“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert

This is one of my images made the last week of December. Conditions were ideal to be out on the trails, light was soft and warm, and the temperatures were comfortable. As I was on a few week’s vacation, I spent a lot of time on the trails, enjoying the wonderful sights and sounds, making images along the way.

We’d also been blessed with what I can only refer to as “Christmas Snow”. You know, the kind of snow that falls gently and sticks to everything? Generally, this kind of snow soon melts off as the temperatures increase slightly, or get blown off the branches by wind. However, this December, the snow stuck around and remained relatively pristine.

If you follow this blog on a regular basis, you will have noticed a lot of images with white and orange subjects. This post is no exception. It’s a combination that I suppose I had not noticed before. Perhaps the unique conditions late last year made it more pronounced? Perhaps my ability to see it shifted? I’m not sure, but I am happy to see this and be able to capture it to share with you.

The image above is a bunch of maples keys, still attached to the tree. I’m not 100% sure, but given this trait, I would expect it to be a Manitoba Maple, a local variety of quick-growing, soft maples, deemed ‘weed’ trees by some. You can see the snow clinging to the delicate branches, the keys shining in the soft sunlight. It just felt very peaceful, that quiet morning not so long ago.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 180 mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/EdLehming
or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com