Winter Beauty

Winter is hitting a lot of us really hard this year. Harder than it has for a long, long time. I know I've cussed it out my fair share! But there is a certain tranquility in winter that I find intoxicating. I really enjoy the snow, ice, and cold if everything is just right.

Saturday everything pretty much fell into place in that regard. the winds were calm, the clouds were absent, and the sun was shining with a force that hinted at spring to come. In times like these I relish a cross country ski in the Green Belt. The Green Belt is rarely used for XC skiing, and to me, that makes it even better. Today I was rewarded with fresh snow unmarked by humans for well over a week.

The smooth snow was punctuated by the comings and goings of many deer, but other than that, I was busting new trail again. Fun! Besides the primo ski conditions, I was out to find some good photo opportunities, and I found plenty of those Saturday.

The stark contrasts of blindingly white snow, dark trees and shadows just screams black and white photography to my mind. So I almost always try to get some B&W work in at this time of year.

Now mind you- I don't even know what I am doing with my camera, and I am no photographer. That said, I find these shots satisfying to me. I guess that all that matters, but I figured I would show them off anyway. See what you all think! In the end, it just makes for a peaceful, stress free time and helps to make winter a whole lot more palatable. And hey! I can call it training too! Even better.

By the way, you can click on the pics to make them ginormous!