Snowy Day + 2

The snow may have looked a bit gray in the original post so I did a version here with it a little whiter. It seemed like it was kind of gray to me when shooting but maybe this one is closer to what it should be. Thanks! Nick

I think both work very nicely, but I do prefer the slightly brighter re-post. There are three small black spots in the ice just left of the larger portion of the bank, and another in the snow a bit to the left of the bush that grab my eye. They would be easy to clone. The mood is wonderful, and I can almost feel the quietness in your nice composition.

Nice work, Nick!

--P

Real nice peaceful winter scene. Love the falling snow. I like the brighter snow too. 

Harley and Preston, Thanks guys! I agree with you both that the brighter snow works better. 
Preston, I think you are right about those few darker spots as well. I will clone those out. Thanks for the suggestions! Nick

I am really liking the quiet mood in this one, Nick. The faster SS captured the snow perfectly and set the table for the scene. While both are nice I think the repost with the whiter snow is the way to go. Beautiful work.

Ed

Nick,

So that's how one catches snow flakes with a camera?  I've been failing in that department. ;-)

There is most definitely a feeling and portrayal of quiet here; snow falling so gently and a silence in the woods.  Both versions work for me and only really alter the mood slightly.  The slightly brighter one is slightly more "cheery" and bright, but both still conveye that peace and quiet.

I actually thinking about a crop here?  There's a panoramic look to this with both the extended branch up top as well as the open, dark areas in the snow.  Just as an alternate, a small crop could work. Not sure if that would be an improvement though.

A lovely winter scene.

Lon

The actual falling snow is very nice, Nick. It gives this image an evocative mood. I also prefer the repost. 

I think I prefer the repo, not only because of the snow's brightness, but also because of the slightly warmer wb it seems to have. I like the compositional "stepping stones" that the tree, the bush, and cracks in the ice form together. The diagonal is what makes this picture for me.

I like this mostly for it's originality. It's not a cliche composition and therefore takes more of your attention. You often like to include branches coming in from the side of a frame and you do so here as well with great effect. I believe the point of the image is to makes us feel the magic of falling snow. I don't know if that can ever be captured on film but I believe that most of it is due to movement. I would be interested to see images such as this with a slower shutter speed to see if that would work. 

Also i had a harder time last night understanding that the large dark area was water. Initially it seemed to be a rock. I'm wondering if others had the same first impression. 

To Igor's question.  I too thought the dark area on right of center just below the center line was a rock too.  An "anvil" of sorts, or even a bench.  I thought that for a while.  Definitely an optical illusion of sorts.

Very nice image of snow falling in a wooded area. I like the placement of the central shrub. It balances out the entire image with the forest in the background in the water in the foreground.

Super scene Nick!  Very wintry mood.

My only nit might be that it feels tilted to the right a tad. 

Great job! 

Thanks to all of you for your comments and very helpful thoughts on this. I'm always amazed how your comments are so helpful in fine tuning an image.

Igor and Lon, Yes, I can see how one would think that at first or maybe even longer . I guess being there it was easy to tell that it was snow, ice and water, not as easy looking at the picture.

Igor, I tried a couple of longer exposures in a few other scenes I shot but didn't like the effect as well as I did in this one. For some scenes I think the longer exposure could work very well. I have one in mind and if I can find it I will post it below.

Igor, I found the picture I was thinking about after just a short search. I made this one a couple of years ago or so. The shutter speed isn't much longer but you can see the difference that just a little longer seemed to make. Above photo at 1/50 and this one at 1/30. I think the snow was coming down a bit harder in this one and there was more wind blowing as well. Just thought you might like seeing the difference the exposures made. Thanks, Nick

Wonderful, peaceful winter image, Nick.  The form of the dark open water and ice shelf in the foreground provide a nice contrast to the whites of the snow covered ground and the lines of the trees.  Just enough falling snow too.  I do prefer your slightly 'whiter' second post.  Fine work as always.

I really like the feel of this, very peaceful. I could feel the silence you get with a snow fall like this. I like the first image because it feels just a bit moodier. 

Hi  Nick   What a magical  winter scene.!      love all the beautiful elements  of this  delightful  composition.  especially the falling snow..

Albert Darmo
Canada

Thanks for showing me your the slower shutter speed image. I actually like both images. They're really very different. I do think that the original image does capture the magic of snowfall better than the second image, which is a sadder, more morose interpretation of winter.

Hi Nick, thanks for sharing this image full of wintry mood! I spent some time exploring and comparing the two versions, and finally I think the darker one represents the serene atmosphere wonderfully to me. Snow does not necessarily need be to bright white, especially if we want to convey some cold and maybe even inhospitable feel.

Peter

NIck, this is a fine view that most definitely captures that quiet feeling as night approaches in a gentle snow storm.  Your comp. is great with the soft, damp ice being a fine lead into the image and that overhanging branch adding nicely.  The lots of falling snow is the finishing touch of a great story.  I like the original post a hair better, seems (feels??) a bit truer to the mood.

Nick:

I go with the original post as well.  These moody scenes are quite effective, interesting experimenting with the shutter speed and snowfall. I went out one snowy morning in early winter to photograph and saw a intriguing ice scene at a beaver pond and edged down to what appeared to be the ice grounded on the shore...  Fell in to my waist, holding my camera high and handing it to my companion. Eye phone in my pocket got wet but with remedial action survived the experience.  Nice shot!   Thanks for sharing. 

Tom

Vance, Richard, Albert, Igor, Peter, Mark and Tom, Thanks so much guys! Always good getting your thoughts! Nick

I love these subtle images that really grow as I look at them more. Great foreground/background contrast, and the flakes add so much to the mood.

Hi Nick,

This image feels quiet and I enjoy the calming effect it has on my spirit. The shutter speed works great for me as it captures the snow flakes in still motion. The repost works better for me too, and the image works very well in conveying that quiet mood of snow falling in the woods.

John and Ryan, Thanks much guys! Glad it worked for you. Nick