A two faced weekend

This weekend has been a two faced one. Saturday was bright, sunny and really cold while Sunday was dark with snowfall turning into rain later on during the day. Both days are typical winter days for this region of Sweden, either bone-chilling cold or snow mixed with rain.

I started my weekend with a trip to Jonsered to visit the White-throated Dippers there and the weekend ended in the same way when I went back to photo the Dippers in snowfall.

Last month was a dull period for my photography. November is not exactly a period when much happens in Gothenburg. I also had other things on my mind last month like promoting myself and my work at different events. So this weekend brought me a little energy and I am now looking forward to next month when I will be exploring a new continent.

So what did the weekend bring photo wise?

Well the days where completely different. On Saturday each picture had the glint in the eye and that was impossible to get during Sunday when snow fell from the sky.

This is the best photo from Saturday in my opinion.

The Dipper is in the middle of the stream searching for food. You get a good feeling for how fast the water is moving just by looking at the Dippers legs and how they are acting as the bow of a boat dividing the water. The light is good as you have the glint in the eye and I like the color in this picture from the sand in the background to the moving water in the foreground.

Sunday was a completely different story. The light was poor, but the snow made it possible to raise the shutter speed a little. All of the pictures from Sunday is duller and that is why I chose another type of picture than compared to Saturday.

This picture is not something I normally would show here. I choose it because it is the first time I actually have captured a decent flight shot of the Dipper.

The bird is not sharp, but that is not the priority for me in this type of picture. What I really like is the heavy snowfall together with the nice and ghostly wings of the Dipper. I often see the Dippers flying just above the water surface and most of the time it is not worth trying to capture the flight. Over time I have recognized certain conditions when they fly at a slower speed. This picture is taken just after the Dipper came out of the water heading back to one of its favorite hunting spots.

I could pan during the short flight because I had brought my tripod and that is why the picture turned out nicely even if I had a shutter speed as slow as 1/400s.

It was a nice weekend and I enjoyed the time I could spend with the Dipper. Next weekend will be my last with them for over a month. I hope for snow and sunny weather then.

Photo Gallery: A two faced weekend