by janice on February 3, 2011
A collection of small compositions, some horizontal…some vertical…some diagonal, and some random. I tried to balance the warm and cool tones in each collage for interest. It was very sunny this morning, but after not too long, my fingers were still cold in my thin gloves. I love the many ‘colours of blue’ that appear depending on whether you are in sun or shadow.
It was so bright that over exposure was a problem each time I opted for a wide aperture. But I like the blown out whites in the photo of my dog. They focus the attention on her face. She loves to be outside in the snow.
The sky was just a flat blue backdrop…not very interesting, so I looked for little ‘thumbnails’ of interest. Bark, berries, buds and buried flower pots.
Looking up, looking down. Up to my knees in snow.
by janice on January 31, 2011
Just having a little fun with some very nasty icicles hanging from my roof outside the back door. They range between 2 and 3 ft. long…I should remove them before one of the dogs gets hurt. It was bitterly cold this morning but the sun was shining through these crystal daggers and so I was enticed outside to photograph these ‘temporary stalactites’.
Back inside my nice warm house, I converted them to b/w, added a colour filter and played with the levels to create a more abstract image. I like the way the ridges created by the water as the icicles formed resulted in neat swirly reflections.
They are really quite vicious, these sparkling glass knives. Dangerous fragile beauties.
My fingers were quickly frozen, –16 plus the added wind-chill, so I only ventured to the edge of the patio for this image of the abandoned bench. It will be awhile yet before anyone sits there.
by janice on January 12, 2011
Is there beauty to be found in the winter garden… in a landscape dominated by a blanket of white? The garden seems to lie still, peacefully slumbering until the arrival of spring. Quiet, cold, bright, abandoned…
Suddenly the garden palette has changed from the predominance of greens to bright whites and strong contrasts. Shapes become the focus and colour becomes an accent in the form of trees and buildings. Remove the green backdrop and the landscape has a spare, somewhat graphic appearance.
The colour temperature of the landscape can really influence how we feel about the image. This first image below has a cool tone and is not very inviting. It was actually minus 20 with the wind chill that day. My fingers were frozen.
Then I added a warm filter to the image and it is much more inviting. Something to think about when you’re pouring over travel brochures for ski vacations.
In addition to the evergreen trees and shrubs there were still a few dried flower heads and grasses to add some colour to the landscape. The golden overlapping petals of the hop seed cone were quite lovely, and the soft waving grasses were very appealing.
Yes, the winter garden can beautiful.
