Category Archives: weather

Happy Winter Solstice 2019

Becky And Her Snowlady CROPTrying To Straighten The Leaning SnowladyBecky And FriendBeckys Hand On The Snowladys Boob

My friend and I would like to wish you all a Happy Winter Solstice. The morning after having had fun playing in the powdery snow the previous day, I woke and the weather was warmer and the snow was wet enough (because it was melting, to some extent) for me to very quickly roll together a lovely little snowlady. I didn’t really have enough time to spend with the details – the mouth and nose are wrapped chocolate candy kisses, and the – er – anatomical details are a couple of baubles I took from the Christmas tree. I let her borrow one of my hats. Because the weather kept getting warmer, the candy kisses kept falling out. The tripod was set up and I used my wireless remote. I’d get a photo and then realize her nose was on the ground, or part of her little smile had fallen, so I’d have to get another shot or two. And then, I noticed she was leaning, like the Tower of Pisa. It got worse as the day grew warmer. By the afternoon, with a temperature of 58 degrees F, there was nothing left of my friend except a couple of small piles of slush. Ah well, we had fun in the snow for a little bit and I can say I was able to make my snowman – er – snowlady.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under Life, Photography, weather

Winter Opens Snowy National Parks To Hardy Adventurers

Evening Blues And Pinks

Winter’s afterglow at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park

Thanksgiving brought a lot of snow to much of the country. This, in turn, gets one thinking about activities in national parks chilled by winter.

To read more about things to do in particular national parks that see the white stuff, click on the image above.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

 

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Filed under National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Seasons, Travel, weather, winter

Different Weather, Times, Seasons In Yellowstone

A Chilly Morning At The Upper Geyser Basin

Old Faithful during a summer sunrise, Yellowstone National Park

Early Morning Activity At Old Faithful

Old Faithful during a chilly, autumn sunrise, Yellowstone National Park

Lower Falls On A Stormy Autumn Midmorning

The lower falls of the Yellowstone River on an overcast, snowy day, Yellowstone National Park

Sunrise Over The Lower Falls

The lower falls of the Yellowstone River during a freezing autumn sunrise, Yellowstone National Park

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll re-mention it in this post. It’s a great idea to take your camera and revisit a favorite site of yours during different seasons, times of day, and weather conditions. You’ll be surprised at how different your composition can look.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under Canon, Canon Lens, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, Travel, weather, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park

Time Of Day And Weather Differences

Denali LandscapeMorning Reflections At Nugget PondMisty Morning At Nugget PondA Stormy Denali Sunrise

Morning Views of Nugget Pond, The Alaska Range, and Denali Mountain

I write a monthly “Photography In The National Parks” column for the National Parks Traveler. I try to gear the column for any type of photography, from smartphone to point-and-shoot to SLR. I will own up that quite a few of my tips involve things for SLRs, like Neutral Density and Polarizing filters, but for the most part, the tips and techniques I include are for any sort of photographer. One of the tips I emphasize in many of my articles for this column is to visit (re-visit) a favorite spot during different seasons, weather conditions, and times of the day. The images above, taken during an August stay at Camp Denali in Denali National Park & Preserve, were captured during the morning hours, but on different days and under different weather conditions. As you can see, they all look a little different, don’t they?

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under Alaska, Canon, Canon Lens, Denali National Park, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Photography In The National Parks, Seasons, summer, Travel, weather

The Geometry of Nature

Water And Woods On A Rainy May Day CROP

When we go out into nature with our cameras, our attention is grabbed by geometry, whether we realize it or not. We are fascinated by patterns, lines, arcs, angles, circles and ellipses.

In this particular image, the first thing catching my attention on that rainy morning in Mount Rainier National Park were the tall trees standing at attention next to that somewhat-arc of a swiftly-flowing stream.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under 24-105mm, 5DS, Canon, Canon Lens, Mount Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, nature, Photography, Seasons, Spring, Travel, Washington State, weather

Cheers!

Cheers

It’s what you do when you are a photographer taking a break from shoveling the driveway. And yes, it’s single malt.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under 5DS, Canon, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III, Canon Lens, Life, Photography, Seasons, Washington State, weather, winter

Capturing The Face Of Winter

A Clear Winter Day At Buck Canyon Overlook CROP2

If you are planning a visit to a national park / monument / seashore / recreation area, and you are bringing along your smartphone, point-and-shoot or SLR, then you should check out my latest photo article published in the National Parks Traveler for December. Just click on the photo to be taken to the article.

 

 

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Filed under Canon, Canon Lens, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Photography In The National Parks, Travel, weather, winter

Splendid Isolation

Splendid Isolation

It was indeed splendid isolation that day. I stood on the Rim Trail between Inspiration and Sunset Points, all by myself, feeling the breeze in my face and enjoying the vast view. It was the monsoon season and the “thunderbumpers” were moving swiftly toward my area. I knew I needed to hightail it back to the lodge, like all the other sensible people were doing, but I kept having to stop to capture a photo of the scene. I did finally make it back to the Sunset View Point just as the rain began to pummel people still out there. I jogged over to one of the cabins to stand underneath the roof of the cabin’s patio as the rain, thunder and lightning continued. Of course, I was soaking wet already, but at least I was out of the elements. It’s never a good idea to be standing in a thunderstorm because of the lightning strikes, which occur with regularity in the high, exposed altitudes. 

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Geology, Landscape, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, Travel, weather

Where Will The Rainbow Lead You?

The Perfect Ending To A Great Day In Bryce Canyon

A perfect end to a perfect day in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Where, indeed, will that rainbow’s end find you?  I’m hoping for more photographic adventure (ok, and maybe gainful employment, too, once I get to central Washington).

I’ve been staying in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, for the past couple of days.  Every afternoon, sometimes starting as early as 12 noon, the monsoon rains would drift through, either where I was, or far off into the distance.  For this photo, the rain had just left the Bryce Canyon Lodge area and I knew there would be some great stormclouds in the distant scenery.  So, I hotfooted it to the Rim Trail in the Sunset Point area and sure enough, there was a combination of sun and stormclouds and, to my delight, a beautlful rainbow, as well.

Heading out of Bryce Canyon today and on to Park City, UT, where I will finally get to meet face-to-face, the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the National Parks Traveler, Kurt Repanshek.  I’ve been contributing articles and photos to the Traveler since 2012, but we’ve only ever communicated via email (mainly) and telephone (sporadically).

After spending the day in Park City, it’s on to Jackson WY and then to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks, where I will spend time wandering and photographing before arriving at the end point in central Washington.

See you up the road!

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

Note:  This was written yesterday but it turns out the spotty internet at Bryce Canyon Lodge was just not strong enough to upload everything.  So, a day late with this post.

 

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, Travel, weather

Snow in Southeast Texas: An Oxymoron

Snow Pic 2

Just another Friday morning, up at the crack of dawn and headed out the door at 4am to beat the traffic heading north into Houston.  After opening the door, I looked around me and saw that it was SNOWING!  In SOUTHEAST Texas!  All thoughts of leaving for work left my brain as I grabbed my Canon 5DSR and 24-70mm f1.2 lens to get some shots of this rarity.  I mean, snow on palm ferns is pretty weird, ya gotta admit.

Dear Northerners:  before you roll your eyes over my excitement (and the excitement of everybody from Kingwood to Houston to Katy to Clute to Galveston), please allow me to explain to you:  in southeast Texas, I am currently living closer to the equator than the North Pole.  It once snowed about 8 inches on Christmas Eve in my town back in 2004, and then it snowed a teeny bit (and I do mean teeny) in 2009 – more north than south.  Snow is, indeed, rare, in my neck of the woods, and for many living around here, this is the only chance they may ever get to actually see, feel and even taste snow (I’m serious).

For me, it was a reminder of beautiful winter scenes I’ve photographed in previous years, and beautiful winter scenes I hope to photograph in the future.  It was early in the morning, quiet, and utterly beautiful.

Tech specs:  ISO between 1000-1250, shutter speed 25-30, aperture f4-f5.6, handheld, burst method.

Snow On The Palm Ferns 2Snow Pic 1Snow On The SpiderwebsSnow AtThe Apartment ComplexSnow At The Apartment Complex 3

 

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Filed under 5DSR, Canon, Events, low light photography, Photography, Texas, weather