TECHNICAL DETAILS
Winter Picnic at Bass Lake, 2019
Sony A7iii
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2.0
1/5000 at f/2, ISO 50
SHOOTING AT -10°F
I don’t spend many of my journal entries talking about gear. It’s an occasional diversion, but by and large I try to keep my ramblings focused on the creative side of making images. But a couple of weekends ago, right before the latest Polar Vortex enveloped Minnesota, I spent the weekend up at the cabin with Leigh. It was still pretty cold. Sunday we were going birding at the Sax-Zim bog, and that day turned out to be some serious cold, with nearly -30°F in the morning near Cotton, Minnesota.
On Saturday, with temperatures forecast to be a reasonable -10°F, we elected to go on a hike on the Bass Lake trail to have a picnic at Bass Lake falls. It’s a very scenic spot in all seasons, and I figured we wouldn’t see many others out, even though it was bright and sunny. I was looking forward to getting some nice winter images in the falls area, and I also had along a lens I had rented for the weekend in anticipation of any owls we might see at Sax-Zim. I had rented the Sony FE 100-400 GM, so naturally I also needed a little time shooting with it prior to finding any birds.
A decent trip on the Bass Lake trails up to the falls and back is at least a few hours of hiking. And with the temperatures in the bitter range, plus a little wind, one must be clever to keep the equipment in good order. The cold puts a serious drain on camera batteries. It also makes for challenging shooting in a few other ways. It’s tough to focus; you have to hold your breath because any respiration will immediately fog up the viewfinder. Plus icy beard and mustache can get the back of your camera wet. All of this avoids the obvious: not being able to feel controls or keep your hands functioning well enough to adjust things.
With practice, however, you learn to adapt. Batteries are kept in inner pockets next to your body for warmth. You switch quickly from large gloves to liners or fingerless to extend working time with hands on the camera. You learn to breathe around the shooting to not fog things up.
Leigh and I arrived at the falls, having seen only one other person out on the normally well-frequented trails. The sun was at its zenith, and a hot thermos of team and some trail food made for a nice break. I broke out the camera to document the scene, and got a number of ok images with the rental lens. But it was the trusty Loxia that best captured the moment, as Leigh looked back at me from under some extra layers in her chair, her hands wrapped around a hot mug.
We packed up after a short lunch, and took the long way back around dry lake. It was a beautiful hike, and the camera held up fine. I got in my practice run with the rental lens, but alas, it didn’t do me much good. The next day at the bog, while we saw a couple of owls, they were too far away even for a 400’s reach to get a really good shot. I ended up with not much more than a spec of white in a big field, but at least I can point to it and claim it as a Snowy.
Leave a reply