“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
― John Ruskin

The last week of December, 2016 was simply stunning. A soft, continuous snowfall had blanketed the world around me in pure white. Snow stacked up on objects that, surprisingly, bore its weight. Such was the case with this Staghorn Sumac in the meadow just north of my home. I decided a mid-morning walk with my camera was in order. The light was soft and bright, reflecting from the snow-covered ground, providing nice shadow fill. This reflected light, made the sumac berries glow in bright reds, which contrasted wonderfully with the purity of the snow that formed caps on each cluster. All that’s missing here is a perching bird of some sort.

As I consider the image, I’m also pleased with the background colours: the pinky-reds of the Red-Osier Dogwoods in the at the bottom of the frame and the darker greens of the pines at the top, both slightly muted by the snow.

Today, we’re in a post thaw cold snap. All the soft snow in this image has melted down to a gray crust. I’m looking forward to the next snowfall to cover that up and brighten the winter once more.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 110 mm
1/80 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100

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