Welcome to Villa Emilia (My Woodland Garden), a photography blog with a slant towards gardening and nature. An amateur gardener and photographer, I hope to share beautiful moments with you through pictures. Let me know if you like them! ❤

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22.1.2015

Beautiful winter

The days are cold, but beautiful. When I'm writing this, the temperature (outside) is -29 degrees Celsius (-20.2 °F).



In the afternoon we have seen pretty ice crystal halos. They may have been "sun dogs" ("phantom suns"), but I'm not certain.



One was "above" the lake.



These optical phenomena are caused by the refraction of light from ice crystals drifting in the air.



The crystals are called "diamond dust", and never was a name more appropriate... Here a close-up, with enhanced colors. Pretty, aren't they!





I'm joining Karen at My Little Home and Garden for Sunlit Sunday

and





Unfortunately my photos don't do justice to the beautiful phenomenon.  Imagine that you are surrounded by the bright sunshine and see tiny little particles, innumerable and almost imperceptible, dancing in the air and glistening golden...



Sun dogs typically appear in pairs, always at the same height as the sun. The red-coloured side is the one towards the sun, as you can see in the photos.

Using a zoom lens, trying to focus on the floating ice crystals was of course very difficult. Below, there is another out-of-focus photo, with strongly enhanced colours and contrast. I decided to call it "Étude de couleurs"...







Here's to a beautiful, colourful and sunlit new week!


68 kommenttia:

  1. Those scenes look astonishingly beautiful.

    VastaaPoista
  2. Beautiful snowy images. I can just imagine the cold. Winter is much brighter with snow.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Lorrie! Snow is beautiful, but also the snowless landscapes do have their charm... Ref. your recent posts! :)

      Poista
  3. I find winter magical and calm :) mari

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Mari! Winter here is cold, but often magically beautiful.

      Poista
  4. Wow- what beautiful photos Sara!! The ice crystal halos and diamond dust are spectacular! Much as I dislike the cold of winter, it can be a beautiful season. We have very cold temps but not much snow right now. However a storm is on the way this weekend, so I'm sure we'll get more snow then.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Linda! Our views must look really cold after the gorgeous holidays you had! ;)
      Stay warm!

      Poista
  5. Oh Sara, your photos are quite beautiful and very captivating! Winter is such an enchanting time :) Happy weekend to you!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Stephanie! Have a lovely weekend!

      Poista
  6. The images are astonishing. Love the "rainbow" in the grove of trees. The sparkle is fabulous!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, JoAnn! :)
      Unfortunately, the photos don't do justice to the fabulous view...

      Poista
  7. niin kaunista että! HUh, kun teillä on kylmä! meillä on "vain" 13 astetta tällä hetkellä, ja sekin tuntuu kylmältä, varsinkin kun asuu vanhassa talossa jossa on kylmät lattiat... Upeita haloja, ja upeita kuvia niistä - tuo viimeinen suurennos on huikea, uskomatonta tuo timanttipöly! - ja kuin samaan hengen vetoon, halon värisävyissä hehkuvia tulppaaneja kauniiksi lopuksi. Tänään on kyllä pakko ostaa tulppaaneja, jos kaupassa vain suinkin on hyviä.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Kiitos, Laura! Kiva että huomasit värisävyt! :)
      Löysitkö kaupasta hyviä tulppaaneja?

      Poista
  8. Sait kuvattua nuo halot! Että minua harmitti, kun olin liikenteessä ja kamera unohtui kotiin. Olisi ollut miljoona kuvauskohdetta. Sitten kun tulin kotiin, oli jo ihan pilvistä. Kamera pitäisi AINAolla mukana.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Niin se taitaa olla, että kameran pitäisi olla aina mukana! Joskus jopa minäkin mietin, pitäisikö hankkia puhelin, jossa on hyvä kamera... mutta vielä en ole sitä askelta ottanut...

      Oikein hyvää viikonloppua, Kyllimarjaana! :)

      Poista
  9. Amazing frozen beauty Sara, and it sure is cold in your country! The floating ice crystals are a phenomena I've not seen before. Would it be possible to work them into a mosaic to share for the next MM? I know others would love to see them. Are you sure it's not suspended fairy dust? :-)

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Judith, for the good idea, concerning MM!
      I'm pretty certain there was something magical in the air... :)
      Have a lovely weekend!

      Poista
  10. Kauniit talvikuvat! Mukavaa viikonloppua!

    VastaaPoista
  11. Aivan upeita kuvia! Hienot halo-ilmiöt :)

    VastaaPoista
  12. Your pictures are so incredibly beautiful!! I have never heard of or seen this phenomenon before, it is amazing. I can only imagine what it is like in person if it is as you say even better in real life. Wonderful and a truly amazing post on this theme! xx

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Amy! :)
      It was the first time for me as well. (My mother noticed it first. Thanks, Mom!)
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  13. What a treat to see these photos!!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, CameraGirl! :)
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  14. wowzer! you make winter look like a magical wonderland. nice lesson on ice crystals, too!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Snap! :)
      Oh no, now I really hope that what I wrote is correct...
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  15. Oh how pretty- love the refractions of light you caught. It's wonderful what the camera can catch if we're keeping our eyes open to spot these beautiful moments!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Liz!
      You are so right! The human eye is an amazing mechanism, but sometimes a camera helps you to see things you wouldn't notice otherwise. At least to me it happens all the time.
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  16. Wow, gorgeous images and post . The lighting and colors are just beautiful. Enjoy your Sunday and have a happy week ahead!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Eileen! :)
      You too, have a great new week! See you soon!

      Poista
  17. Absolutely stunning and I have never seen such beautiful creations in nature before like this~

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Mary! :)
      Well, your nature photos amaze me every week!
      Stay well!

      Poista
  18. Hi Sara
    I'm back to thank you for sharing the breath taking ice crystal phenomena with Mosaic Monday.
    Have a good week!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Judith!
      You know I love participating in MM! :)

      Poista
  19. Amazing photos! So beautiful with the refracting ligh.t

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Ingmarie!
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  20. So beautiful! Really stunning! The tulips are gorgeous too!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Dotsie!
      I notice that my love towards tulips grows every year.
      See you soon!

      Poista
  21. The photos are beautiful so i can only imagine how lovely in person and this was so interesting and I was not familiar with this phenomena! :)

    VastaaPoista
  22. What awe inspiring photos! Nature is so diverse and worthy of study. Thank you for sharing your part of the world. Smiles...Susan

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Susan!
      It's lovely and so very interesting to "meet" bloggers from all corners of the world!
      Have a great new week!

      Poista
  23. These photos are stunning. I've seen lots of sun dogs and solar pillars but never captured one so closely as to see the particles. They are truly gorgeous.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Pamela!
      I read that different kind of halos (caused by ice crystals in high clouds) are actually rather common, but I suppose a really cold weather is needed to see them at low levels.
      Have you posted any photos of those you have seen?
      See you soon!

      Poista
  24. Your photos are amazing. When ice and sun collide such beauty comes from it. You really do know how to embrace winter. Here it is supposed to be record warm for January, 60 degrees F. I was cold all day. I'd like some wam sun. Have a great week.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Ann!
      Enjoying winter is a necessity here! :)
      60 degrees F...15,5 °C - sounds very enjoyable for January!
      Wishing you a warm and sunny new week!

      Poista
  25. Oh my! Everything has already been said. But oh my! Stunning photography. Great scenery. Wonderful capture. And that blown up close up enhanced one is just stunning. Great share thank you x

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Selma!
      Winter is full of beauty... and almost all I need to do is to point and shoot!
      Have a lovely new week! xx

      Poista
  26. Beautiful winter photos with magical light, beautiful.
    Good new week to you.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Marit!
      Have a lovely week & See you soon!

      Poista
  27. mahtavaa, en ole koskaan nähnyt tuota ilmiötä, en edes tienyt sen olemassa oloa mutta ehkä sen vielä joskus saan nähdä, meidän viikko oli harmaa joten aurinkoa odotellaan.terv Jaana

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Kiitos, Jaana! :)
      Kutsuisin sinut tänne haloja katsomaan, mutta jos tuollaisen esiintymiseen tarvitaan todella kylmä sää (sinä päivänä oli siis melkein 30 astetta pakkasta) ja minäkin näin sen ensimmäisen kerran, saattaa seuraavaan kertaan kulua aikaa...
      Mukavaa viikkoa! Toivottavasti aurinko paistaa!

      Poista
  28. Wow - lucky for us that 'your spring and summer are but a distant promise'. I have loved reading back through all your previous posts. Your photography is amazing I can't imagine what it must be like living with such snow and ice, so pretty but ... so sending you some Aussie sunshine, just enough to warm you up, to take more photos, not enough to melt your icicles - just yet!! Keep those photos coming!
    Wren x

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Wren! You are too kind!
      But I am really happy if I can sometimes share something beautiful...
      Now the weather is very grey again, as you can see in my today's drab post. ;)
      Hugs!!

      Poista
  29. never saw anything like that before! very beautiful!!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Debbi!
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  30. I absolutely agree that winter is beautiful and your photos show it perfectly. Such a rare sight that brings me bliss.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Donna! :)
      In fact it may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience...
      See you soon! Hugs!

      Poista
  31. How fabulous! The rainbow light show in this wintry photos is amazing.

    Karen

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Karen! :)
      Have a beautiful weekend!

      Poista
  32. Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Phyllis!
      Have a nice weekend! And give my best to Simon, Belle, Bandit, and Mia!

      Poista
  33. Foto bellissime!!! Marina.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Grazie, carissima Marina! ♥
      Sono stata fortunata - è comunque un fenomeno abbastanza raro.
      Un abbraccio grande grande!

      Poista
  34. Anonyymi3/1/16 22:43

    Beautiful winter photos!

    VastaaPoista


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