BWdrift, postNiko Home

In the wake of Winter Storm Niko, the region was pretty much shut down for most of the morning, and that, for me, was a good thing, since I had a fair amount of indoor work that had to be done. In truth—and I suppose this is definitely marking me as old—I wasn't all that intent on going outside, since it was in the single digits and exceptionally windy. But the early light was playing wonderful games with the snow drifts, so I had to at least poke my head... and my camera... outside to capture the scene. Unfortunately, the shadows, as is often the case, turned an unappealing shade of blue, so as I took note of my favorite image, I thought that it would certainly be better in simple black and white: the way I used to shoot everything. Digital makes the transformation easy—probably too easy—but it also enables the photographer to do things that Ansel Adams couldn't have imagined, things that would have made the genius smile with the possibilities. I hope the Master approves of this post-Niko study in snow, shade, and dawn sunlight. I also hope I can get out later in the day to enjoy some cross-country skiing.