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Wonders in Winter
February 2007
When snow and ice come to a landscape, there are always new and different forms they create. We can’t explain why those brilliant white areas take the shapes they do, but they produce a sense of wonder as revealed in this month’s photographs. Our cover photograph is a remarkably sensitive image of snow on the ground of two hills, with the lines of a bare trees or bushes rising to the sky. The photographer is Eileen Camuto, and the title of the photograph is “Capturing the Moment.” Its beauty is in its simplicity.
In the beginning of the portfolio we have on the left side of the double page spread an image by the photographer, Al Alexsa, this time called “Water Weeds.” There are spots of white snow on the surface of the weeds, creating a lovely texture. Above, there is a blue sky with a few clouds drifting by. And there is a tinge of pink in the clouds suggesting that the photograph was taken in the late afternoon. On the opposite page there is a very different photograph of snow on evergreen branches. Entitled “Last Snow on Evergreen” by Ramona L. Banks, the forms flow in different directions with the spots of white snow accumulating in several parts of the image.
On the left side of the next spread, there is a photograph called “Frozen Pods” by Richard Bruner. There are four pods in the image, and they are arranged in a fine composition—with two of them facing upward, and the other two facing sideways in opposite directions. In the background there is a soft image of light and shadows seen in the snow on the ground. On the right side of the spread there is a scene of a lake with a snow-covered hill in the background. The photograph is called “Winter on the River” and is by Eileen Camuto. The reflections in the water and the lines of trees in the middle and on top of the hill create an unusual pattern.
Next we have “Winter on the Peterskill” by Herb Chong, which shows the still water of a creek, with snow on both sides. The reflections in the water create a striking contrast to the solid land. On the right there is an intriguing composition in “Twig Fingers” by Lliam Greguez. It is a detail of unusually shaped icicles hanging from branches, with some large rocks below. The icicles seem like long containers for the twigs inside, which are barely visible.
We end with a remarkably creative image called “Edge of Ice” by Robert Near, which could well have been an etching. There seem to be skillfully created curved lines against a black background below and a white background above. The composition of the different lines created by nature was skillfully captured by the photographer.
—David Finn
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