So here I am again, blogging like I said I would.  This morning was one of those mornings when I feel like kicking myself because it is so gorgeous when I get in the car and the whole time I am thinking, why didn't I bring my camera?  Where I live, it is always a scenic drive to and from wherever I am going, but this morning was extra special.  The Hoar frost was thick and white on the trees creating a frosty wonderland.  In addition, we have finally escaped the grip of the polar vortex that had us locked up inside for nearly a week.

Having missed the opportunity to catch the Hoar frost at its peak, I was determined to try to do something with the last vestiges of it this afternoon in my continuing quest to make images of things not human.  What I discovered was the magic of the falling Hoar frost as it dropped from the trees and settled on the ground.  It is almost like snow, but not quite.  The crystalline quality is far more rare than the look of snow.  So, I grabbed my camera, and away I went.   The sunlight and shadows were exquisite, creating unique textural qualities of white on white.  

What I discovered in post-production is probably something landscape photographers are already aware of.  There is something wonderful about the freedom to express the landscape and the natural world in a way that is different from the world of portraiture.  There is no demand to make someone else comfortable; to schedule around the life of another person and to try to get them to do what you want them to do in front of the camera (or to make them feel comfortable enough to feel natural).  These are all things I like to do; things that I am good at.  However,  there is a freedom that resembles meditation in the process of photographing nature.  

In my short walk around my property,  I was struck by the absolute beauty of where I live. My collection of images is meditative.  My favorite is the image of the road- something I see every day as I come and go, but don't always stop to look at.  You can actually see the mist created by the falling of the Hoar frost and the reflection of the sun.   It is not the first time I have admired its beauty, but the feelings are different with the passing of the seasons.  Winter is clean here.  There is no mud created by the passing of cars and the addition of salt.  There is no hustle and bustle.  There is just the whisper of the wind, the footprints of the squirrel and the deer, the warm glow of the sunshine and the laughter of my children as they go down the hills on their sled and ice skate on the pond on a warm winter day.