Embracing Winter - March five on five

In southern Ontario, this has been a non-Winter. Climate change, El Niño, unseasonably warm, whatever the reason - our regular three months of bitter cold and regular snowfalls have been noticeably absent. And I was fine with that.

But enter my sister and niece, who flew 3600 km across the continent, desperately hoping to find snow and ice. I kept warning them to give up the dream - the Toronto area was a patchwork of brown and beige with days nearing spring-like temps. But wouldn't you know, the weekend they arrived it was bitterly cold (I mean, yikes!) and we had a huge snowfall. It's my sister - she's kind of magic that way.

Surprising captures

So it seemed appropriate that Winter become the focus of my March five on five. But as I set out to capture the frosty season through the lens, I was continually surprised by what my camera delivered - often not what I intended in the least.

My sister and I spent a couple of hours that weekend traipsing through the snowdrifts around abandoned farmhouses, along country roads and through an old country churchyard. I took hundreds of photos that afternoon but my two favourites?

My sister caught in the afternoon's waning light, camera in hand...

...and behind a beautiful, old farmhouse that I shot from a dozen angles, this tree. I wanted the house, but instead it is the almost careless capture of the sun peaking around the trunk's twisted shape and texture that I return to time and again.

A week later I pulled off the road on my early trek into the city, stepping down to the shore with my camera clutched in chilled fingers. I took dozens of photos of the skyline and the sunrise, but when I reviewed the photos later, I was enchanted....I never even saw the ice.

This week I was caught downtown in the largest (and one of the only) Winter storms we've had this year. In the aftermath, I searched for idyllic shots of city streets in the new snow. Instead, my quiet steps startled a flock of birds into sudden flight.

And finally, this bronze. There was a beautiful park next door, a perfect winter scene with towering evergreens but Glenn Gould wrapped in a scarf of snow mesmerized me.

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Thanks for spending time here today!  Now step on over to see the gorgeous light of Sandra's 5 on 5 photos this month. From there you can click on to experience all the monthly magic of our 5 on 5 community!