tree circles

see that little hole around the tree trunk in the foreground? that’s called a tree circle. it occurs when the temperatures start to rise in spring, and the tree trunk, being dark, absorbs more light and warmth than the snow, and thereby heats up and melts the surrounding snow. that circle will get large and larger over the coming weeks, and as a result it will be where the first green shoots will push up. i’ve got my eye on you tree circles.

tree trunks in the snow

animal tracks in the snow

this is the season of animal tracks in the snow. the animals are getting more active as the days get longer and warmer. and the snow is getting wetter–perfect for making animal track molds. and the sun is still low enough in the sky to create enough shadow for me to capture it all. hello mr. cottontail, it’s nice to see you again.

rabbit tracks in the snow

welcome to march

last of these winter shadows on a frozen lake. i promise. besides, it march!  the frozen lake won’t be safe soon. and it’s time to turn my attention toward signs of spring. hmmm…how to photograph melting snow on white background. there must be a way.

winter cattail on a frozen lake

shadows mean sunshine

the end of february usually means the end of winter hardship here in the north. oh, march can be cruel for sure. but the coldest, darkest nights are now behind us. one ray of hope in an otherwise dark time.

cattail stems on a frozen lake

minnemalism

a recent snow and a balmy 32 degrees (0 degrees C) got me outside with my camera today, using the snow as a freshly laid white background.  i spent a blissful hour photographing the long shadows cast by cattail stems and tree trunks.  frozen lakes with fresh snow are the equivalent of a white sky to me–the most generous of STILL backgrounds. it’s hard to play with scale when i am making images on my kitchen floor (my usual location), so when i get a perfectly white frozen lake, my distance and perspective open up. i made a series with these cattail stems poking up through the ice, casting winter shadows. so you’ll likely see of few more of them. we have lot of surface water in minneosta, and five months of snow cover. so this is a quintessential minnesota scene. it’s a wonder we not all natural minnemalists (pun intended) with sights like this burned into our psyches.

winter cattail stems