How cold is too cold ?

so after spending all day in yesterday, i took it apon myself to head out for some fresh air and photos.
i walked out to start my car, and load the camera gear, when i noticed that it was really cold, much colder then i thought. So back into the house i went to layer myslef, in hopes of keeping the chil off of me.
jeans, polar tech fleece, two pairs of gloves, a hat, and a polar tech hood, these should all do the trick, or so i thought. i bundled up when i got to sandy hook for what was left of the afternoon. about 1 hour before the sun was to set. as i put on the final touches, hat then polar tech hood, then one set of thin gloves, followed by the thicker outer set. bundled up i headed to the lighthouse to start to shoot.

as the moon was rising from the east and the sun setting in the west, i used the building in the area to block me from the heavy wind that was coming from the west. it was cold but not too terrible. i was switching between my old Nikon N90 film camera, and two of my Nikon digital cameras, D100 & D70s. So i was hoping that i had all of my photographic bases covered.

the moon still low in the afternoon sky allowed me to get some nice shots of the lighthouse tower, and the the moon. i was switching from camera to camera because they all had different lenses on them. giving me a different perspective with each camera i grabbed. the first problem i encountered was that with thick gloves i have issues with changing any settings on the camera. i couldnt manipulate the small buttons or command dials. so off would come one glove at a time for each task as needed. with frozen fingers and the ambient light starting to fade, i headed to around the lighthouse to get what shots i could. as i walked back to the car, i turned to look at the lighthouse before heading to the other side of fort hancock to catch the setting sun. as i looked at the lighthouse, i noticed that the moon had moved a great deal, so i wanted to take several shots with the top of the tower, and the moon just about next to the lights own beacon. this is when i discovered something very interesting. my high priced digital cameras had become disabled by the extreme cold of this winter afternoon. with the windchill the temps were in the single digits. according to one of the weather sites it was 9 degress with the wind chill. and man let me tell you something, it felt every bit that cold.........

So with two cameras down, and the only one still working being my old trusty film camera i snapped away. the next problem i encountered was that its really a pain in the ass to have to chage rolls of film after just 24 exposures...... another reason digital is so damn user friendly. just take out another memory card and install it after taking some 600 exposures. so again off came the gloves to load another roll of film, but atleast i still had the ability to shoot.
in the teeth of the blowing wind, i lasted only a few minutes again before calling it quits. i had enough. frozen hands, two cameras down, and the only good thing to shoot was the area where the wind was the worst. i retreated back to the car and warmth for the ride home.

its now hours later. and my hands are still not feeling right. a bit numb on the edges and finger tips. and i cant help but feel better about being outside, then sitting in and to waste an afternoon, after all i got nothing from yesterday. it was overcast and cold. atleast today the sun was out !

well thats all for now. im going to wrap my hands around a nice hot beverage and get the rest of the chill out of my body.

until the next photo adventure comes........

mike
=)
01/20/2008

Not what I was expecting.

01/13/08

so i went to sleep early lastnight, and as a result of that,
i was awake this morning by 5am.
with that being said, i had a few options, go back to sleep or atleast try,
play video games, edit some more photos, or grab my camera gear and head out for a sunrise.

walking out of the house i found a thin layer of frost over everything. a sign that the chance of snow for later today, is going to be more then a chance. sounds like a safe bet at this point. i start my truck to let it warm before i head out, i walk back into the house to get on some layers of cloths to help fight the chill in the air. it appears to be not a cloud in site. meaning two things, its going to be a cold morning, and not a very colorful sunrise.

after a quick stop for a morning cup of coffee, its headed east again to the beach. im watching the clock, and as the minutes pass, its getting brighter. still no clouds in sight, just the black sky giving way to the light blue of the morning. as i clear the hills of the highlands, im greeted by a wall of clouds on the horizon that move up about a 1/4 of the far horizon. it a let down. its a thick cloud bank with no sign of light coming threw it. the only sign of the sun that is about to rise is a small sliver of gold that is at the very top of the cloud bank, like someone under the covers, peeking out before stepping out onto the cold floor.

i drive to the beach and make the quick walk to the waters edge, met by seagulls, small waves, a cloud coverd horizon, and a north east wind hitting me in the face.
old shells and garbage litter the beach. it makes me think what slobs we are as poeple. plastic, glass, and trash of all sorts including an old and broken plastic chair have washed onto the beach. its a mess we have made.
small waves beach the sand and rocks to no avail. there is no malice in the waves, just going through the motions of thousands of cycles.
one after the other, no one paying attention. just the crash of the wave, and then the rolling out of the water to start the process all over again.

as the sun is now up beyond the horizon, its still hidden behind the clouds, i am bumbed. here i am awake early and freezing on the beach, and nothing new and or exciting is happening.

i turn to check to see if i might be missing something. and there is nothing. just empty beach. sand, rocks, broken shells, seagulls and.......
a red tailed fox........ WAIT WHAT WAS THAT? A RED TAILED FOX !!!!!!!!

my whole attitude changed, it was no longer just another day at the beach. this was a chance encounter with an elusive creature. not often seen, and here this one is. 10 feet away. paying me really no mind, just going about his daily routine. looing for food, marking his territory. and looking for more food. he jumps into and out of gaps in the rocks, looking for a meal. in over and around he goes. i watch and snap photos for about 15 minutes before he has had enough of me. and off he goes onto the tall dune grass and out of sight. gone for the moment, but sure to be back.

this little encounter, just a passing glimps and a few short minutes of his daily routine, was all i needed to make my weekend. from a feeling of i wasted my time coming out this morning, to wow that was really cool. sometimes it beats sitting in bed, or in front of the computer, just to get out and smell the roses. today it paid off. i didnt get a great photo of the fox, but just watching him was well worth it.

thats all for now. until the next great adventure happens.

mike
=)

01/05/2008

beep........beep........beep.



I awake to the sounds of my phone, not an alarm that was set, but the alarm that my cell battery was going dead. I fugured it was the middle of the night, and that i would just turn off the phone and get back to sleep, for some much needed rest.



When i checked the phone to see what time it was, i was shocked that it was 6:30am. This meant two things, one it was not the middle of the night, and two i could make a dash for the beach, and the rising sun. So i throw the phone on charge while i dress and load the truck.

camera bag, gloves, hood, and layers of clothing to help insulate me from the pre dawn chill in the air.



I get back inside to collect the last few things i would need, including my cell phone with a minimum charge to get the beeping to stop. I hit the local coffee stop for the mornings first cup of coffee, and im off headed east to catch the rising sun......or so i hoped to get to the beach before the sun broke the horizon.



driving in the morning can be fun, no traffic so the travel is quicker then normal. the only real issues are not getting stopped for speeding, the local cops would be sure to be watching as not to much happens just before the dawn. so watching my speed and to be sure not to be in too much of a rush, i watch as the sky changes from blackish blue to a more transparent reddish yellow. i think that iam missing it, and the sun will be up before i get to the beach, but it is still to early and i know i have about 20 minutes before the sun is over the eastern horizon. the few clouds that i can see are changing colors and every moment brings new shades to the early morning sky and me closer to the beach.



as i get to the highlands bridge i stop to check and see what if anything would be a change of landscape for the mornings events. a quick look around and im back on my way to the beach just over the bridge. i make my way to the third beach, where i decided to park and walk out to meet the new day. as i exit the truck, i put on my hood and gloves and turn to face the water and the wind. its cold, not as bad as the last few days but still cold. the fist thing i notice is that i cant work the cameras settings with thick and warm gloves on my fingers, so off come the gloves, and now i am bare handed, in the cold and wind on the beach in january to catch the sunrise. its cold, very cold. my fingers go numb almost instantly, back on go the gloves, i ll have to make do with gloved fingers.



seagulls, fishermen, and a couple walking down the beach are what greet me. i was shocked to see anyone else on the beach for some reason. i wasnt thinking that i would see anyone. the gulls flew away as soon as i set a foot in thier direction, and the sand, rocks, and broken and discared seashells paid me no mind.



shooting at the beach into a setting or rising sun can bring up some problems on a nice and warm summer day, let alone the bitterness of a cold winter day. my finger dexteritity was shot by this point, i could hardly make any adjustments to the camera at all, i was going to pull the plug and head for the truck, but then i said, i m not awake this early not to get the photos, stop bitching and just shoot. so mind over matter, and i began to shoot.



the sky started to change to a brighter shade of yellow to blue, meaning the sun was really close to making its entrance. just then i noticed the pink on the very distant clouds, to mark the spot where the sun would peak over the edge of the once flat world. framing the shot i started to shoot, the beach, a tidal pool, and seagull that hadnt flow the coop, atleast not yet. the pink turned into a briliant yellow then white................ it has come, the sun, bringing with it the warmth and bright day light, as it chased the cold and the night, to the western horizon and beyond.



200 some photos later, it was time to retreat to the truck to warm myself for a bit, and look to a new location for some more shooting. as i was leaving the beach area, i made one of my cardnial mistakes, always go the way you came, being on an empty beach, and at low tide can hide some interesting traps that we dont always see coming............. taking a short cut across the area that i was so careful to walk around getting out to the waters edge, i now crossed the very wet and much shorter route back to the truck. only to find myself sinking in quicksand, up to my knees and thighs before i could lean back enough to stop from sinking into the sink hole i had just found myself in. so now with camera gear in hand, and sinking in very wet, and cold sand, and thinking oh great now what am i going to do, i was able to get my legs free and head back in the safe direction, the one i took out to the sand bar in the first place.................



so with being wet and cold, and escaping being stuck in a sink hole up to my hips i now headed for the truck, and the warmth and comfort it would provide. with little else going on this early in the day, i headed home after a quick stop to snap off a few more shots, but not many, the cold in my hands was getting worse not better, and with wet feet and legs, it would be wise to head for the barn.



so not bad only 5 days into the new year, and i already have a nice sunrise under my belt. with more to come in the new year, i wait for tomorrow to do it all over again, and to not make the same mistake again......... leave just a bit earlier then today, and not get stuck in the sand trap !

oh and dress warmer !



mike

=)