Occasionally an image will yield greater than the sum of its components - to me this is one of them. Allow yourself to be drawn into each of the layers and you may see what I see. The distant background, with snow gums shrouded by dense fog and blending to a shade of white. The chaotic tree limbs a little closer to the frame, blasted by nature's worst, covering them with a brittle layer of solid snow and ice. To the foreground, where the leafy younger foliage buckles under the weight of heavy snowfall. It's scenes like this that draw me in and make me want to experience it all over.
That's of course before the real story is told. Howling winds and "freezing rain" pummelled us horizontally making it a herculean task to keep the cameras dry. Whilst the trees swayed like drunk sailors from the force of the crazy gusts, making it hard to get a sharp exposure, the little umbrella I was trying to use as a shield started folding in on itself, no doubt indicating that it didn't want any part of this torture. Clearly, staying inside with a strong whiskey and watching from behind a window was a better idea - at least that's what my umbrella thought whilst I cursed the conditions. I'm glad I did. And I certainly am glad I had a nice warm car to retreat back to! - Bernie