Minneapolis Photographer Mitch Rossow presents daily photos of Minneapolis. Cityscapes, People & Perspectives: Mitch explains composition and techniques.
Remember way back in the fall when I said that you better enjoy the colors because soon there will be only one? Well, here you go. This photo is from about the same area. It’s not black & white, well, at least I didn’t remove the color.
The land without color is now in full swing. Living here at this time brings out the sensitivity for subtlety. It’s like going from being a sugar junkie to a wine connoisseur. Winter brings a palette of softness and fine details. A quick glance for something striking will come back empty, but taking a moment to look across a frozen landscape will reveal the marvel of nature, not only to remain beautiful, but to survive.
What caught my eye here were the islands and the far shore. I love how they get less visible as they recede. I was trying to get a view through the trees without climbing through the snow when I realized that instead of getting the trees out of the way, I could plop one dead-center. This is usually something that I go to great lengths to avoid. Dead-center subjects are usually a compositional snoozer, but the tree isn’t the subject, the shorelines are. By placing that tree right in the middle, it grabs your attention right away. But then you see the shores and try to see around the tree. I find it comical that when I look at this picture I keep swaying my head from side to side trying to see around the tree.
More subtlety is on it’s way today, but supposedly only a couple of inches.
Very striking. I agree with your comments completely. The spare color and composition removes all the distractions, leaving your attention on the details. These B&W (or nearly so) winter photos have a great minimalist beauty.
Thanks for your comment just now. To answer your question: I use a Canon 5D. The lens used for today’s pic was a Canon 24-105 mm L IS USM. That’s my every day lens.
Winter is a great time for these almost B&W pics. But I find this to be tricky at times when the snow can be too bright resulting in washed out pics or way too dark.
Even though I love Fall colours I must confess that I also love the look and feel of winter. Of course, that isn’t to say that I’d like to be anywhere near that picture!
Absolutely beautiful shot. Not that I am wishing to photograph the beauty of snow or anything….
I like the simplicity of this. Sometimes, less is more.