Leafless trees, gray skies, and a small touch of bright sunlight make this winter landscape in monochrome. There’s something sad that this photo that the monochrome treatment is perfect for. It’s bare and un-colorful. The sky is gray; the leaves are a dark and light mixture and the tree trunks and branches are charcoal, creating a high contrast situation that’s a perfect fit for black & white landscape photography. I find it’s sometimes better to shoot monochrome on cloudy days or even when the sun is high in the sky, which will bring out more shadows and contrast. I captured this photo at around 9:30 AM. It was at least 2 hours after golden hour ended.
I took this photo in HDR, which I do for almost every photo I take. If you are going to do HDR, use a tripod. I always bring a tripod with me. I have the Peak Design Travel Tripod because it’s compact and lightweight and is perfect for long walks and hikes.
Believe it or not, I don’t have a lot of time in my life to go out and take photos. On some days after I drop my daughter at school, I head over to the local reservation before work starts. I took this winter landscape at South Mountain Reservation, a nearby nature preserve in my town. It’s not the greatest place for majestic views as it’s no national park, but it offers a lot of short hikes and plenty of nature, being it’s only 14 miles outside New York City. It’s great for fall foliage and winter.