360: White Evening View

Settings: f/4, 1/6, ISO 400, DA 16-45 (30mm.) White balance and tone curve adjustments.

050: Third Snow Bench

f/2.8, 1/200 sec, ISO 200, SMC P-FA 50mm.
There's a lot to be said for that Rule of Thirds. It may be an old and very commonly used rule, but it can really have a strong effect in a composition. I cropped this photo slightly so the shapes conform more closely than I shot it to. I find that the image is somehow more harmonious and ordered than it already looked.
Whether it needed to be or not is always a relevant question, but I mostly took this image with the rule in mind, as it has a collection of strong lines. Of course, the rule of thirds can work just as well on subjects with no immediately discernable geometric patterns, such as wooded landscapes.
It's just a rough guide, really. It doesn't have to be enforced rigidly, but just keeping simple compositional rules in mind when behind the camera is always very useful for taking better shots.

Using a 50mm lens on the 50th photo was a coincedence, I just needed something fast outdoors. I did use my FA50 1.4 instead of my usual Cosinon 50 1.8; I wanted autofocus.

030: Black Radish

It won't be long before winter is over, but a few of these dark roots still lurk in the garden, refusing to be categorised easily in the kitchen. They are appreciated when cooked, but actually making the decision to prepare them is not a light one. Not only do they have to be banished from he bosom of the Earth but I need to consider a suitable way to cook them beforehand. Their hearty, robust nature [in structure and taste] does not sit well with many delicate, subtle ingredients. Their strength and stubbornness makes them probably the most wintry vegetable I can imagine.
But I can see at least a couple of these being roasted in the near future - so that's a plan already.

Photo settings were f/8, 1/100 sec. ISO 100. M42 50mm, 9mm extensions.
I haven't had much time or opportunity to take any genuinely decent photos today, but the frozen snow from yesterday added some interest to potential outdoor scenes. I think the radishes possess a great variety of textures and shapes, if not a great deal of colour. Spiky fresh leaves sit on top while gangly dead stems flop below them. An algal bloom encrusts the root tops, highlighting both the root's skin texture and the time it has spent in the ground. A scattering of crusty snow finishes off this picture - not a great image, but one that I can relate to.

006: Snow Anemones

The snow is still here, and small icicles continue to form from the meltwaters.
It's been difficult to find good subjects today, despite the profound change that an unusually precipitous cold snap can bring. Maybe it's because I find the local area too familiar (or maybe it's just a bit dull,) but I'll put it down to the cold, a slight lack of enthusiasm and the fact that I went out once already today - just not with my camera.
I went to buy some onions and crackers on that short trip. Some of those badly-needed onions were cooked slowly in butter until light brown, slushy and sweet, which when added to lentils and some leftover roast vegetables made a very warming thick soup-stew. Just the thing for days like this. So I'm justifiably compensated, as well as sated. I could have gone out twice, but I wanted to take time over making an interesting lunch today.

Japanese anemones still provide a pretty display in winter, long after they have dried up and fallen still. Flowerheads stubbornly cling the wispy stems and provide a ghostly and beautiful sight when coated in frost or swathed in thick snow.
When shooting them like this, I find that the paler the backdrop the better, and as wide an aperture you can get away with to select details, smudge others and impart a satisfying sense of depth. But not so wide that only one or two heads can be seen. This one was shot at f/2.8.

005: A Magical World

The predictions came true.
Through the kitchen door I glimpsed a fantastic sight, all dim white and still. What was this alternate realm? I had little idea, but ventured forth boldly nonetheless.
Wearing my warm coat, gloves and hat, I felt the yielding soft crunch of the white ground underfoot. For a moment I was afraid that my feet would keep sinking until I was buried, but the ground was reassuringly solid underneath. The air was silent. Was this a dead world?
I was armed only with my trusty camera, my mismatched [but useful] flash and a cheap tripod to stand it all on. I quickly set it up in what I considered to be a good spot.
As the snowflakes continued to fall around me I tried a simple quick flash exposure on maximum power - not much to be seen save the foreground. Then I tried a long exposure of ten seconds with a burst of flash light, and behold! The image you see before you tonight is the result of a combined effort of a quick flash and a languid smothering of reflected sodium light.
Satisfied that I had accomplished what I ventured out for, I hurriedly collapsed my tripod and returned back to the welcome warmth of the house. Who could know what tomorrow would bring?