“Warming days and foggy mornings bring back familiar paths, but new and unexpected scenes emerge from the mists, drawing me forward, revealing their wonder.” – Ed Lehming

I find myself between misty and foggy scenes and those of deep cold, but that is the nature of late winter around here. It can be bright and cheerful one day and bitterly cold the next. These changes in temperature also bring changes in the forest. In places, the snow recedes and brings back memories of golden autumn days, the ground littered with leaves and filled with the sweet scent of loam.

Yet, the revelation is slow and measured, showing only so much. In the distance, thick fog hangs on the trail, hinting at something yet to be discovered and beckoning me forward.

The image I chose conveys some of this transformation. The ground is covered with leaves compressed by the winter’s snow fall; above, the slender branches still seem to hold the cold of winter in their teal tones and softness; ahead, the trail disappears in the bright glare of fog and snow. It’s like standing in a transition of seasons; a few steps forward brings me back to winter whites and a step back puts me back to the promise of spring.

I really enjoy these ‘transition’ areas because of the visual variety they provide me and the symbolism of change that they represent. I often find myself standing in these places for long periods of time, looking forward and looking around me, enjoying the transformation that they represent, because that too will change as the seasons continue to advance.

iPhone 12 Pro @ 6.0mm
1/122 sec, f/2.0, ISO 50