Reflections of

More photos from my recent wintry visit to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, including the nearby Kenilworth Park.  

Off-season at Kenilworth

I've been to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens many times over the years when the water lilies and lotus are in full bloom in the heat of summer.  Now I've been there in the cold of winter and while perhaps less dramatically showy, it was still a beautiful spot and without the gross hot humidity and without the crowds.  A welcome boost to a week of the winter blahs.

Seeing in Black & White

I've only dabbled in black and white photography over the years, mostly from way back when I was taking darkroom classes and only printed in black and white.  This photo was from my snowy walk last month up in Maryland and it is the first time I've ever won anything for a B&W -- a third place in a photo club competition!  

Earlier this week I sat in on a talk about black and white photography earlier sponsored by a different photo club, the first in a series of five.  There is something very satisfying about stripping out distractions and focusing on the simplicity of a B&W image.  Light, shape, texture, form, composition.  

It's silly but I keep thinking about the less literal meaning of seeing things in black and white.  No nuances; things are either good or evil, right or wrong.  Life, though, is messy and complicated and usually not able to be stripped down and simplified.  But a photo can be and I'm looking forward to playing with this some more.

Icy Triad

A Maryland Winter Wonderland

I got my butt off the couch and in search of snow and headed to Canada (um, northern Montgomery County) where I struck snow gold and got to visit with a friend who showed me the magical snowy trails with glistening icy trees.  Mission accomplished!