Pine Plantation, Kent County, Michigan, USA

Aperture

Shutter

ISO

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“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.

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Robert

I am a nature and landscape photographer who recently retired after a 38-year full-time career as a management consultant. For me, photographing the natural world is an antidote to my workaday world of business and organizational change. I find it rewarding and fulfilling to capture in a photograph the mystery, power, grace and sublime beauty of all the aspects of nature, from grand landscapes to intimate moments. I hold bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Michigan and earned a Certificate in Professional Photography from the New York Institute of Photography.

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