Monday, November 29, 2010

Manzanita in the Snow

No, I'm not quite done with the autumn stuff yet, but it'll keep for a bit.  We're well into the winter season up here in the mountains and I've been kind of slow getting started on taking advantage of this new environment's opportunities.  I figured it's about time to get out and capture some of the beautiful local scenery.. winter is probably the most attractive season, photographically speaking, in this area.
Manzanita bushes are everywhere up here and they are an especially interesting subject with their intricate branching and contrasting bark that grows away from the wood over much of the tree.. this one has more bark coverage than most.  They stay green all winter and produce thousands of small red berries, thus the name which means "little apple" in Spanish.
I found this almost perfectly shaped one growing among some lichen-covered rocks and snow. There are also some evergreen oaks in the background there, contributing to the green-ness. We were showing some visiting friends around the area and for some reason I just decided to grab my old Nikon D70 that I haven't used for years, and throw a lens on it for walking around.  On close inspection, the quality of this image is really awful compared to what I'm used to.. I guess technology really HAS improved a lot over the last 6-7 years.  I plan to go back to this spot on a similar day and get it on film, or at least a decent digital capture when I get a chance. 

8 comments:

MyVintageCameras said...

So what is your preferred digital camera. My husband has a Nikon D-40 and can't decide what to upgrade to.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Very interesting tree, lovely colourations of fruits against bark, against trunk and branches and then add in the element of snow...delightful!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Mark,

Nice to see you finally found a litlle time for some new images.
This tree is a beauty. I'm not sure but i think i've seen some in Corsica during the past winter and probably against some similar rocks background but without snow.

Here we just had 2 dry but really cold days. I went to the lake this morning before dawn and since i'm back it's snowing and snowing ...

Light and Voices said...

Red trunks are very interesting to me.
Joyce M

Mark Alan Meader said...

Hi MVC:
I hate to recommend something I haven't used myself, but in general, if he already has a Nikon, he is probably going to be most comfortable with that brand... there are plenty of choices, just depends on your price range. From what I have read so far, the new D7000 is the best DX format camera available right now at any price. Check DPreview.com for anything you could possibly want to know. I see on your blog that you shoot a Mamiya 645.. excellent:) Good luck.

Hi Patrick:
Your last few posts are actually what influenced me to get busy on the winter scenery:) We've been abnormally cold here for so early in the season but I think we're due to warm up for the next week or so. I'm tired of shoveling snow and it's not even December yet...

Mary and Joyce: Thanks.. always appreciate hearing from you guys. Sorry I don't get around to answering comments often these days, but I'm always reading.

Ashrays said...

amazing colour on that trunk and great use of the complimentary colours... and the lichen would come in handy for dying some Harris Tweed :)

PhotoDiction said...

Absolutely love the colour and the shape of that tree. You did a great job capturing the contrasting tones and shapes. Winter is just getting into full swing here and I'm also hoping to pad my collection of winter shots too :)

Teodora Taneva said...

I like this