Some Winter Beauty

In early February, a small group of nature photographers gathered in the Thousand Islands region of New York for winter landscapes under the leadership of Chris Murray.  He is a local resident with broad knowledge of both photography and the available areas to explore. 

Conditions were beautiful with fresh snow on the second day.  The graceful birch tree seen below is decorated with new snow.  A middle ground cradles the birch and a distant sky of ultramarine plus puffy clouds completes the offering.

Images with multiple layers are appealing.  Beginning with a strong subject in the fore is sure to encourage exploration like the following scene.   Had to kneel low in the snow so that the cattails nearly touched the twin evergreens.  The distant trees highlight the pair of main subjects. (It was so cold that the coat of snow on my pants just dusted off cleanly.)

Other times, the subject is not low such as these remnants of the summer leaves.The white snow nicely isolates the beech leaves from an otherwise busy background.  That's a key benefit of fresh snow.  There's just a light amount of bluish gray on the snow. Lovely.

Back on my knees again for this setting of some Milkweed.  They are a winter favorite, and the setting here presented an exciting composition wherein you see a central stalk with two distant ones that guide the eyes to the top of the main stalk. 

Here's another setting that has two supporting elements. The Goldenrod is the main subject.  The massive Oak cradles the weed's stalk, so both sweep in a counter-clockwise flow.  Worked hard on this as there were other stalks that needed a gentle shift to the sides.

Back close to the ground with snow up to my knees.  This simple image of grass stalks benefits from fresh snow.   It is not always necessary to have multiple layers to the composition.

Time to add some wonky images.  This  might be called Waiting for Summer.  Boats are stacked in the Wellesley Island State Park's marina, just waiting.  It was so cold that colors were temporarily unavailable.

Next to the  boat launching ramp, the concrete walls had  weathered to appear as a midnight lightning storm.

Another stop was the "Wall" at DeWolf Point State Park (also on Wellesley Island). The "Wall" is an exposed rock wall from the last glacial event. 

The interplay of the weathered rock surfaces with lichens and mosses create intriguing patterns.  It's a visual playground open to many interpretations. I see two large fishes in the rock face below.

 Should I return next winter, it's sure I will not see the fishes but rather something equally as puzzling.

Time to end with a subject that can be agreed upon.  Sunset on the frozen St. Lawrence River looking towards Kingston, Ontario.  The Thousand Islands Tower is opposite the setting sun to the far right.

 

Many thanks to fellow photographers  Kathy, Kent, Bob and our leader Chris for both their companionship and creative inspiration.

To my blog followers, thanks for your interest and appreciation.

 

Paul Schmitt

Learning from a Winter without Snow

When the Art of Winter program by creative photographer Chris Murray was announced, there were justifiably visions of snowy forests with stark birch tree stands and graceful glacial drumlins across the land.  The hope was to find scenes like my March 2021 image at right of Cayuta Outlet near my home.  Sadly the Thousand Islands this year in February had scant snow cover.

The three days were going to be challenging,  yet that might actually turn out to be a better learning opportunity.  There arrives a call to more deeply observe and really understand what draws your interest. What follows are a selection of images that offer enjoyment and hopefully also ideas for coping with rainy days, dull light and otherwise disappointing situations.  Hasn't that happened to everyone?

On one morning we went to Dewolf Point State Park on Wellesley Island.  It is on a bay with only a very narrow connection to the main river.  Unlike most river areas, the bay is largely immune to river currents, so there was plenty of good ice. Arriving shortly before sunrise, two fishermen were soon loading their sheds.  We'd walked out to a line of summer cabins facing the expected sunrise.  The view did not impress me.  As I walked back to another view with a stately red cedar, the sound of the anglers' sheds crunching on the ice suggested they were on a path towards the point of the sun's appearance.   Backtrack quickly!  The sun can't be delayed.  See this!

 

There were two images to select.  When they were standing, the man's head on the right touched the dark treeline.  Creatively, it's called a conjoined element and is to be avoided.  Later, there were more fishermen on the ice but the missing starburst lowers the result to ho-hum. 

Once my gear was packed and I climbed the path from the view, there was warm sunlight bathing one of the summer cabins along the path.  Not wanting the open my pack again, the iPhone was pulled out.  This is an excellent time to ask the simple question, "what drew you to take an image?"  I hope you say something about the warm light on the line of icicles across the roof line of snow and also in the brilliant window reflections.

That was the answer for me. I am guessing this cabin is already reserved for most weeks in the summer.  Another thought is that a quick photo sure beats just ignoring the opportunity.  

Winter is also a rich source of beautiful monochrome images.  The next setting drew my interest as I saw this large snow capped rock with a fringe of icicles dipping towards the St. Lawrence River's waves. Many photos were run in continuous batch to get the best shape on the water. 

In other years, the river would be all ice and the wave shapes and fringes on the rock missing.  It's really a very simple photo.

The ice along the river builds forms often dependent on wind direction and the rock formats.   Here's another situation where the ice laid up a scalloped pattern.  

The real challenge for the above was getting into the narrow trough of rocks where the forms were free of distractions (and then climbing back up after my one leg fell asleep!)

The next image presents a contrast between a geological form and a seasonal form.  Hard rock and hard ice drew my interest.

 

I saw a sort of yin-yang pairing that was better in black & white. 

Later that morning at Dewolf Point, our leader took us to a long spine of hard rock that paralleled the northeast lay of the bay.   I conjecture that the spline resisted the glacial assault that excavated the bay.  Here's a wide view of the wall of rock exposed.

The panoramic image distorts the shape of the wall.  It's nearly horizontal on the top.  The height is close to 20 feet. One could spend a long day exploring the many patterns in the the stone.   The section below fascinated me.

So, I looked more closely and explored what I interpreted as a tree in a violent turmoil, perhaps a firestorm.  The large tree is in the far left and flames swirl away in a maelstrom.

That morning was surprisingly rich with ideas.  The afternoon was a bit challenging until the sun collided with a distant shore of the St. Lawrence River. Not any clouds, but a nice starburst framed by a nearby point.

 

The final morning sunrise was a bit richer when some wispy clouds appeared to capture the warm hues.

 

 

In terms of whiz-bang images, it was not easy.   But, measuring the lessons gained absent any "easy", it was extremely valuable.  I am not at all hesitant to share these images.  In every one, there is a clear reason why the subject was chosen and how it was arranged in the overall location. You cannot see what was excluded carefully to avoid any viewer confusion.  Success is knowing what to take and what to leave behind.  That's a line from a John Denver song "Friends with You."

Learning usually comes from challenges. 

Hope you enjoy the message.

Paul Schmitt