Into the bright sun over fresh snow for an afternoon of shooting on the High Palouse at the edge of the foothills of the Blue Mountains in eastern Washington. New snow mutes the wheat stubble and low camera angles invite exploration of the textures of the drifted snow and grassy edges. Soon to melt, a light frost on the bare shrub catches sidelight of the low December sun. A polarizing filter adds a gradient to stark blue sky, and by this balances the weight of the grass and shrub in the composition. Peer beneath the clouds and you'll see wind turbines near the horizon line.
Sun and snow also brought out the complex textures and shadows of the rugged North Fork of the Touchet River basin. Golden tones of the late afternoon sun sweep through the grass of the canyon slope in the foreground and the tumult of clouds above. You, with the lone pine tree, reach from its prominence to partake the expanse.