For many photographers, when the weather outside reaches negative freezing temperatures it’s a signal to stay indoors and hope conditions improve.
Angela Boehm from Saskatchewan, Canada was also of the same mindset. “I found myself complaining about the day I couldn’t take photos because of the biting cold – the temperature outside was minus 30 degrees Celsius,” she says. petapixel,
But as Boehm sat in her car and waited for an empty spot to appear on the highway, she realized that the scene before her had a “quiet beauty” that had always been there. She adds, “That moment sparked something and I started photographing it.”
Boehm is from the grasslands of southern Saskatchewan and knows all about Canada’s harsh winters. She began to realize that winter landscapes of minus 30 degrees Celsius were a metaphor for life, and began her project, which has since turned into a book.
“The frozen prairie landscape, while being a subject in itself, serves as a powerful metaphor for the darker themes explored by the book: loss, memory, and resilience,She says. “What better environment to express these ideas than a winter prairie storm?”
“The Loss He is embodied in emptiness and bitter cold,” she continues. “The MemoryOr its gradual disappearance is represented by the snow obscuring the horizon, softening and blurring the scenery. and this resilience Solitude is in the tree – steadfastly surviving countless storms in this unforgiving landscape.”
What’s it like to take photos in minus 30?
Shooting in minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) brings a unique set of challenges: for example, it’s easier to blow out the whites while dealing with the darkness that envelops the landscape during a storm.
“I didn’t have a meter that could read these conditions accurately, so I had to rely only on the histogram to find the correct exposure,” explains Boehm.
“Once I got it dialed in it was pretty simple. The histogram for these images is essentially flat, with a clear peak in white. This presented unique difficulties in ensuring that subtle tonal details translated well to the page. It was a delicate balance in both capturing and printing to convey the nuances of these extreme conditions.
Boehm experimented fujifilm gfx 100 For his project, a medium format digital camera, which he says works well even in extreme conditions. Nevertheless, there were still difficulties.
“The biggest issue was keeping the camera cool,” she explains. “Once the camera got acclimated to the cold temperatures, I couldn’t bring it into a warm place, like my vehicle, without it fogging up. As a result, I had to keep my vehicle cool, often leaving the windows down to maintain the same temperature as the outside environment.”
Another issue was battery life. In cold weather, batteries do not perform as well as they do in optimal temperatures. Therefore, Boehm always had to carry extra batteries inside his jacket and try to keep them warm, otherwise they would also die.
Boehm could not wear a glove on her right hand while taking photographs, which meant she had to constantly put her hand in her pocket, which was filled with a hand warmer.
“I wore gloves when I was walking and exploring, but not when finding a scene and photographing it,” she explains. “Gloves don’t work for pressing the shutter.”
Boehm’s resulting book, titled zero to thirtyContains essays by authors including Brad Zeller. “The response has been incredible,” Boehm says of her book. book available Here But it is selling fast.
More of Boehm’s work can be found at Instagram And website,
Image Credit: Photos by Angela Boehm.
