Snow on the Trees

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The winter weather just never stops here in Charlotte it seems like. A couple of weekends ago, we had an ice storm roll through town. There was almost 2 inches of ice on the ground. It looked okay. I was able to get some pretty cool shots. It has actually been a few years since we have had real winter in Charlotte. We have had some flurries, but we have had a few warm winters for the last couple of years. Now for the second weekend in a row we have had winter weather. This time we got some of the good stuff, and by good stuff I mean snow. It snowed about 2 inches. It was just enough to change the landscape. I took these shots right in my backyard. We have this giant Magnolia Tree. A Magnolia Tree is unique because it has leaves on it all year around. In the spring it has these giant blooms on it, and in the fall, it produces these cone-like fruits. The tree can actually handle the extra weight from the snow because its limbs will bend, but they will not break. It is cool that it has leaves all year around, but on the flip side leaves fall off of it year around as well. We are constantly having to clean up the leaves most of the year.

For Christmas I bought myself a polarize camera filter. Using a polarizing filter can increase color saturation in your images by reducing reflections from water, glass, leaves, and other non-metal surfaces. In the end, it helps produce more clear photos. It’s one of many ways I am trying to improve my craft this year. You can click here to check it out. If you get a polarizer lens, just make sure it fits your camera. You can find the correct size on the front of your camera lens.