Thursday, February 12, 2015

02/05/15 A Winter Snowstorm & Wildlife

A blue jay hanging out on a very cold February morning in Edwards, IL

On February 4th, we once again found ourselves shoveling snow in Peoria, IL. Another weather system dropped around 3" inches of new snowfall across the area. After the storm, I braved the sub-zero temperatures and ventured outdoors to shoot some photos of the snowfall. I found myself mostly shooting wildlife on this day however due to the very cold temperatures. It was a long day of photography, but I was quite happy catching more wildlife in this area during the winter season. I haven't shot a lot of wildlife over the years and it's one aspect of photography I've decided to focus on as of late. Anyhow, I've added some more winter photos and wildlife photos I shot with my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 7D below:

A winter landscape shortly after sunrise!
I tried the "frozen bubble experiment" on this morning as well!
One of my favorites from the morning!
This was much harder than I thought it was gonna be...
An evergreen tree after the previous day's snowfall...
Still pretty cool though!
Another winter landscape!
I'll master this at some point, it's just gonna take some more practice and patience!
A blue jay perched on this tree branch on a winter morning!
A cardinal showing off in the snow!
I love this shot!
Two blue jays enjoying some time together!
A squirrel enjoying breakfast!
A female cardinal
Another photogenic blue jay!
The squirrel up in this tree having a snack!
Another cardinal!
Another shot of a female cardinal...
Another blue jay hanging out!
The blue jays were everywhere on this morning!
A mourning dove about to get a drink...
"Playing in the snow"
Another great blue jay shot!
The squirrel once again...
Another photogenic cardinal!
Another cool shot of the red-headed woodpecker!
A robin made a visit...a sign of spring? Hmm...
Another awesome shot of the squirrel in the backyard!
"Thirsty Thursday"
Another blue jay!
"Digging"
More and more blue jay's...
Pretty cool!
Another female cardinal hanging out on this tree branch...
One last photo of another blue jay to end the day...

Well that's all for now. Spring will soon be here before you know it so a lot of these winter scenes will be a distant memory in a couple months. If I find some more time for photography I'll update once again at a later date.

Friday, February 6, 2015

02/03/15 Major Winter Storm

An amazing winter scene after a major winter storm in Peoria, IL

On February 1st, a major winter storm took aim on northern and central Illinois. This storm ended up producing a significant snowfall across much of the state. Some locations in northern Illinois received over 12" inches of snow from this long-duration event. This storm also blanketed Peoria, IL with a 7" inch snowfall as well. Once the storm departed I ventured out into the great outdoors with my Canon 5D Mark III seeking some winter scenes that were left behind from the winter storm. I ended up checking out some local parks in Peoria, IL including Charter Oak Park, Sommer Park, and Jubilee College State Park. I was quite happy with many of the photos I shot with some deep blue-skies as a backdrop with the wet snow still clinging to the trees. Two days of winter photography after the major winter storm I've posted below:

 Heavy wet snow clinging to the trees and a blue-sky backdrop made for a great afternoon for photography!
Another winter masterpiece!
I found this photogenic snowman at a local park...
A stellar winter landscape!
The best snowman I've seen! Props, to whoever created it as it provided a fun photo opportunity!
More fun winter perspectives!
On the open road in hopes of winter scenes...
Old Man Winter did a number on central and northern Illinois!
Beautiful!
Stunning!
"Winter beauty off the beaten path"
I thought the wildlife footprints in the snow going up the hill was a nice addition to this photo!
"Slick when icy"
"Road closure"
The very next day I came back to shoot this photo again and I still can't decide which one I like the best...
Another cool winter perspective!
This picnic bench illustrating just how much snow fell from this winter storm!
Coming back to the exact same location during a different time of day is quite important in photography...this photo was shot at dusk...frankly I like both shots!
"Snow-covered roads"
Another winter landscape!
"Icicles"
"Winter tracks"
An awesome wide-angle shot during the late-afternoon!
An uncharted trail on this day!
Another neat winter scene!
"Footprints in time"
More snowy landscapes...
Another great winter landscape wide-angle shot!
Quite a cool perspective driving up this hill!
The jet contrails really added to this shot!
I took another shot of this photogenic tree amidst the winter landscape!
Another winter trail!
"Winter beauty"
Good stuff!
An icy creek!
Another interesting winter scene!
More winter beauty...
Heading down to the lake!
Nothing else but a whole lot of winter in this shot!
"Roads? Where we are going, we don't need roads!"
The snowpack is quite deep across the area!
Another interesting perspective!
Another snowy landscape!
"Driving into winter"
A creek amidst the snow-covered landscape...
I really like this shot!
"Traversing winter roads"
Winter as far as the eye can see!
A hiking trail!
More good stuff...
Winter sure hasn't disappointed in terms of photography this year!
Walking on this road was not fun...
Wooden-fences I seem to photograph every year during every season at this local park!
Some interesting color in this shot...
A great shot to end the day on!

It was a great couple of days of photography after this winter storm. I was quite pleased with the weather conditions which made getting outdoors and shooting some winter scenes far more enjoyable. I also shot some photos of more winter wildlife after another winter snowfall yesterday and I'll update once again in the coming days with that post.