"The woods are lovely, dark and deep", goes the famous Robert Frost poem, and never more than on this cold and snowy December morning in west Michigan. A days-long snowstorm and low, leaden skies made scenic photography challenging until I decided to hike through this pine plantation in a nearby county park that hikers and cross-country skiers typically frequent.

I was completely alone, and the woods were still and silent as I searched for a scene that would reflect the experience. I am drawn to intimate landscapes, so I captured this image of the tall, straight pines bedecked with snow and the snow-blanketed understory.

Handholding in the dim light with a small aperture required a high ISO, to which I applied Topaz Denoise at the final edit.