Julie Pecenco’s Life in the Little City

It started snowing sometime before I was up yesterday morning, and hasn’t stopped all that much since then. Everything has been blanketed in white, each branch of each tree wearing its own snowy cap. Strangely, though it was coming down quite quickly at times, we didn’t get all that much accumulation. I cleared six inches or so last night, and a few more this morning, but nothing significant.

I went to Syracuse today, and on the way, I stopped to quickly grab a few shots of a waterfall along the way. It’s on the road between New Berlin and Columbus, in a steep area with no shoulders on the road, a ditch on one side and a guardrail and steep drop-off on the other. Every time I drive down that road, I crane my neck for a view of the falls. (This is safer when Leah is the one driving. ) I had never before stopped, however, always in too much of a rush to get to my destination or back home. Today, I wanted to attempt to capture the snow, and figured I would shot the waterfall as well. In the cold and snow, I dashed across the street and snapped a few frames, and then jumped back into the car and continued on.

Capturing a snowy scene is a challenge, and doing it in a few seconds during a snowstorm isn’t exactly ideal shooting. So this image won’t be winning any contests. It is, however, a way to share the day with all of you. What’s most intriguing about these snowy days is how everything turns nearly to black and white. The photo above is in full color.

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It was a stunningly clear night last night, perfect viewing for the total lunar eclipse. Clear and cloudless in the midst of winter, alas, also means cold. After setting up the tripod around 9:30 pm, I was in and out of the house for the next two hours (mostly out.) When I finally packed it in at 11:30, the thermometer read 12ºF. It’s been colder, of course, but I tend not to stand outside in those sorts of temperatures for two hours. Bundled up against the cold, however, I greatly enjoyed the eclipse and the star-filled sky. Surprisingly, the battery in my camera lasted the full two hours with nary a problem, despite the well below freezing ambient temperature.

Above: The moon is in full eclipse at 10:47 pm EST.

Right: The moon has well begun to emerge from the earth’s umbra at 11:20 pm EST.

Below Left: Small star trails and a moon trail show how quickly the cosmos move relative to the earth in the several minutes in took to shoot this 9-exposure stack (created using Enfuse). First exposure at 9:57 pm EST, just as the moon was approaching total eclipse.

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