The quieter you become…
I love shooting in the snow. I love the grass that pokes through, the brown trees, the way people seem to emerge from it. I love that it shows honesty, as in it’s cold or it’s fun or I’m miserable out here.
It’s snuck up on me just how much I love it. As in, this total fair-weather Coloradoan who wusses out when it’s too cold outside can’t wait to pull on boots and fingerless gloves and a hat and a scarf and go out in it. Well, with my camera of course.
And a bonus? I picked up an 85mm f/1.8 today, thanks to Chad Morgan Photography.
My trusty dusty daytime partner obliged me in testing it out. God love him.
This was my test shot, to see if I truly needed, OK!, wanted that divine lens.
LOVE. My heart beats faster just looking at that picture. The way his zipper and eyelashes and the side of his hat are in focus but his sweet mouth is not, and his jacket fades away.
I have to consciously breathe.
Outside we went. I tucked a surprise in his pocket, so that it would take a few minutes to notice the cold. A little ol’ tube of lip balm floats his boat nearly every time.
I’m dying over how creamy smooth this lens is. Holy schmoely. And by the way, I used some of One Willow’s LR Presets in post on these. Mostly presets from her Timeless Collection, but I tried a few others on the grassy shots below.
And another tip? I just pulled over by the side of a rural road for these pictures. No hiking in or trekking back into a wilderness. In fact, the car was still running and toasty warm for our retreat.
Game over. He realized he was cold. Can’t blame him. It’s in the teens and he’s only wearing a light hoody. He’s a champ.
Oh gosh. He couldn’t retreat fast enough. So I tucked him into the toasty oven of a vehicle and snapped just a few more before I joined him.
Total blur. Complete softness. I want to live in this picture.
Can you stand this beauty? It just takes my breath away.
And when you move just a little, out of shade and into a faintly peeking sunshine spot, everything changes completely.
I could have stayed out there all afternoon. It was so quiet and still…and the world was at peace.
I felt like this out there:
The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
~Baba Ram Dass~
And then I heard the Terror yelling for lunch. Ah. Peace is so fleeting…
