Monochrome Winter

Late January and it has been raining more than snowing. Weird winter so far.

Although the fog prompted a weather alert for low visibility I thought I could create something interesting within the morning conditions. I threw the camera bag in the car and drove around the city before sunrise looking for opportunities. My usual spots didn’t resonate with me. I eventual gave up and went for groceries.

After getting home, and after sunrise (somewhere behind the clouds) I headed out again in search of that foggy composition. I thought Delta Lake would give me what I was looking to capture but on my way there the car turned the dam at the south end of the lake.

Yes! This will work. I played for a while near the dam. My favorite turned out to be this image of the Mohawk River from the single lane bridge crossing it. The fade into nothingness hit the right tone for me. Plus, reflections! Right up my alley.

Monochrome Winter
Bellamy Harbor, Rome, NY

I’ll preface it as a statement, not an excuse, OK, maybe a little excuse. Work and weather have been conspiring against me. Getting out of work close to sunset provides little time to get the camera or enough daylight to go explore for images. And the weather definitely has it out for me. It is the full moon today and Friday morning is the best time to photograph it setting (my favorite time), but the forecast is for rain all day. :(

So, sitting here pouting this morning, drowning my sorrows in coffee, I give you the Lonely Sentinels at Bellamy Harbor.

Monochrome Winter
Mohawk River Trail

No real objective today.

Not positive where I want to go with this post.

I wanted to post an image today, but I haven’t had the opportunity to go out after work to capture anything new. So I’m left with looking through the images from the past few weeks. There’s not a lot you haven’t already seen.

This image reminded me of my friend Karma’s post, Icy Beauty, although it is nowhere as sparkly as her images. It is similar in that it is from my go-to walking trail. Seeing it brought me back to that afternoon in between the snowfall, listening to the river gurgling past as I picked my way along the path in search of winter scenes.

I need another one of those afternoons.

Mohawk River Trail
Monochrome Winter

We got snow! The predictions I was hearing on Friday turned out to be correct. It started snowing Saturday afternoon. Even though it was coming down pretty good I had planned on going out for dinner, and I intended to keep to my plan (at least for food). When I returned, I shoveled. It was wet snow, and I didn’t relish the thought of trying to move that much snow in the morning.

My divide-and-conquer plan worked. Sunday morning, I only needed to shovel half the snow again. I’m guessing about four to five inches each time. I went about my normal chore routine—laundry, breakfast, and groceries—before settling in for the remainder of the morning.

After lunch, the snow tapered off to the equivalent of a rainy mist. I was going to go for a walk. The city was still working to uncover all the roads and sidewalks, so I thought I would be able to capture a few good winter scenes. I drove over and parked in the lot for the Mohawk River trail.

It was a nice afternoon. Although there was a little snow coming down, it was in the low thirties. I walked the trail back toward my place and was able to capture a few good scenes. There was a path by someone and their dog on the trail, which allowed me to follow in their footsteps. It did make the walking a little easier. I had forgotten to bring my snowshoes.

The bridge over the river provides one of the best views looking downstream. I have captured this view on almost every walk. The wet snow sticking to the trees definitely creates a classic winter scene…