Waitin’ on that elusive Spring
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Category Archives: Weather
Blizzard video from Friday
As we were shutting down our offices early on Friday, I took the opportunity to whip together a little bit of “HD blizzard video” for a coworker. I thought I’d share it here.
That’s some pretty poor visibility, eh?
Wintry buttes
Once more unto the bridge
The complication: that was when the water level was low. This year, however, the Missouri River has been extremely high for WEEKS. That means there is no safe place to even venture along the shore of the river in search of a shot. Don’t try it. If you don’t believe me, go to the boat landing by the Lewis & Clark Lego statues. You’ll see that the water level is extremely high, and not to be trifled with. Always be aware of your conditions when going out on a photography expedition.
Keep an eye out: diamond dust needs these cold temperatures to form. It’s a form of condensation which, unlike fog, condenses straight to solid ice form in the air. Fog is liquid. I’d guess it’s most likely to form when a pocket of warm air comes through and meets the cold, turning its moisture into those ice crystals we know and love. Once again, this phenomenon only allows a fleeting window of opportunity, so be vigilant! It’s a fun thing to pursue…even in the cold.
“Diamond dust” drive continued
When I left the house Wednesday night on other business I noticed that the air was thick with this diamond dust, even at ground level. Already its effect on bright lights around town was manifest. I couldn’t wait until I was able to break away and head out with the camera (which yes, was already on my person). I was not disappointed.
There are a few dilemmas when chasing these ice crystals for purposes of photography. One is that they typically exist only for a fleeting moment, as just the right conditions are required for their appearance. The second is trying to get a good angle and a good foreground object, and doing so before the phenomenon passes. That makes River Road a good safe bet, since there’s a LOT of bright light on the Mandan side of the river.
I was out in the cold, freezing myself silly for quite some time. The spikes of light provided by this “diamond dust” are best witnessed (and photographed) with clear skies. Wednesday night’s skies were partly hazy, but they still worked okay. Then the haze began to overtake the diamond dust, and it was time to go home and warm up.
I’ve got a few more photos of this phenomenon to post in the next couple of days. Yesterday I succumbed to the same stomach flu bug that had attacked the rest of my family and several of my friends, and I’m just now on the mend.
In the mean time, I can refer you to some previous examples of this “diamond dust” phenomenon. They were taken with clear skies, which helps the light spikes stand out even more. Wednesday’s hazy conditions illuminated the sky, but a clear sky gives a dark background from which those light spikes really stand out. You can find those other photos by clicking here and here. The second link includes a much larger version of the photo in which you can see much more going on than just the ice crystals!
Whole lotta ice crystals goin’ on
This particular shot shows the Heskett Station on the right and the Tesoro Refinery on the left. The moon posed graciously in between them. But this wasn’t the only place my camera and I braved the cold. I’ll post more shots in the next couple of days as time allows. It was worth the shivering!
No worries, I’m used to getting lots of incredulous stares
Yes, I got a lot of surprised stares and double-takes from people in their cars. I’m actually not the most hardcore winter motorcyclist out there; this was a novelty trip for me. I’ve seen other people out over the winter with studded tires on their bikes, clearly running errands or going to work. Now THAT is hardcore.
Knobby tires don’t give much traction in the really messy snow found on roads that aren’t plowed. Most of the roads I took, however, had been plowed and offered sufficient traction. After taking my little joy ride and snapping a couple of pictures with my cell phone, I figured I’d been fortunate enough and skated back to the safety of my nice, warm Garage Majal.
December 1st…know what that means?
Lone fisherman
After a great dinner we went wandering around a little bit and took a dam walk. As the temperatures were dropping and the wind increasing, I noticed this guy out fishing near the boat landing. With many of the trees already leafless, it’s things like this that grab my eye. It looks like we’re not the only ones trying to avail ourselves of every warm weather opportunity before the cold sets in for the season.
‘Til the Storm Passes By
On a 9:30 taco run I stopped to take some video and a brief time-lapse of this storm as the clouds continued to boil in the eastern sky. The light changed while I was shooting so there’s a little bit of flicker as things adjust, but that’s the nature of time-lapse I suppose. Enjoy: