Snow, Red Pines, Banning SP, MN

I made this image on the first of December, last year. Nobody else was out in the woods this day, due to the cold temperatures and the falling snow. Being the typical brainiac that I am, I decided to brave the conditions (the road conditions being the largest concern), and get out anyways. It was a strange day, the woodlands were almost dead silent; the occasional whispering of cold air, and the crunching of my snowshoes were the only sounds I heard. For the most part, the conditions were extremely gray, and didn't exactly inspire (especially when setting up a view camera is necessary to take an image).

When I came to this red pine grove, I decided to try my prospects, for better or worse. I've always liked this place, but had previously failed to produce an image that really communicates the feeling I have here. Beneath these trees, it always seems rather dark and foreboding, even on sunny days. Their spiked trunks don't exactly inspire thoughts of peace and bliss; there's a harshness to them, but I rather appreciate that about these pines. The falling snow, in conjunction with the longish exposure, created a fog-like effect that helped bring some needed sense of mystery to the image. Let me know what you think.

Technicals: Tachihara 4x5, Fujinon 250mm, Fuji Astia 100f, 8 sec. @ f45,

This is a incredible piece of art Joel, the depth of this and the vertical lines make this an amazing image...Well done !!

Joel, this shot says quiet spiritual with Mother Nature. Exceptional shot and worth the effort you put out to get it.

Joel, I think you did an excellent job of capturing and conveying the mood you described. I love going out on days like this as it magnifies my feeling insignificance in the Big picture. The few hints of color; red in the bark, dark green canopy, and tannish dead grass all work together with the grey-tones and white of the snow. Very Cool!

Joel, lovely, very lovely. What's a bit spooky for me is that I have an image very reminiscent of this in the new book....(looking)....check page 35 when you get a copy! I shot mine back in the winter of 2006.....guess I'll have to post it for kicks...!

I love this shot though - your's has a bit more depth than mine and the falling snow it great.
CJ

A superb image Joel. I particularly like the background of trees fading into the snowy landscape. The peacefulness of this will cause a diehard northlander to take pause. I did.

A scene such as this was one of my personal favorites last winter, Joel. I like this with the snow falling in the background, which to me, makes the scene all that much more peaceful. Good work and well worth the time and effort it took!

Wonderful shot! you can almost feel the silence of the forest with this scene, mood and colors. For all those MW nature lovers who have experienced a day like this in the winter woods, this capture brings it all right back. I'm wondering if you intentionally left the foreground trees 'ungrounded' in the composition. I find myself looking at the bottom of the image to see how deep the snow cover is. Like the others who have commented, I'm glad you took the time to set up the shot.

Brian

Joel, you have a real beauty here. I like how there is just a slight bit of color here in an otherwise monotone capture. Also am enjoying the crisp & soft textures. DOF is incredible as well !

Hey thanks for the very kind comments everyone.

Brian, to answer your question, yes, the closest trees were intentionally left "ungrounded". I tend to "see" from a compositional point of view rather than a subject-centric point of view. As such, I felt that people were familiar enough with pine trees to allow them to "fill-in" the missing information. Also, the background trees were carefully placed to fall just above the edge of the frame; in order to show what was not being shown in the foreground. In other words, it was a way to layer the composition and give it more depth, despite the longish lens that was used. I oftentimes believe our greatest challenge is to see familiar subjects in a fresh way. I'm not entirely sure that I succeeded here, but that was part of the intent. Thanks for your question!

Joel, thanks for the reply and taking me through your thought process on the composition. I think you were very successful with your interpretation. I like to ask photographers about their thought processes when composing, especially when a view camera is involved.

Brian

Joel~ i like that very much. it's eerie and mysterious and at the same time, calming. well done!

You can almost feel the solitude.

Joel-

Fantastic.

What strikes me most is how much "longer" using that 250mm seems than my 210mm. I do not get any of that feel with my 210mm.

Great job.