Some shots from Today

[rtbaum]

Foremost........I must blame my friends at CiC...........for the insatiable desire to shoot the scene......no matter the conditions!!!

Under sunny conditions, I ventured forth to undertake some mundane chores, stopping at the bank and picking up a case of soda for the big day tomorrow. I opted to visit a local park where the city feeds the swans



Oh...........did I mention the temperature was a blazing 12 F( -11 C)

Now.......before getting to know you good folks, I never felt the need to brave these temps in search of the shot!!

All was actually going well until I decided to switch from the 17-50mm to the 400mm big gun. Being a frugal Minnesotan, I refuse to own more than one quick release plate. It is hard to describe the agony of removing the plate from the camera body and reattaching to the collar on the big lens. This seemingly simple procedure became an extremely painful experience, which was totally impossible with gloves. I finally managed to accomplish the task and mounted the setup on the tripod........only to discover that my ballhead was inoperable in the cold temperatures. I did manage a few quick shots by using the tripod as an improvised monopod before retreating to the warmth of my car



I then decided to drive up to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge to see what I could find...........very little!!

After 2 hours of cruising around, I settled for a couple shots and called it a day


Indiangrass


American Tree Sparrow

Next time........I will be ready!!!!

[Shadowman]

Sounds like a fun experience. Nice shots. Indiangrass photo exposed properly for the snow, others have picked up a blue color cast.