Fresh Snow on a Cold Morning

The sound of fresh snow under my feet, the muted silence of the forest, the stillness of the air—these are all things I love about nature on a cold winter morning. I have hiked the same trail countless times, but when the conditions are right, something special happens, something I can’t really explain yet I know it and feel it intimately.

Everything I see reminds me of my existence, right at that moment in time. And I see the simplest things in a way that gives them more meaning, more interest, and makes them worth considering a little more than usual.

It’s this shift in perception, ever so slight but never subtle, that I seek each and every time I venture out into the landscape. It gives me an awareness of things I normally don’t pay attention to, mainly out of habit, but also because of human nature’s tendency to become less interested in the familiar.

The photograph tries to capture and explain some of this, yet the nuances of the moment and my emotions can only truly exist in memory. But there is a sense that conveying the experience is possible, simply from the fact that I can show someone what I saw and hope their imagination kicks in to fill in the rest.

How we as photographers trigger the imagination, and give the viewer reasons to contemplate the image just a bit longer, are the keys to making images that stand out and become extra special.

Questions

Here are a few questions to think about when you look at this image.

• How many patterns can you identify?
• Does the image feel calm or tense? Why
• Did you notice how the snow makes textured(trees) and un-textured (ground) surfaces to create contrast and interest?

Comments and feedback are always welcome, it helps keep me focused on what you want to read and learn about most. Thanks for reading!