Winter solitude
by Matsuo Basho

Winter solitude–
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.

Winter for photographers is like it is for everyone….cold and forbidding. Nature doesn’t provide winter with the eye-popping floral displays of spring or the autumnal leaf displays that are so famous in New England. But winter carries its own serene beauty that we photographers can capture with a little persistence and preparation.

I took this from an elevated parking structure that became victim to a downtown renovation last year. The wind was howling and I struggled to keep the camera still and my fingers warm while taking this time exposure to capture the lines of the headlights.

The reflections of the bridge formation in the water provide the illusion of fully formed circles with each circle displaying its own unique reflection.

Aren’t these guys beautiful? They were at the far side of the corral and as I parked my car they came running over probably expecting I had treats. They were disappointed.

This is the Mountain View cemetery in Shrewsbury, which like many in New England, is connected to the founding church in town. It is the resting place of some of Massachusetts’ most prominent early citizens including Artemus Ward, a 1748 Harvard graduate, a delegate to the Continental Congress and the first Commander of the Patriot Army.

On this day the wind was gusting to 30 mph and blowing new snow across the road as a late afternoon sun lit up the snow crystals. You’ll notice a car’s headlights in the distance as the driver makes his/her way warily through challenging conditions.

Of course, this really isn’t the tundra, but it looked and felt like it. This person skiing into the frame provides context for the image and really makes the photograph.

I shot this image a few years ago aside the Charles River in Boston and it’s always been one of my favorites.

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Frank

Shrewsbury, MA