Minimalism

I like minimalism in photography. 

The definition according to Wikipedia: a type of photography that is distinguished by extreme austere simplicity. It focuses on the smallest number of objects in the composition process.

The simplicity is left up to the photographer of course to interpret. 

I always felt that I needed to drive to the river, or to some other place to get a minimal type of photo. 
My dream shot would be a single oak tree in a long open field. It would be encased in fog or perhaps a snow storm. Early morning with shadows or late evening.

Stark. Black and white.

Well. I don't have the luxury at the moment to just drive around looking for that perfect shot. So I think by forcing myself to try and find it within walking/snowshoeing distance from the house would be an excellent challenge.

The crows that I 'shot' earlier this week sort of set me on this course.

The crow shot: 

I'd also taken a photo of Queen Anne's Lace which I edited from this:

to this:

Saturday morning I set out with the intent of really getting minimal. I mean a shot that would not need  any edits at all, other than perhaps a color edit to black and white.

This was the place I choose to experiment. I put on snowshoes and goggles and carried my glasses until I got here. 
This is the Meadow east of us with all its weeds, lumps, and bumps. Getting  a tree isolated in this land is ... well impossible.

And I put the battery in my Oly and set to 'work'. Actually, I started looking around and basically got lost in the moment. Well, perhaps I should say moments. I just kept wandering about carefully trying not to make tracks where I might find something awesome.

Finding Queen Anne's Lace isolated was hard! But I kept looking and trying different angles. 
I was happy enough to get this one that was still holding some snow.

And then I got distracted by these fellows...

Looks like they'd been out playing in the snow too! Gosh, weren't they cold???

I kept hunting and hunting. I wanted to find something very small. I kept looking at milkweeds, Queen Anne's Lace, small tufts of brown grass, and thorny wild bushes. I was going to give up when I glanced down.

It isn't much but it was exactly what I had in mind. A photo of almost nothing surrounded by white glaring snow and slight dips where shadows are.

Then I found this stick while hiking back towards the farm.  An oak branch blown down by the winds casting a shadow.

When I came up through the pastures where the winds had blown hard I found patterns in the snow. It reminded me of sand dune patterns.

I really struggle sometimes with the color and whiteness of snow. The two shots above were taken with 'snow' settings on my little point and shoot. 

Snow color is supposed to be 'white' with grey shadows.

In some light it seems more yellow/red/orange if the sun is just rising. Midday? It can cast bluish shadows to my eyes and grey shadows at other times.

I think I will struggle with that forever. 

However, if I am editing to black and white it won't matter much.

That's my story, and I am stickin' to it.