OSWEGO COUNTY – The deep winter chill arrived a little later than usual this year, but when it did arrive, it came with great gusto.
Day after day of lake effect squalls mixed with several storms approaching from the south have blanketed Oswego County with a deep snowpack. The almost constant precipitation of the last few weeks has kept the Sun hidden from view much of the time, with just an occasional break in the clouds allowing it’s angular rays to reach the snowy surface.
To a photographer, the winter’s light is a fleeting but thrilling opportunity to capture the altered landscape of the season. The low angle of the Sun during the cold months creates dramatic illumination that renders the features of the land and water in a unique manner.
The transformation of water into ice often creates beautiful sculptures in a most organic form. Thawing, dripping and refreezing leads to a constantly changing product, one that captures light in an intriguing manner. Timing is all important in photographing these temporary scenes, as the brief period of benevolent light can often quickly be obscured by gathering clouds, often those associated with another snowfall.
It is easy to get caught up in the seemingly endless chores of winter. Plowing, snowblowing , shoveling and salting become a mundane routine as the lake effect machine shifts into high gear, and we all grow weary of these repetitive tasks as the winter wears on.
I hope that a moment or two spent enjoying these images of winter’s illumination lightens the load of the dark, cold season and helps you find joy in the beauty that is sometimes hidden. Hidden until the moment that the clouds part, and the rays of the sun appear and remind us that no winter lasts forever.
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