“Sunshine beamed between the plantation pines, making the snow-laden branches glow with an ethereal light against the dark tree trunks.” – Ed Lehming

As I continue with my early December series of images, I remain amazed at the seemingly endless beauty of that day. Scenes shift from bright white trails to images like this, still bright, but contrasted with the darker parts of the forest.

One of the things that made these shots possible was the time of day, mid-morning, that I went out hiking. I had set out earlier in hopes of catching the new-fallen snow at its prime. That decision also provided me with wonderful light, which casts long shadows across the forest floor. It also allowed for images like this, where the low sun shone through the forest and lit up the snow covered branches with a soft back-light.

In this image, the dense forest dominates most of the image but is balanced by bright sunshine in the background, something you would not get in an afternoon shot. The whole scene is calming and beckons me to enter deeper into the experience.

iPhone 12 Pro @ 4.2mm
1/353 sec, f/2.0, ISO 25