Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 38mm — ¹/125 sec, f/7.1, ISO 6400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sunrise at 5°F
-15°C   —   Rootstown, Ohio, USA

It's pretty chilly this morning here in Ohio, about 5°F (−15°C), with about 8" (20cm) of recent snow. It's not all that bad by Ohio standards, but it's been 30 years since I lived here, and Kyoto rarely gets much below freezing. Then again, it was only two years ago that I visited Ohio when it was -10°F (-23°C), so I guess today isn't so bad.

I woke up with the light, and it looked so pretty and calm outside that I had to run out with the camera. I only have one lens with me on this trip, a Nikkor 24-70/2.8.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Risky
taking a shot from under the snow-laden branches

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — ¹/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Warm
Though I was hoping for more orange spill from the incandescent lighting inside.
( Update: I got the shot I wanted a few days later )

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 2000 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nasty Roads
the reason I have time this morning, instead of heading in to the hospital to visit Mom

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 31mm — ¹/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
49½ Years
how long that sign has been up

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Downy Woodpecker

I fed the birds outside — they've trained us well, as seen here and here — and tried a few pictures. Lack of lenses, warmth, and skill limited the results.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Bluebirds

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos

There were goldfinches, bluebirds, chickadees, red-bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, doves, bluejays, and I think some other kind of finches and birds I wasn't sure about.

Bird photography is difficult and I'm no good at it, though I have gotten some lucky shots before:

• Freezing Bird Movement with a Fast Shutter (and Arctic Temperatures)
• Goldfinches in a Light Snow
• Impromptu Chickadee Portraiture
• My Morning: Birds, Flowers, Coffee, and my Camera
• Can’t Get Any Work Done With Birds on my Laptop

The most recent “What the Duck”, Aaron Johnson's photography-centric comic, is perfectly appropriate:

The sun eventually came out, with a beautiful blue sky (that gets washed out in these pics)...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 29mm — ¹/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 26mm — ¹/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Risky

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 36mm — ¹/160 sec, f/11, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Finishing a Lap

In the past we've seen “Jogging with Grandpa” (7½ years ago) and “Jogging with Grandpa, 2010 Edition” (5½ years ago), and my 85-year-old dad still runs almost every day.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 34mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Laughing
at the thought I'd want to take his photo

With the sun out, I tried a few more bird pictures...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Stacked Bluebirds

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Worm Acquisition

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — ¹/800 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Absconding with the Loot