Snow...And Dorks

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 | |

We got a lot of snow. Again. Apparently, we got 30" or so, and after shoveling it and walking in it, I'm going to have to agree. Walking through the snow, it went above my knees, and shoveling the snow, there were definitely some areas that had a really large amount of snow. But that's okay. I like snow. I like shoveling snow. I just don't like the small talk that goes along with it.

"A lot of snow, huh?" No, actually, It seems like more of a dusting to me, and the blood in the Saw franchise is more akin to a pin prick than anything more substantial. Of course there's a lot of snow. You can literally see the snow. You can see the piles of snow reaching five, six feet high. It's pretty fucking obvious there's a lot of snow out there, so saying something stupid like "We got a lot of snow, huh?" doesn't really say "conversation" to me. If that sounds harsh, I'm not sorry.



Of course, none of these photos are from this storm, these are from last weeks, when we got around a foot of snow. We're dorks and wanted to play in the snow. Me, being a really big dork, I decided to set up my strobe in our room to take some pictures. I was just kind of hoping to take some pictures that didn't totally suck. By that time, it's basically pitch black, and I figured having a nice, bright light source should make for some magical moments. Actually, I just wanted to take pictures of the snow. And I was going to take what I could get. Fortunately, it kind of worked out.

I really like the picture above. You can see the flash blowing out the window, and how much it lit up the yard. Krissy is running back to the house, probably t fetch some snow or something. I really like the nice, hard rim light around her hat. And the warmth of the lamp, while a bit jarring, adds a nice warm feeling to the photo. Winter is cold, the photos are cold, but I think that small touches of warm colors like that make them stand out a bit more. Ideally, I could have had a bit more warm tones in there, but oh well. For a snapshot, I really like it.


This is me. I'm probably getting ready to pick up some snow, or clapping my hands together, because that's how I roll. I like the light on my back, it has a very soft feel despite the light source being very hard. I found that the white snow everywhere was very forgiving, which was awesome, because the light meandered its way to places it otherwise would not have.

I got a gift card for the Gap, and I got that sweatshirt with it. Gap is ridiculously expensive considering the low quality of their clothing. I think the retail for that sweatshirt was around $70. Already some thread was coming undone and needed to be repaired. Also, it's not very thick. I really don't see how they could value it at that price. I think I paid around $30 for it, and even that is asking a lot. If it was my money, I would have left.


This is me throwing snow in the air. You can't see my face, obviously, but it's me, trust me, I ought to know.


Here's me again, I like the rim light here too. It has a weird holy kind of feel to it, which to me is peaceful. But I can see how someone would look at this and think it's kind of creepy. Ideally, I'd have had another light to light the front of me, but lights and water do not mix. I'd rather not obliterate my nice strobes, thank you very much.


Krissy took this one (and the others, except for the first one). I like it. It's a bit out of focus, but there's just something about it that I like. Also, my autofocus wasn't working at all for some reason. I attribute it to the cold, or the snow, so focusing was kind of a pain in the ass, considering how dark it was.


This is Krissy. I have to be pretty selective in what photos I show, and I think this one passed through her filter because you cannot really see her face. I love this picture though. She is smiling, and her hat is like, perfectly centered in the frame, and it really pops, color wise. The rim light around it only serves to accentuate it even more. And there's a little bit of overlap from it on her (camera side) shoulder, which I adore. 


This is from the first snowstorm, on the 26th (Boxing Day). I took this almost as an afterthought at the last minute before heading inside. I just wanted to take a picture of the snow falling, and I like how it turned out. It's nothing spectacular, but I like the ambiance of it. The photo is very wintry, which is what it is intended to portray.


Here is the same storm, as seen from the front door. These are steps which have been pretty much leveled off in snow. I think this storm was around 8-12 inches. This was the first experiment with the strobe, too. It was very awkward, and involved a boom (which we decided not to use) and Krissy, the most beautiful light stand ever. I only took a few photos, because I felt bad for her holding my light, and I didn't want to go traipsing through the snow.


The color in this one is weird, but I posted it anyway. This is what's nice about snow being white, the light bounces everywhere. This is below the window, so it might not have been lit up otherwise. I like it. It's a nice snapshot of the Christmas storm.


Bakerella has nothing on these. The red velvet recipe made for a delicious cake that, when combines with the frosting, created the richest, most amazing sweet ever. The frosting basically tasted like cheesecake, so when you bite in, you get a cakey texture, with the chocolate, that gives way to...cheesecake. They were quite decadent, but really yummy.

Obviously my technique for coating them could use some work, though I prefer things to look a little sloppy sometimes. Sure, sometimes perfection looks delicious and tasty, but it kind of makes you not want to eat it. With these, they're a bit messy and sloppy, so no one feels bad about messing up the perfect exteriors. They are more inviting. They say, "Eat me. I'm delicious. You know you want to."


Marshmallows. This time around, they were really sticky. And they worked their way all the way up the attachments. It actually was pretty amusing to watch. Of course, they were delicious. Peppermint marshmallows, yummy. Too bad everyone had to wait a week to eat them due to the snow, though.


My attempt at a chocolate confection. I don't like dark chocolate, but I actually kinda liked it. Salt makes chocolate better. Always. (Actually, it makes everything better, but chocolate especially). The picture looks like a turd, though, which makes it kind of funny.


This is what we all look like after Christmas, and getting snowed in. If only the oven wasn't obliterated and falling apart (literally), I could maybe make some goodies to go along with the bread I made last night. (Note: using the broiler to bake bread because the heating coil on the bottom fell apart is not the best method to bake bread, but it kind of works, if you're patient and pay attention.)

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