In the bleak mid winter

[mammarazzi]

Usk, Monmouthshire this time a year ago.....what a difference a year makes, today was mild with blue skies.

[GrahamH]

Really like the first one (telegraph pole to the left?). 2nd is nice as well, but not as good.
Lovely stuff.
Still waiting for the first big snows in my area as well (Toronto).
Graham

[Donald]

Really like the first one (telegraph pole to the left?). 2nd is nice as well, but not as good.

That would be my overall conclusion as well. I think the line of trees at the bottom in the second one, cut off that bottom right segment to some degree. They don't give a line that takes us into the picture. Whereas the trees starting at the bottom right of the first one provide a gorgeous line through the image. And then you've got the lovely lines provided by the hedges (running up from bottom left and from the tress along the horizon to the right-hand edge)

[Geoff F]

I'm wondering about cropping the second shot a bit tighter, Joanne. Possibly removing around half the tree in the bottom left corner and a corresponding amount from the sky.

I'm not sure but I suspect that 'moving the house' slightly closer to the left edge would give more 'depth' to the scene.

Incidentally, I have been sorting through my photos of last winter to try to find something for this year's cards and calendar. We had nearly half an inch of snow on one day last year, and that only lasted a few hours. The slush plus added rain did then freeze for more than a week but there wasn't anything worth photographing.

But I am in the 'extreme south'.

[dave keeley]

Iwould consider cropping out as much of the sky in both images as it is flat an unintersting, then I believe you will have a better composition with the pronounced diagonal lines particularly in the first image

[Reynold Mainse]

How about this look? Cropped, a few gradients, increased blacks a little, increase Exposure, de-noised it



Maybe it should be converted to B&W.
Very nice picture - Keep shooting and sharing
reynold

[JohnC]

Don't speak too soon Lol..Lovely scenes.

[GrahamH]

Nice explanation Donald. it helps me when someone can explain WHY it works for them Something I am still working on. I know WHAT I like, but not always WHY.
Graham
9btw, my wife likes original number 2 - go figure)

[Kathy O]

Really like ths photo (#2) the first thng I thought of was "This photo reminds me of an old Fashioned Christmas Card" . . . A place I would like to be at Christmas time!! I think when you can look at a photo and wish you were there, and keep looking at it and fnd yourself daydreamng then it is a really good photo!

[jupiterlush]

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", we don't have winter in the Philippines so I guess I'll just enjoy looking at these pictures. Is it really as white as that?

[Kris V]

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", we don't have winter in the Philippines so I guess I'll just enjoy looking at these pictures. Is it really as white as that?

No Winter at all? Lucky you!