Cold's Apparition

Western Oklahoma -Old farm house amidst the ice, snow, and freezing fog

This is my first set of pictures for the New Year. Late last week, my part of Oklahoma was hit with a thick layer of ice, then a little bit of sleet, then a nice glazing of snow. My home usually sits in between the band of snow to the north and rain to the south, which means we get heavy ice at times.

I took this shot was taken 1/30/2010 after 2:00 a.m. in the middle of the night. I don't really remember getting fog with snow and ice in the past...so when the fog rolled in after the sun went down, I was eager to try some night time snow/ice/fog photography. Since the roads were caked with a thick layer of ice, I employed the help of a good friend with 4 wheel drive to get to this spot out in the country. Those of you that have seen the movie The Mist will recognize some visual similarities with the eerie whiteout. It was remarkable with how bright it was outside at that hour of night. I used a 30 sec. shutter speed and placed a flash unit in the old house to achieve the flashes. The freezing fog frosted over my camera by the end of the shoot. I was skeptical with how these would turn out, but was very pleased once we got there and started working. (Every more so once I verified I had several in focus!)

***I'd like to add an interesting personal note regarding this old, ruin of a house...I believe the style of the house would date this structure around a hundred years old. The house I grew up in actually has the exact same style, angles, and structure as this house, with the exception existing with my parent's house being slightly larger and with additional add-ons like a larger living/den area and a carport. So with that in mind, it strikes a very familiar cord.

*****UPDATE: Unfortunately, I drove by this old house several weeks ago and it no longer exists. So far, this is maybe the 4th or 5th old structure I've photographed that has either become a casualty of time/elements or been removed/replaced by the owners.*******


©Copyright Kyle Wright. You may NOT use, replicate, manipulate, or modify this image without my permission. All Rights Reserved.