Seeing What's Not There - Day 15

Shadows from an Alderbush

Alder Bushes in Sunshine

-  create a tangle of shadows on the snow.         

Alders are tough grow-anywhere plants that curve and wiggle their way into whatever patches of sunshine they can grow into. On a white snow background, the branches and cones of a wintertime alder bush make a complex shadow design.    

Seeing What's Not There - Day 14

Shadows on the Opposite Shoreline

Shadows Along the Riverbank

-  define the shore of the island.         

The river runs through sand and the islands dotted through it do not have much elevation above the water. The shadows from the trees define the height of the land against the level of the river ice.  

Take It To The Streets - Day 7

Red, White and Blue  

Red pants, white snow and blue shadows

- a winter color scheme    

The sun is strong on clear winter days, and the shadows are cast in saturated blues. The pedestrian was walking through the parking lot of the corner gas-bar - and the colors were brilliant in the sunshine: Red, White and Blue.  

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 7

Birches on the Riverbank

Riverbank Birches at Sunset  

- with a thin sliver of moon

Sunsets on the river are worth seeing. Depending on the weather, the sunset can range from brilliant reds, pinks and oranges in the clouds, to a lone pale disc dropping into an overcast void. Depending on the season, the river can be a reflecting mirror, or a flat white field of snow and ice, with fringes of birch and alder on the riverbank. And depending on its cycle, the moon shows as a pretty-shaped decoration hanging over the scene. It's transient, though, a sunset is. So it's really worth taking a few minutes to look at it.

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 1

Frost on Squashberries
- a process of satisfaction 

I love photography – I love how it happens. 

First I find something that catches my eye. Then I work through what I consider attractive about it, and then I look at it again through the camera viewfinder, and if it still looks good, I take the photograph.

Afterwards, when I look at the image to edit it, I may be seeing what originally caught my eye, or I may find something completely different. Maybe what I find is better than what I wanted. Maybe I can enhance the image in the editing process.

In the end, making a good photograph is a process of satisfaction. At each step of the way, I have to be satisfied in order to continue working on it.

And so, looking at the finished photograph is also an experience of satisfaction, for me the photographer, and also for the viewer who I hope enjoys what satisfies me.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 29 -

Red Sky in the Morning...

Red Sky in the Morning  - sailors take warning. 

Source photo

Weather traditions that enhance our ability to predict our day come from generations of observation, and are a form of practical knowledge. The weather proverb "Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning" means there will be wind or stormy weather coming during the day. "Red Sky at Night, Sailors' Delight" is the concluding part of the verse. In this case, it is a red dawn, and yes, there is wind.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 28 -

Snowy Birches

Snowy Birches  - an overnight accumulation

Source photo

This time of year, with the temperature hovering around the freezing mark, some precipitation falls as rain and some falls as snow. Rain and drizzle make for dreary weather, but November snow is a novelty and it's quite attractive to look at, so we put up with the inconvenience of slush and slippery conditions underfoot.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 21 -

Winter Fireweed

Winter Fireweed  - a pioneer species waiting for its time

Source photo

Fireweed is called a pioneer species, because it establishes itself rapidly in areas where the ground has been burnt-over or where the soil has been disturbed.
In summer, the fireweed sports bright magenta flowers on a straight tall stalk, and in winter, the fireweed's leaves dry into curved hooks which mat together and trap the plant's fly-away seeds in with other wind-borne material. Fireweed seeds remain viable in the ground for years, waiting for conditions to be right for a new plant to spring into blossom. A pioneer indeed!

Art Every Day Month - Nov 19 -

Alders for Winter

Alders for Winter - food for overwintering birds 

Source Photo

Alders, birches and poplar trees provide food for birds and small animals during the winter. It's fun watching the red polls and chickadees peck at alder cones like this to release the seeds hidden inside.  It's a natural bird feeder.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 11 -

Snow on the Riverbank

Snow on the Riverbank - an overnight dusting of snow

Source photo

There's just a riffle of a breeze on the water near the riverbank, but the overnight dusting of snow on the shoreline is undisturbed. The tree branches and the tall grasses on the shoreline have been able to shake the snow off, but the chilled moisture in the sand will be able to preserve the snow until the sun hits it and evaporates the white stuff.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 10 -

Sunrise Through Snowy Trees

Sunrise Through Snowy Trees  

- backlighting from early morning sunlight through trees with snow

Source photo

I took this photograph on the same early morning shoot as the images in the previous two posts. Here the golden early morning sunlight silhouettes the trunks of a mixed grove of birch, poplar, alder, willow, spruce and red osier dogwood. The snow clinging to the branches and the trunks of the trees holds a brilliant incandescent light, just briefly, until the sun's angle changes and the magic is gone.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 9 -

Dogwood Berries for the Birds 2

Red Osier Dogwood Berries for the Winter Birds 2  

- backlighting from early morning sunlight on overnight snow

Source photo

Golden early morning sunlight silhouettes a cluster of Red Osier Dogwood berries, food for the overwintering birds. Migrating birds have already picked the neighboring clusters bare. That fluffy cap of snow with the glowing light behind it will melt during the day, but this photograph saves the fleeting impression.