Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: PDobson on October 03, 2012, 03:03:13 pm

Title: Ice
Post by: PDobson on October 03, 2012, 03:03:13 pm
It's finally snowing again here in Montana, so I figured I'd celebrate with some pictures of water in its frozen form.

The first is a shot of some ephemeral stalagmites in a cave near Argenta, Montana. These will sometimes grow taller than me with a base only a few inches in diameter. The ice forms in the spring when access is challenging: It snowed a fresh six inches when we were underground. We were barely able to get the truck back up the road.

The second photo is the belay cave on an ice climb called Cleopatra's Needle in Hyalite Canyon, Montana. The belayer takes shelter behind this curtain while the leader finishes the climb on the outside.

Phillip
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on October 03, 2012, 05:14:16 pm
Fascinating, especially the first.
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: Chris Calohan on October 03, 2012, 05:15:21 pm
Much, but too cold for my thin, Florida blood.
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: Patricia Sheley on October 03, 2012, 05:24:16 pm
In the first, are these the remains? Or beginnings...ice looks to be in thaw state...can see the temptation of the location... Is it an area that holds previous season's ice until the new begins forming?
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: PDobson on October 03, 2012, 05:39:12 pm
In the first, are these the remains? Or beginnings...ice looks to be in thaw state...can see the temptation of the location... Is it an area that holds previous season's ice until the new begins forming?

Those pillars only form for about a month in the spring. In the winter, it is too cold and the water that forms them can't flow. You need the air at the roof of the cave to be above freezing while the floor is colder.

I had gone out there a few weeks before this photo was taken to see if the entrance had frozen up enough to climb. We had to slog through several miles of snow, but it was worth it. The entrance rappel was completely frozen up and there were these cool pillars all over the first 100 meters of passage. I decided to come back as soon as possible with a camera.

Unfortunately "as soon as possible" wasn't as soon as I would have liked. It wasn't until Memorial Day that we got back there. Most of the ice had melted, and these guys were only about 4' tall. I'm going to try to get back there again next spring and maybe bring better lighting. We only used headlamps and flashlights for this photo.

Phillip
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: IanBrowne on October 04, 2012, 12:47:48 am
"Much, but too cold for my thin, Florida blood" or my outback Australian blood LOL

I really like the first one, great composition. They look like rock crystals

Thanks for sharing
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: PDobson on October 04, 2012, 12:58:32 am
Hah, I just finished suffering through two months of hot, 70°+F (20°-30°C), smoky weather. High temperatures here dropped thirty-degrees in a day this week. Bring on winter!

Phillip
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: IanBrowne on October 04, 2012, 01:16:34 am
Hah, I just finished suffering through two months of hot, 70°+F (20°-30°C), smoky weather. High temperatures here dropped thirty-degrees in a day this week. Bring on winter!

Phillip

LOL it's 32 decrees C here today and it's still spring!! We will be looking at 40++ in the moths to come.

BTW; how did you do the "O" for decrees?
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: PDobson on October 04, 2012, 01:22:33 am
I'd be fried to a crisp!

The little ° symbol is just under the symbol button on my phone's keyboard. You might 've able to hunt down its shortcut through your computer's character map.
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on October 04, 2012, 09:32:36 am
This might also work: try o and see what happens.

Yup. Type the number, then click the "sup" button (above the row of smileys), type a lower-case "o" and move the cursor past the "[/sup]" to continue.

I personally don't begin to suffer until the temperature gets above 72oF or so. Above 80oF is painful, and anything above 90oF is cruel and unusual punishment.

Title: Re: Ice
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on October 04, 2012, 02:26:58 pm
BTW; how did you do the "O" for decrees?

On a Mac, the degree symbol is option-shift-8.

Jeremy
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on October 04, 2012, 11:13:35 pm
On a Mac, the degree symbol is option-shift-8.

Jeremy
So if they didn't provide me with a "sup" button for my PC, I'd have to run out and get a Mac.   ;D
Title: Re: Ice
Post by: IanBrowne on October 05, 2012, 12:01:00 am
So if they didn't provide me with a "sup" button for my PC, I'd have to run out and get a Mac.   ;D


i wasn't game to say I don't use a mac or those other hand held toys.