Pin Oaks in Our Back 40
I am always wondering why one thing is different than another. Here are two twin oaks in our back yard planted twenty feet apart. One loses its leaves early, one hangs on to its leaves until new leaves start to emerge. Why … who knows, but I still wonder.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 52mm, f/11, 1/300 sec, ISO 1600
Walking around our back yard, I always look for different perspectives. The weight of the snow on the foreground pine opened up a frame for the background leyland cyprus. We planted these two trees when we first moved into the area to break up the open pasture of our back yard. Fifteen years later they have changed the feeling of our back yard.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 83mm, f/11, 1/170 sec, ISO 1600
The red twig dogwood adds a little color to the cold winter scene in our backyard perennial garden. Of course, when I see red, I shoot. During our walks in our backyard, Karen and I usually stop here and spend a quiet moment or two. The bench is tucked in between shrubs and trees. It is a nice private place in the middle of our wide open area. Each spring I prune the dogwoods down to about 12 inches above the ground. New shoots pop up to create a 5-6 foot bush each year. Along with our winterberries, the dogwood provides a bright red contrast to the winter landscape.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 31mm, f/11, 1/180 sec, ISO 1600
These chairs, which are our Spring, Summer, and Fall hangout in the early mornings and late afternoons, did not look too inviting on this day. Many hours during the year are spent here relaxing and enjoying our backyard pond and stream. I am afraid it will be a while before we will be enjoying them again.
This photo looks like a B&W image, but is not. The winter haze along with the snow and weathered wood of the chairs create the monotone. If you look hard you can see a little color in the trees in the background.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 35mm, f/5.0, 1/300 sec, ISO 1600
My leaning mailbox looks like the weight of the snow is pushing it over. It adds interest without tilting my camera. As I write this post, we are in the middle of a major winter storm. Once over, I will get out and trundle through the snow to get new perspectives of our yard.
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 39mm, f/11, 1/210 sec, ISO 1600
When I see bright color (especially red) contrasted in fresh snow I feel like I have received a gift. These winterberries provide a treat all winter to both to my eyes and the local bird population. Several years ago, we transplanted these out to our perennial garden to be our winter highlight. The three flower supports wait all winter long for our mountain sage to emerge in the spring.
Lesson Remembered: “When You See Red … Shoot!”
Fuji X-T1, XF10-24mm @ 10mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 800
Good Morning America! Looking out our front door, this is what we woke up to yesterday morning. We had a beautiful snowfall overnight. Fresh snow is such a delight, even if it makes getting around difficult. I got up before the snow plows hit the roads and everything was fresh. It was a nice way to start the day. Looking out the back door, we had another nice view.
Fuji X-T1, XF10-24mm @ 10mm, f/5.6, 1/120 sec, ISO 800
Rather than fighting the mess on the roads, we spent the day sitting inside by the fireplace reading books. It was a nice way to spend a winter day!
Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 66mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, ISO 1600
Looking down on a brilliant bed of fallen leaves, I noticed this single geranium bloom soaking up the early morning sun rays. It stood out stretching its neck out to show off its last hurrah. The rest of the plant had withered away preparing for the winter ahead. I will have to wait until the end of May to catch its first bloom of the new year.