Trees – Different Isn't Wrong, It's Just Different

Another year has almost come to an end. Hard to believe 2018 is almost over. My time for photography has been limited this year and my time for writing has been even less. (Something to work on for 2019, making more time for both.) As I was pondering whether or not to show my favorite images for 2018, I wondered if there were more than a handful as I had only wandered through the nearby parks a few times. But those few times I knew I had to work hard and really make my time count. To my surprise, while browsing through my Lightroom catalog of images for 2018, many I was quite pleased with. Each year there is a different theme to my photography and at first I thought it was all about trees, white and red this year. However, as I discovered images that I had forgotten about, two themes came to mind. One, I was looking for peace, for which I hope you see as I did when the images were made and still see today. Two, I was pushing myself to be creative. With little time in the field this year, I was usually chasing a moment, when nature’s show would be for a short time, as little as a fleeing moment, making me work hard to catch it. Whether a wet snow in early spring or an early wet snow in autumn. One week it was full autumn splendor and just a week later the trees had snow clinging to them. The morning I photographed the snow-covered red maple trees, it was before I had to be at my day job. I had about 35 minutes to make images. Three from that morning made it into this gallery.

So as we say goodbye to 2018, I hope you enjoy seeing my favorite images of 2018!

View From Behind the Storm That Had Been a Tornado in Pella, IA

Abstract Reflection Snow Covered Branches

Welcome Spring? The calendar says it is officially spring, yet Father Winter wasn’t quite ready to call it quits yesterday in Iowa. Or was Mother Nature just not quite ready to wake up? Maybe Mother Nature was giving me one more opportunity to make some winter images of the bare trees and snow. Last month we had a beautiful wet snow, but it didn’t last. I had plans to meet another photographer, but unfortunately I was under the weather and had to cancel and by the time I was well enough to go out and shoot, the snow was gone. I was disappointed as I had been wanting to meet up with this photographer for some time and was afraid it was my last opportunity for some winter photos with snow.

Sitting inside watching the rain turn to snow, the wet snowflakes were floating from the sky, so delicate and pretty. Enjoying the beautiful quiet snowfall, I suddenly realized that Mother Nature was giving me one more opportunity to make some winter images. Wearing a pair of light lounge pants didn’t stop me from slipping on my lace up snow boots, not bothering to tie the laces mind you, grabbing my camera and winter coat and head outside. My motto is you can always find beautiful images in your own yard, traveling far distances is not a requirement for photography. You just have to learn to see. My battery was almost drained, even my spare was almost drained. Nevertheless, I shot several images until the battery was completely drained. Before heading outside I started to charge my spare battery. I came inside and changed batteries, albeit the spare had only been briefly charging.

Though my time could have been shooting macro images in my yard, I recalled how photographing my favorite tree in the nearby local park dressed in white still hadn’t been made this winter. Quickly changing my macro lens to my 50 mm lens, grabbing my keys and cleaning snow and ice off my small SUV, I went to the park still dressed in my light lounge pants and untied boots. In haste to go to the park, a key piece of landscape photography gear was left at home, my tripod. So an image of my favorite tree dressed in white would have to wait til next winter. Quickly coming up with a Plan B, making abstract images using the ICM (intentional camera movement) technique came to mind. A technique I learned while living in Arizona and have had much fun using, but haven’t used since moving to Iowa. The photographer I had planned to meet a few weeks prior, has been making some beautiful images with this technique and my desire to use this technique had been on my mind. While some say “Oh it’s just a blurry photo anyone can do that”, it takes knowledge of getting the shutter speed long enough, but not too long and composition.

The softness of the images portray Father Winter’s gentle side and the delicateness of yesterday’s snow. Even a few images that are just a bit soft were still to my liking and are shown in the gallery below and you may click on any image to see a larger view. Welcome Spring? The snow will be gone later today, at least in the far southeast part of Iowa and signs of spring once again will start to show.