Monday, January 28, 2008

The River in Winter


The river in winter is as interesting as or more interesting than in summer. The snow, ice and monochrome palette of the winter needs something to offer some contrast. Any open water offers something. Most of the rivers here freeze solid, even the mighty Mississippi. The Trempealeau River usually freezes over (well it has been in the three winters I have visited the area). This year I find that it has a ribbon of water follows it’s course through the snow.

Add in the way the ice creates a rough edge and it is something to photograph.

I went out to the river for daybreak on Saturday. I had hopes for some color in the clouds that I might pick up in the river, but the sky was heavy overcast. I still thought the image was there and waited. The sky stayed gray. There was no color.

As light of morning rose I made a few images of the ribbon of a river in the world of winter. I am still not sure how the chromes will turn out but I like how the digital snapshot did. There might more potential in an image here than I first thought.

You may expect a frozen river in the winter in this part of the country but this time I found a river in winter.

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