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I drove a few more miles along the main road then spotted a church spire among the frost, I had never noticed this church before in all the times I had drove through this area, I decided to check it out and pulled over for a look.
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100mm into the church spire surrounded by hoar frost. I checked the satnav and saw a back road leading in that direction so I jumped back in and took that road, I wanted to get a closer look at the church.
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I found the church and parked within the grounds, it was a good opportunity for Rhua and I to stretch our legs, get snacks and a hot cup of tea then back outside to explore the area. I got the drone in the air, this time no issues, all the freezing fog was gone and I had the batteries warmed up inside the van so the Mavic 2 Pro was performing well. Such a nice scene, I took quite a few aerial images and footage here then landed the drone and walked around the church with the DSLR to explore.
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Hoar frost and waning gibbous Moon in the morning sky
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I have included this image for a reason. I was standing with DSLR and 100-400mm lens attached thinking what a cool shot that house and frosted trees would make when my phone rang. It was photographer Nigel McFarland, we were discussing the cold spell when suddenly, from that dark gap in the hedge, emerged a beautiful red Fox with bushy tail!, it entered the clearing and walked gracefully among the tall grass covered in hoar frost. I've always wanted to capture a Fox in a Winter scene and have never had the chance, until now, I even had the correct lens and approximate camera settings dialed in, by the time it took my brian to send the signal to my body to react the Fox vanished through a hole and was gone behind the hedge. It all happened so fast I would never have got an image anyway so I didn't beat myself up about it at all, I just loved the experience which added to the majesty of this perfect day.
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I drove W a few miles and spotted a cluster of frost-covered trees on the hills so I got off the main road and ascended onto higher ground. I honestly don't know the names of these roads as I was never on them before but the trees were outstanding there, this was exactly what I was after. This single curving mountain road produced the most insane and photogenic hoar frost memories I've ever seen.
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I kept on driving in the search for that special scene, I rounded a bend, drove out from under a tunnel of trees and emerged back into the sunshine then this came into view. As soon as I set eyes on this scene I knew it would be the climax of the last two days of chasing, this was exactly what I had been looking for. I wandered into the field (the gate was open) with the DSLR and examined every detail. The tree had perfect structure with hanging branches covered in an inch or more of hoar frost. The sun was shinning brightly and the background sky was the clearest and deepest aqua-blue I've seen in a long time.
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The fence was covered too, despite the temptation to touch the frost I never did, I didn't want to disturb the scene at all and shoot it as I found it and I left it the same way.
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Conditions 10/10, in fact, this was beyond anything I had expected this day, these are without question the best hoar frost scenes I've ever captured. I spent a good hour in this field shooting the tree from every angle, up close and at a distance, I couldn't get enough of it. It was a big tree so I decided to use the 15mm wide angle on full frame and get closer for a more dramatic look. I can honestly say that these hoar frost scenes and the Lough Foyle supercell from the Summer were the two greatest weather events I've experienced this year hands down. I felt really connected with this moment and for a while I didn't take any images and just stood still, there wasn't a single sound at all, even the sound of a grazing cow in another field was muffled by all the frost, it was such a unique moment and a memory I will always cherish.
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There were ice crystals and flakes of frost falling from the tree branches above, it was like white confetti was constantly falling from the sky
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Wide angle portrait shot filling the frame, my Winter chase peaked rite at this moment
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I got the drone in the air, this is an image taken from the other side of the hedge showing that row of frost-covered trees. I had a fabulous drone flight here, I flew the Mavic low to the ground, 6cm in altitude, skimming slowly across the hard-frosted grass with camera tilted up to take in the trees, this way the drone acted like a dolly so I could do tracking shots, then I climbed in altitude, flew over the hedge, and did a close orbit around the tree taking in all the branches and stunning hoar frost structure, it was an indescribable experience, it's at times like these that I'm glad to have drone to get these special angles I couldn't get with a DSLR, you can view the footage below.
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Driving back along that magical road, I had to stop and get an image, Shakin Stevens was singing 'Merry Christmas Everyone' on the radio, what a great way to end this chase.
Vlog from December 13th showing the hoar frost scenes on the hedges near Greencastle
Vlog from December 14th showing the amazing tree followed by drone footage
That night we had freezing fog in Cookstown and by the morning of the 15th the temperature dropped to -10c marking the coldest day of the cold spell. The hoar frost scenes remained for four days in a row in Co. Tyrone and Co. Fermanagh which is an exceptional event in itself. I didn't go chasing any more, I felt content with what I had over the last two days, I was actually exposed to severe cold for hours every day and it took me quite some time to thaw out again and finally feel warm, even in the house. Then on the night of the 16th it began snowing, only for 15 min's, but it was a great moment watching the snow flakes fall over the outdoor Christmas lights, it's been a long time since I've experienced that!, thanks very much for reading.
Martin McKenna
