Frost Again at Holme Fen: Lessons from the Last Time

Last night the forecast was for the possibility of fog and with that in mind I got my film holders out of the freezer and pulled my large format kit together. I did not have expectations for much fog however but there would be some frost as well. 

Last time I was at Holme Fen I arrived before sunrise. This turned out to be a mistake. As I went about shooting those frosty scenes I became worried that there was not enough frost on its own to make a good image. When the sun did come up the forest got a lot more interesting. The warm morning light combined with the vapor the sun's rays were driving off the forest floor added misty sunbeams. By this time I was out of film and decided to go home however. I did linger and watch in wonder the beauty around me. Something one can regret while photographing is not taking time to be in the surroundings and absorb and appreciate the mood. I often stop and have some coffee and a snack just for this purpose (Mollie also gets some snacks too!). Also Mollie usually wants a 'pick-me-up' for a look around or a cuddle. My fast rule is to always accommodate her even if in the middle of a photograph. These rituals make the day that much better. 

The alders in Holme Fen seem to all occupy the edges of shallow ditches dug throughout the area meant to aid drainage. They are regimented along the ditches leaning this way and that like drunken soldiers on a parade ground. They have immense character as a result and I have only recently become aware of them. They can also be identified with little berry-like cones that dangle from their branches. I don't know if the alders were planted this way intentionally or if this is niche they prefer to occupy. 

In this image the shape of the branch I had hoped would be outlined against the silver birch further behind. To emphasize them more I opted for a very open aperture of f8 and hope everything stays sharp enough on the subject. I tried to make best use of movements including tilt and swing. 

This is also when I found my new Reveni spot meter stopped working. It would never turn on. (At home I determined the batteries were perhaps low and in the cold air the meter refused to turn on. At home with the same batteries it worked fine at room temperature. My advice is to carry extra batteries. Looking at their troubleshooting guide they indicate this is the same solution. To me this sounds like a design fault. The temperature was only -1C) 

Alder Branch Portra 160 f8 1/15 film holder #13 150mm

Here is something that was well worth the time spent. I got the depth of field just right and exposure gives rich detail. 

I then began working the area, to paraphrase Jillian Welch 'like a Latter Day Saint'. The peripatetic cloud cover and sunlight would frustrate as I set up only to have the light change. A large leaning oak was the next subject. I have seen it often but the light fog given off made it standout today. I shot this with two sheets of film. Since the fog was so thin it was most effective when looking almost directly into the sun. I would have to contrive to keep the camera in the shadow of a tree to avoid unwanted glare. I shot this twice as I was not sure the sun hadn't moved while I metered and loaded the film. I switched to the 210mm lens by now to better isolated subjects. 

Oak and Sun I Ektar f32 1/8 210mm

Oak and Sun III Ektar f32 1/8 210mm

Neither one of these is particularly good. I managed to keep the sun behind the tree the second time, so the second image was justified. However, the image is mundane. The small, frosted tree between the Scots pine on the left and the oak on the right attracted me a few days later. It glows in the sun, however is not fully lit at this time of the morning and seems to shrink into insignificance with this camera and lens.  

Further wandering and I found what I hope will be an effective composition. My eye is often drawn to silver birch that seem to erupt from a clump. They have a nice curve as they move away from the ground and move to a vertical stand. There is one such arrangement in this scene with more trees and streams of sunlight as well. I made a color and black and white image. Mollie jumped up for a 'pick-me-up' and we had a look around as she had heard some dogs barking in the distance which made her nervous.

Birch rays Astia f32 1/4 210mm

Here I underexposed the color version as you can see it has the same exposure though I give the black and white an extra stop of speed. I can't explain it. However, I managed to recover an image. The black and white version has better range for the light, and I think it is more effective. 

Birch rays HP5+ ISO 200 f32 1/4 210mm

The light was coming soft and misty now through the trees. I tried to capture the feel of it in this next image. 

Mist and Light 210mm 

This image I think of as the best of the day. I managed the exposure well and positioned myself to get the great feel of the mist rising off the frosted understory. I feel with this one I got to understand how to make these images in a way that conveys the emotion one feels at the time. Astia's muted palette allows the light to speak softly and subtly through the trees. I think it would have been better with the camera closer to the ground looking flatter across the forest floor. The large foreground seems slightly disorientating to me. 

I made one more similar image while in this part of the forest. It has some of the same nice light filtering through. The longer leadup to the trees improves the composition however, 

Frost and Light 210mm (Fuji Astia) 

I wandered back towards the main trail and saw my favorite grass again. It is so delicate and often grows in big groups that prevents the delicate shape from being picked out well. This example was well isolated. I opted for a centered composition as the shape lends itself to that. An array of small frosted trees just behind and the sunlit silver birch in the further background. I shot Astia for this at f32 at 1 sec which may have trouble given as there was a breathe of wind at this point. I waited and I hope. 

Grass and frost Astia f32 1 se

This portrays what I saw but does not do it justice. The well-lit birch in the background are almost too dominant and draw the eye away from the main subject. We often don't see our compositions objectively and can focus too much on what we are trying to capture while the brain minimizes everything else to the detriment of the image. 

Molly and I decided to head back to the car by now. Mostly out of film the light was still fantastic. The advantage of winter at high latitudes is the sun always stay low, in this case just over the tree tops. 

On the way to the car is another open area and I was aware there may be more opportunities. Here the trees were dripping with melted frost lit by the sun from behind. The vapor driven off the bracken hung low in the air. I composed one image, again in a tree's shadow, but didn't really like it. Mollie and I took a break and I sat on a nearby log for more coffee. We watched a few people and their dogs go by, the camera still setup across the trail on the tripod. 

After a while I got up and decided to look at the scene again and adjusted the camera back into the shadow and recomposed. I then decided to give it a try though with some reservation. I finished focusing and loaded up my last sheet of Astia. I metered to f32 at 1/2 sec and snapped the shutter. 

I decided to also get a black and white image as well. While I was loading this up the weirdest encounter I have ever had while photographing happened. 

There was a couple walking down the road, one with a digital SLR and his wife or partner was photographing on her phone. I was involved with my camera tasks and Mollie weirdly seemed wary and stand-offish. As they approached, they were taking photos and the man stood right behind me and squatted and seemed to be photographing between my tripod legs. Having people around always interrupts my rhythm and it was no different here. I managed to pull the darkslide on a sheet of HP5+ with the shutter wide open. Trying to stay focused I closed the shutter and snapped a picture on the already over-exposed film. I put in the dark slide and flipped the film holder over and made another exposure. 

My first impression was these people were very intrusive. I don't mind conversing or answering questions when people come upon me. But the silent intrusion really rankled me. They really didn't need to hang around like they did, just move on find somewhere else.

Anyway, here are the results. 

Dewey Trees Fuji Astia 210mm

Dew-laden Trees HP5+ 210mm

This illustrates the delicate interplay of light in this light mist. The two images are taken from exactly the same position only the color one has the camera rotated slightly to the left. This sight angle meant to take in the small glistening tree on the left almost completely eliminates the mist.