographs and iam getting equpment together to take some nice photos. I have print film cameras thre konicas with lenses from 20-300mm but now after not shooting for awhile i am getting nikon digital the d750 and 3 lenses but i hope to get a fourth soon. If you have any workshops i would love to come some time. Photography and taking photos makes me happy.
Thanks Mike! I do indeed conduct workshops, though they fill rather quickly.