Yesterday’s storms were pretty incredible, coming very gratefully from someone who did not even lose power, let alone anything worse. Our hearts go out to the families who lost not only their homes, but their family members, in Indiana and several in Michigan. Many folks in my area are still without power.
For a while, I seriously considered sleeping downstairs due to the very large tree outside our upstairs bedroom window. The gusts of wind blasted my 73 year old cape cod, and I can only imagine the new cracks I have not yet found in the plaster.
The wind blowing leaves horizontally across my lawn reminded me of all the times I’d gone out shooting, zooming in on a bumble bee or flower blossom, only to have the breeze jostle my subject the moment I focus. There are best times to photograph, desirable, optimal weather, but there is also opportunity in the less than optimal conditions. Using a slower shutter speed with a moving object can create some interesting, abstract results.
The above photo was taken while out on an excursion with another photog. We were out driving on a country road, and I snapped this through the windshield of her car. It caught the motion blur, and I tweaked the saturation in Lightroom. It’s not my best photo, but I still liked the way it turned out. When I look at it, I’m cruising down a country road in the fall on my bike.
On my next trip out, I won’t let the weather affect the outcome of my photos. Windy, even rainy days can produce interesting subjects, and some of the best shots come from the places and circumstances we’d least expect.
What’s a great photo you’ve taken in less than desirable conditions?
.