snowy owl

Winter: An Appreciation

Yes, the wind hurts your face, your fingers are numb, your car won’t start, and every other house refuses to shovel the sidewalk.

There is also the silent, falling snow; the gentle shift of lake ice; the burst of sun over a snowy field; the stillness of a cold night.

As much as winter helps us appreciate its opposites, the winterness of these months is its own thing of beauty. A season of introspection for some; a necessary period of hibernation for the natural world. The landscapes of snow and ice that change with the temperature.

I often feel that summer lasts forever, and winter only for a moment. The days are shorter, the opportunities less frequent. It seems to melt as quickly as it blew in, a continuing reminder to take the camera out and shoot.

So instead of arguing about dibs, here is a brief gallery of recent photos from the parts of a midwest winter I enjoy the most.

PS: find these and others available as prints here!

Music, stars, and a diamond: my year in photos

My view of 2019 included plenty of great music from all over Chicago, especially my photographer debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I braved the polar vortex along Lake Michigan and gazed at the night sky in far west Texas. And right in the middle of all of it, I stepped in front of the camera to ask Bridget a very important question. Wishing you joy and beauty in 2020!