My partner Mark and I are about to purchase a second home, north of the city, in Highland, New York.  It’s going to serve as our weekend getaway.  Although photography wasn’t a consideration when contemplating purchasing a second home, one of the many benefits of being able to escape New York City is that I’ll be in a new photographic environment.  Street photography is (and probably will always be) my first love, and there’s no better place for that than NYC.  But I do like nature and landscape photography, and the Hudson Valley offers me many new possibilities. 

A few days before, an ice storm hit the area, coating all of the trees and bushes with a layer of ice that looked absolutely beautiful. 

The road itself looked pretty neat, I thought, with the ice-covered trees lining both sides.

The ice covered branches looked really good when converted to black and white, especially when contrasted against the snow.  

Scenes showing multiple trees and branches looked good both in black and white and in color, especially against the clear blue sky. 

 I added a filter that fades things a bit, giving an enchanted/haunted forest look.  

That filter is becoming a favorite of mine. 

With so many ponds, streams, lakes, fields, and old barns and sheds in the area, it should provide me with a rich source of photographic material.  I can’t wait to get settled in up there.