Fooling Around

Grasses in Winter

During our recent aurora trip, we typically spent the daytime exploring the winter landscape around where we were staying - a chance to get out and get some exercise, and occasionally find some pictures. The middle of the day was normally not the ideal time for photography, however, and I often didn't even carry a camera.  So when we stumbled onto this cluster of frozen grasses, I wasn't prepared: But I liked it so much that I came back - with camera - a few hours later.

One of my companions dismissed the scene as being too "artsy" - a cliche - but I always enjoy playing with the pure design, composing pictures using only the most basic of visual tools : line and shape.  My friend Steve and I spent half an hour playing here (there's no other word for it) until the setting sun sent deep tree shadows across the area, and the cold drove us back toward the lodge.

Is it Art?  Who knows?  But it was a half hour spent quite happily in Nature, and for that I'm always grateful. If it hadn't been 35 below zero, I could easily have spent all day here.

Nikon D3, 24-70mm lens