Winter at the Grove 668

This image is pure winter - the low angle of the Sun works very well, and I think that the very dark trees do too!

Really interesting John. the shadows are definitely a key component of the overall composition. There's an interesting play on 'level' because the 'horizon' (line between snow and tree mass) is tilted, tree trunks in the center are vertical, and trees on either side are tilting out, so there is no single orientation that will make everything appear level.

I really like that the trees form a mostly dark mass, yet the large image preserves just enough tonal variation to see the depth of this scene. Nicely seen

This looks very much like what came to my mind in thinking about this topic, John. This view shows off the long tree shadows very well. I'm also interested in the the shadows are quite strong, yet the sky looks to be mildly overcast. The larger version shows off the details very nicely and lets the little saplings add some good foreground interest.

The starkness of a bright winter day in the woods shines here, John. This makes me want to stand perfectly still and see if I can here the footsteps of a deer or the flutter of a titmouse or woodpecker's wings. It's not easy to both preserve and tame the extreme contrast in a scene like this. I think the contrast has been preserved well, but you have to work a bit to see detail in the trees. On my monitor, I have to eliminate the bright background around the image to make out the differences in the dark tones. So I would call this an accurate portrayal of the scene; Just as we might have to squint, or hold up our hands to block some of the bright light in nature, the dark details in this image are best viewed in a darker environment. I think it would work well surrounded by a black mat.

Great use of the shadows, John. I wouldn't mind a slight crop from the top to eliminate that tiny bit of flare up there. Nicely done!