With this big storm slamming the Pacific West Coast of the US right now, I was inspired to talk a bit about this icicle image I created about 7 years ago:

It had been a cold and snowy few days in Central Oregon – when suddenly it started to warm up, and icicles all around the edges and gutters of my house started to melt and drip. The sun must have glinted off one just right and tingled my eyeball – enough for me to grab my camera and head outside. With clouds constantly changing the light conditions, I had to act fast, so I opted to leave the tripod behind and shoot hand-held. Out of a series of about 5 images, this one turned out to be the most successful.

So how did I photograph this falling drop of water in mid-air – without tripod? Deep breaths, a steady hand and a fast shutter speed.

Specs:

Camera:  Canon 10D

Lens:   Canon 35-80mm, F4.5, @ 55mm

Shot:  1/1000 sec @ F5.6

ISO: 100

[ This image is available under the Non-Commercial Creative Commons license. Feel free to use it on your blog, for fun, or the like, but you must:

1. Link back to http://simonepaddockphotography.com

2. Give credit to Simone Paddock

For commercial use, please inquire about licensing by emailing simone at simonepaddock.com. ]