Karmardav sent me this email today…
I swear reading your site and getting involved in this little photo community is starting to influence me. I was looking out my front window this evening, just wondering if any more “wintry mix” or whatever the weather channel was calling this cold stuff falling from the sky was still falling. The front porch light was on and shining on the new coating of ice on my lilac bush. (Remember my other picture of my lilacs from the gallery? **sigh**) Anyway, I think a bit of brc and a bit of ivoryhut got into me. I was looking at that icy bush and thinking, gee that’s kind of like abstract art, I should get a picture. In my fuzzy bathrobe, hair still wet from my shower, I proceeded to remove the screen from my bay window, crank the window open into the 30 degree night, and stick my arm out the window to try to capture what I was seeing. It being night time, of course my flash went off. The shot I got was interesting, but not exactly what I was seeing (icy1). I thought, Shrew would say, do it without the flash. But won’t it come out a blurry mess since I have no idea where my tri-pod is? (And even if I did know where it is, I don’t think I could stick it out the window and get it firmly on the ground) Well, I did it anyway, and I think it came out kind of cool. (icy2) It is somewhat blurred, but I could see the icing effect better. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you that you all are having an effect on how I think about pictures.
Karmardav…I couldn’t help myself and played…
and I used the flash photo, too!
Shrew's Daily Shutters 
Karma I am impressed. See that’s what this is all about is learning and taking inspiration from each other. I’m sure Ivoryhut appreciates that she’s not the only one willing to risk her health in the name of photography.
In your originals I think I like the non-flash photo better because I can really see the ice coating the branches. It might be even more abstract if you crop it closer in on the parts that are really icy.
Shrew I like your artistic take on the flash shots. Photoshop is truly amazing! What exactly did you do to the shots to achieve these effects?
For both I used the ortenizing effect to capture the light refracted in the ice on each branch.
The B&W photo was constructed using a gradient map and choosing a midtone with blue in it to capture the cold.
The color I used a light cooling photo filter and then color corrected through the lab channels to give me this dappled color effect.
Nice! Karen, yay for you! See, here at Shrew Shutters, we’re all about ninja photography. So go ahead and take down window screens. Defy those below-freezing temps. Just … be sure not to fall out the window. 🙂
I love that this community is helping us act more on those “hey, that might make a cool picture” impulses. And I love that shot. Very mysterious looking.
Shrew, great take on the flash shot. I have to go experiment with that gradient map thing you mentioned. The second one almost looks like it has built-in holiday lights! Now imagine if you were actually able to cultivate a bush like that. 🙂
Shrew I hope you’ve already left Chicago. We’ve got a storm brewing.
Nope…I am still here supposed to fly out at 3:50
OK,shocker from me – I actually like the B/W! It looks spooky! The colorful one is cool too – my first thought was xmas lights too, ivory. My 12-year-old said it looked like blood, like a diagram of veins and arteries in the body!
Very cool! I think I like all the variations. I actually had the same impulse yesterday to take pictures of ice-encrusted things, but y’all will have to wait for the results. I took the pictures with my 35mm. I read on Ken Rockwell’s site that Costco has an excellent photo CD service – very high resolution images from 35mm, and for cheap too! It’s funny – I’m not used to this waiting period any more! Not to mention not having a clue if the pictures are any good until you finish the whole roll. Which I haven’t done yet.
Nice work, Karma & shrew!
I thought the red and blue resembled veins too!