Moonset

 

The culmination of a moon setting, the sun rising, fog, a lake reflection, a silhouette, and the end of autumn peak colors allowed for quite a scene to photograph. It was a tricky one too, especially doing it in a single frame without overprocessing the image in post-processing. The additional challenge of keeping the moon sharp but being able to pick up the colors of the rest of the scene and maintain a silhouette.

Speaking of the scene, the pastels of the sky, the fog, the sunrise, and the moon all create emotions in this photograph. This scene evokes a bit of a mixed pallet of them: The hope of a new day, but still a bit melancholy. Peace from the calm of the scene and the reflection mimicking reflectiveness and profound thought. The wonder of a full moon. The mystery and decisiveness of a silhouette. The awe of the colors of the trees. I could go on and on. What emotions come up for you? 

Wispy Trails

Wispy Trails

Waterfalls themselves are spectacular.  The power exhibited by one of nature's forces crashing through or tunneling out rock as it makes its journey down into a waiting pool of water.  All that energy can create something spectacular.  It can be something as simple as rapids or more hypnotic as a whirlpool.  As shown below at Dave's Falls in Wisconsin, all the wispy oxygenated water from the whirlpool shows up as white streaks due to the long exposure used to slow down the rapid movement of the water.  The extremely low angle of the shot adds to the drama and makes it seem as though you are standing in the water.  The bridge and fall color complete the image inviting you to take it all in.

Frosty Air

Water and fluctuating temperatures create interesting reactions in the natural environment.  As water freezes, it expands and changes form due to the molecular bonding of hydrogen which in turn causes the water molecules to expand.  Crazy science, hey?  Science aside, this makes for some interesting photographs...ones that I tend to seek out during the changing temperatures.  In order to get interesting photographs, I usually don't need to venture very far.  It could be something in my front yard, such as what happens to trees after freezing rain as shown below.  

Reaching Out. 
The limb of a tree in my front yard after an ice storm.

It could be a known spot within walking distance of usually meandering water now frozen or partially frozen.

Cracks in the Ice. 
A stormwater drainage area is that partially frozen.

Or a short drive down to the nearby Lake Michigan to see the effects of the waves when the water produced by them freezes to the objects on the coastline.  

Resilience  
The Lake Michigan coastline during consistently deep freezing temperatures.  It was 20F° when photographed.

     As you can see there are many varied results that the "Frosty Air" has on the natural environment and can be captured.  What are some things that you have witnessed due to water freezing?