Originally posted by jddwoods Beautiful shot, shows what great images the 16-85 is capable of. Would the sky be that clear if you took that same picture in August? Actually, considering how cold it has been in the northeast (I am near Philadelphia) and you are not near any saltwater, I would expect there would be more ice on the rivers. Must be a strong flow in the rivers.
Strong current, I think. The Allegheny, the one on the left, is pretty clean and usually ices over first. The Monongahela, the one on the right, is usually muddier and freezes later than the Allegheny. Typically we would not see ice like this til February.
As to atmospheric cleanliness, it can be pretty good. I uploaded the same view in summer - but no polarizer - sun angle makes polarizer irrelevant. If memory serves, a couple of things came together to get the clear atmosphere - a relatively wet few days prior - to keep the dust down and then a cold front going through preceded by a rain storm.