Winter in my Neck of the Woods.

...especially right after a snowfall. Thank you for looking.

I like the branches going in all directions. Beautiful shot !!

A quiet winter scene that conjures up thoughts of a fire in the fireplace and a soft chair. Very nice.

Hi Kim, thanks for a lovely note on one of my pics. I love winter scenes these days cuz we have no snow here in northern california. I also admire anyone who takes on the challenge of portraying white snow, and you've done a really fine job with its tones here. Not sure what to make of the flow of the branches, i am searching for a central point but don't find one, but that's just my personal taste i think.

Claude,CJ and Ben for dropping by and taking the time out of your busy day to write your thoughts on this. Ben I think you nailed it when you wrote that you were looking for a central point and there is not one but more than one element I think are interesting in this shot. One, the old fence and it's diagonal flow and two, the big ol' tree and it's dark bark against a mostly white background. I also played up the contrast in the evergreen at the right. It was one of those magical walks in the aftermath of a snowfall when every single twig has snow on it and I was trying to get this feeling across in this image. I appreciate your comment, it made me think out loud.

Hi Kim, I am in northern California too,and miss it from young days in germany.You bring it so well,I like to walk right into it.I like how You show the part of the dark tree stem,that makes every thing around so mysterious.

Hi Alexandra ! Thanks for your kind words. Winter is something we miss when we have not experienced it for a while. I would not know that feeling. We are blessed with the four seasons up here in the North and so far this winter has not been a cold one so I am grateful for that.

 

I tried something a little different to create the tone. I placed a rich yellow layer underneeth and then adjusted the opacity of the photo layer on top to around 90%. It worked better than playing around with the Hue and Saturation and brought out a little more depth and shadows.

The toning you did is a great idea. I feel the trunk as central focal point. The branches are like icy hands either pulling you in or holding you back. The fence is an added bonus. I'm jealous of your winter wonderland.

Hi Leann! I'm glad you like my winter wonderland. I went out as soon as it stopped snowing and am I ever glad I did. I had to crop out some of the branches because there was a house I didn't want in the composition. The toning idea sure worked well in this mostly B/W image. Thanks for stopping by, I always love to get your feedback.

Nice idea of toning; quite different angle of view.

 

Regards...

Great tones. This would make a wonderful Christmas card - very classy!

Pulok and Kim. Your comments are most welcome.

Kim, the pattern of the branches is good, sweepinhg round to the bottom left and the line carried on by the fence. Good composition and atmosphere. I wish we had a bit more of your snow here!

Colin, thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you like it. A nice pat on the back from across the pond is comforting. Gee, I wish I could send you some snow but we are having a stange winter this year, it snows then it rains and it melts down. It is warmer than usual this winter. It's supposed to get up to 8C this weekend in the Montreal area.

Kim, very nice image. IMO the anchor is the dark trunk on the left 1/3, and it holds nicely the whole omposition, as the eye go's first to the darkest point. well seen, Pnina

Great shot! I like it.

 

Compliments Kim!

Pnina for understanding the composition, the trunk was the only thing with any colour to it as well. I value your opinion and I am enjoying your Mali series very much. It is outstanding!

 

Conte, for your nice comment.

I agree with Pnina. Your eye is immediately drawn to the darkest point here, after which you start exploring the rest of the photo. I also like how the fence breaks the white field in the bottom part and adds an extra point of interest.