Two Winter Trees

First I posted Lonely Tree, now I'm posting Two Winter Trees. I'm moving up slowly. Anyway, this picture was taken the same day I photographed the Lonely Tree series. It was a beautiful, bright January day. The only problem was the icy northwest wind that made my forays outside of the cab short and hurried. The good thing was that when I sat in the truck to warm up I could look around and plan my next photographs.

When I photographed Two Winter Trees I had actually stopped to take a picture of some grain bins (coming soon). As I was warming my hands in the truck, I noticed the two trees and the dramatic sky behind them. The low winter sun casts strong shadows, which only added to the scene. Shooting directly into the sun is not something I do often. In this case I did it because it helped to complete the story.

Finally the big question: Do you like the colour or black and white version? When I took the picture I was thinking black and white. The elements of the photograph that interested me, the lines of the tree, the drama in the sky, the texture of the snow, and the dramatic shadows, usually work well in black and white. This time, however, my vote goes to the colour version. The subtle orange yellow light cast by the late-day sun contributes to the power of the scene – it makes it “pop” as photographers like to say.

Nikon D750 w. Nikon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6