The sky wasn’t all that exciting as I left the house yesterday. But seeing as it was January 1st, I felt I should give it a shot, so to speak. My first impulse was to go to Mount Pollux, but when I arrived there the parking lot was packed and I think some folks were having a sunrise service. I might have found a spot for myself away from everyone, but there wasn’t a spot to park. So off I went to Owens Pond in a rush. I really didn’t need to as it took quite an extra little while for the sun to crest the treeline. The sky was relatively cloudless and pretty flat as far as color went. So here is my first sunrise of 2015 in living monochrome. Not the most exciting image, but at least I got out there.
As a side note, it was pretty cold and I wore my new Heat 3 Smart Gloves with the heat packs in the pockets. Accidentally, the packs ended up in my palm rather than on the tops of my fingertips and I realized that I could also heat my thumbs when not in use by sliding them out of their fingers in the mittens and cradling them in my palms next to the heat packs. Success. None of my fingers or thumbs ended up with the Raynaud pain that usually accompanies a cold shoot.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
A very nice way to kick off the year Steve. I’m glad the gloves were a success. Improvisation is the way to go.
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Seemed pretty obvious once it occurred to me…..like most things.
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Hooray for the Heat 3 Smart Gloves. I must say that you are dedicated to getting your photos. Those gloves, I’m sure were not cheap. But they are worth it if you are pain free when out in the extreme cold. I like this monochrome. The starburst of the sun is exciting to see as it barely peeks over the horizon. It certainly is a good start for 2015. I’d look at the sun’s starburst as a good sign that this year is going to be a very good year for new and better photo opportunities.
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I like the idea of the sun as a positive sign, Yvonne. No, the gloves were not cheap, but so far an expense well worth the outlay. I had bought a pair of fingered gloves that were not cheap either several years ago that I wear with liners, but once the cold gets in the single numbers they don’t quite do the job.
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Great image!! I live in the Pacific Northwest with mild temperatures so you folks crack me up with your comments about painful cold. Anyway, still wonderful to see a fellow photographer enjoying his craft!
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Thanks, Kevin. If it weren’t for the Raynaud’s, the cold probably would not be that big a deal as I loved it when younger.
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I use that trick as well. Joanna has alway said that mittens are warmer … but I find that my thumb can get very cold (when plowing snow for example), so I learned that little trick of folding the thumb out of its ‘finger’ and against the palm of my hand. Nice shot. You are certainly dedicated.
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Yeah, as I mentioned above, it seems so obvious now that I have figured it out. I’ve only just started with mittens but I agree with Joanna….especially when they hold a heat pack.
Thanks. Not so much on days like today that are overcast and blustery.
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Monochrome or not, I like the shot. Those 7 rays are especially nice.
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Can we count those 7 rays as part of a sunflower?
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Sounds good to me.
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Rays and a disk…why not?
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Thanks, Jim. It just seemed to work much better in mono…the color was not at all exceptional and the sun did not have the same pop. I am enjoying the crispness with which the Zeiss captures the rays but I think at some point I will be overdoing it. Not yet, though.
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It seems we are going to have winter after all, doesn’t it? When I awoke to a dusting of snow this morning I thought immediately of you, hoping you were finding some ice.
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We had a bit of winter yesterday, but it turned into rain at sunrise. The snow did stick around on the ground but the trees lost their frosting. I found a little ice Saturday morning but am not sure if it is shareable or not.
Deep freeze all this week so I think the weekend has promise.
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Can I get a version of your Smart Gloves that will work as an app on my smartphone?
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It would be nice to have one that could act as a thermostat for them.
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I hope you’re getting commission on those gloves! I’m beginning to believe.
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Nope, unless you count happy fingers as commission, Lyle. 🙂
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