The making of ‘Ice’

Learning to ‘see’ is an essential skill for photographers. It’s something I go on about ad nauseum, I know. But that’s because I think it’s important.

I was walking along a track on a wintry day when I saw this pattern of cracks and stones and ice crystals and colours in a frozen puddle …

I had my camera with me (as I always do), but I reckoned I needed a tripod to capture it at its best. The day was dim and I wanted to use a medium aperture to get best lens quality. There was no way I could hand-hold, looking directly downwards, at the shutter speed that was going to require.

Someone (who should have known better) once said to me, “Photography is easy. It’s just pushing a button.”

Dead easy! I went home, collected my tripod – and cable release for good measure – and returned to the frozen puddle. The light was, if anything, even dimmer now. But with the tripod I was laughing.

Technical details: Nikon 50mm lens, ISO 200, 1/60 second at f4.5