02/22/13 Snow, Finally!

Photographing some long overdue

snowfall in Peoria, IL on a February morning...

Last week, Mother Nature finally cooperated and decided it was our time for some snow in Peoria, IL. We've seen a lot of precipitation this winter, but rarely in the frozen variety across west-central Illinois. It has definitely disappointed snow-lovers and photographers to say the least. This past week however, we finally saw our first "decent" snowfall across this area resulting in a couple inches of snow. It has been a really tough winter up to this point to photograph some winter scenes with the lack of snowfall. A couple years ago we had one of the snowiest winters on record, but in the last two years snow has been very meager at best in this area. Anyway, I woke up early on this morning (Feb. 22) to photograph the previous night's snowfall waking up to my alarm at 3:00am to get a head start on the day before the melting-process began. I shot some photos around the apartment complex before dawn. After that, I took a quick power-nap and was back out the door by 8:00am. I visited a couple local parks in the area. I also shot fall photos at these parks last year. My morning consisted of stops at Charter Oak Park and Sommer Park in Peoria, IL. I captured many snowy scenes that were to be found from the previous night's snowfall to my delight. Long overdue since I haven't done much if any winter photography over the past couple of years due to the lack of snowfall. It was a very productive morning so I've added several photos from the day below:

A beautiful winter morning...

Love this shot!

Taking a little walk through the woods...

Snow just seemed to have stuck to

everything overnight!

One of my favorites from the morning!

A sweet panoramic shot! (iPhone 5)
Click to enlarge...

Beautiful winter scenes!

Everywhere you looked you wanted to snap

a photo it seemed on this day...

The city is working on an extension of the road by

the apartment complex, but since they didn't finish

last fall these signs provided a nice photo-op giving you the

illusion we got buried (I wish) in snow...

A snowy trail to say the least...

A favorite photo I shot last fall seen here looks

much different with a change in season...

Crossroads? Panoramic shot! (iPhone 5)
Click to enlarge...

A beautiful park no matter what season it may be...

Good stuff!

Another snowy landscape...

Sometimes you gotta love winter no matter

 how much we may all gripe about it...

I really like this shot as well...

Frozen lake amidst the snow!

Another panoramic shot! (iPhone 5)
Click to enlarge...

Photography is not too hard when

Mother Nature cooperates!

Another crazy panoramic shot! (iPhone 5)
Click to enlarge...

Along the lake finding more winter scenes at this point...

Anyone need some firewood?

Simply amazing...

Mother Nature can sure put on a show!

Everywhere you looked you could find

something to take a photo of...

Another favorite!

Footprints in the snow...

 I shot this same photo last fall seen here

and once again it's amazing to see

the difference a season makes...

I really like this one as well!

A lonesome tree in the snow

with the woods as a backdrop...

Snow-blasted wooden fence!

A nice area to hang-out when it gets warmer...

More of the woods...

A cool perspective!

I wouldn't advise a polar bear plunge anytime soon...

Another nice park!

Closer perspective...

 Signs always provide cool photos in the winter-time...

Another favorite of the bunch!

I've added a few photos I shot in the pre-dawn hours of the freshly-fallen snow at the apartment complex below:

The snow began to end before dawn...

Decided to take a few shots around the apartment grounds...

Small snowflakes in the air due to the blowing

wind made these photos much harder as it was

hard to keep the lens dry...

One of the better shots of this bunch I thought!

A frozen pond (looking east)...

Those city lights (left) were just added this winter and I have some

ideas to incorporate them in low-light

after dark photos with thunderstorms this spring...

Evergreen trees providing a nice photo-op!

A random photo here along the pond...

Last one before my power-nap!

I've added a YouTube time-lapse of the

snowfall from my webcams (above)

Well this wasn't a big snowstorm by any means, but it was nice to finally get some winter scenes in this area for once. We did get an even bigger snowfall earlier this week and I'll update when I find some time to shuffle through all of those photos as well. Stay tuned.

02/02/13 Winter Portraits in the Park

Portrait shot with my girlfriend earlier this month...

Earlier this month, my girlfriend and I took a stroll though a park dodging some snowflakes on a February evening. We ended up getting a few shots of the two of us while taking in the winter scenes throughout the park. Rarely do I ever get a chance to shoot some portraits so this was fun to do especially for the two of us. It can be quite challenging though to get into position while the self-timer beeps away before the photo is taken. I can see why many choose to hire a photographer in that case. In this case however, we both were quite happy with the results. Photography is a passion we share as well as meteorology and we are also both Northern Illinois graduates. Anyhow, I've added a few of our favorites below:

A beautiful shot here...

Maybe my favorite?

I really like this one as well!

Decided to convert this one to classic black n' white...

A nice shot to end on...

I'll be adding more posts in the coming months as we are getting closer and closer to spring. I did manage to shoot some photos last week of some snowfall that finally occurred in my area. Stay tuned for that post as well.

01/24/13 Standing Outside the Fire

Photographing some flames from a fireplace

during a visit to my hometown last month...

Last month, I didn't have much time to get-around to some photography to my dismay. With that being said, I did "play with some fire" so to speak to pass some time last month during my busy schedule. I wanted to shoot some photos outdoors on a few occasions, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate so I decided to stay inside during these particular nights. I also ended up shooting some similar photos last year as well. Below is a result of the evening(s) spent indoors as I've added a few photos below:

I caught fire....

Still pretty "cool"!

A fireplace will always get you through

 some winter doldrums!

Playing with fire...

 One of my favorites!

It has been a pretty boring winter much like the previous year as we haven't had what I would call a "decent" winter storm in what seems like 2 years now in central Illinois near Peoria, IL. I'm completely jealous to all who have had a snowy winter up to this point. I would love to have a crippling winter storm and/or ice storm to photograph right about now. The good news is that we have had a good amount of precipitation (rain) this winter to offset some of the drought conditions from this past summer. Many areas out west are still extremely dry in the Great Plains which I'm sure may have an effect on the spring chase season that will some be amongst us. I'm starting to already get the "itch" to chase some severe thunderstorms. That's when I know it's getting closer and closer to spring...