Winter here in Minnesota didn't amount to much -- very little snow and not very cold. March has been warm and bright so that my wife and I have had consecutive Sundays outside, as though May was already here. Thing is, it really isn't Spring yet (though I did see a very few early flowers on the 25th), and, without snow, the landscape isn't very dramatic. Also, I've resolved not to make so many close-ups; I want to learn to do better with larger, wider views. So, here are a few of my attempts.
With the leaves only just starting and the ground level pretty well empty of growth, it's the pattern and texture of the woods that stands out. In the first photo, taken from the west bank of the St. Croix River, the contrast between the Birches and the darker trees (including lots of Oak) was the main impression I got, along with the texture of all the little branches and fallen leaves.
In the next photo, taken about 50 yards west of the first location, the birches are a little subdued; I intentionally lowered the contrast a bit. (In the first few rolls of ProMax 100 that I used, I thought that the contrast was a little low; in this roll and later ones taken on bright days, I've thought it was a little high).
A week later in Nerstrand Woods State Park (about 100 miles south of the St. Croix location) , the woods was also pretty empty, but we could see a few Bloodroots and Hepatica in areas with a southern exposure. Because I was using a RF camera that day, there was a natural limit to how close I could get so I think I kept to my resolution about close-ups.
At the St. Croix location on the 18th, the fungi (I think that's what they are) on this old log caught my eye. As the ground cover grows up, these will be harder to see, so I think the one close-up in the last photo (at 100%) is allowable even with the limitation I set for myself.
So March is nearly over; in this unusual weather year, it will be interesting to see what April will bring.
(Photos 4 & 5 made by Minolta X-700 on Kodak 400 film; photos 1 & 2 made by Pentax ME on ProMax 100 film; photo 3 made by Canonet on ProMax 100 film.)
