Looking Like Winter

Flying into Philadelphia this weekend I spied a landscape mostly covered in white.  It was a perfect time to visit; the roads were nice and clear but it still had the feeling of winter.  Have you ever noticed how sometimes, even with a thick layer of snow on the ground, our photographs just don’t feel like winter?  Other times there may be just a thin layer of powder on the ground yet an image can have the sense we are looking into a snow globe.

There is a bit of a trick I learned on a trip to Vermont several years back.  There needs to be snow on the trees.  Snowflakes settling atop the boughs of trees give us the feeling of fresh snow.  We may not consciously think of it but this light layer on tops of branches, pine cones and other areas of trees only typically lasts a short time.  Photos that include this element remind us of a fresh snow storm.

This photo was captured by Lissa during one of our “spring” trips to Yosemite.  We had several years of snowy spring weather during visits to the Valley.  It snowed all night and just into the morning before this image was recorded.  A few snowflakes streak in front of the lens.  Although a color image, there is a decidedly monochrome feel to this image captured from atop the bridge near our campsite.  Spring break is a great time to visit Yosemite…just remember to bring a jacket!