Photo of the Week 2026-02-09

 

' 057774 OS C 11 '

I've been working on my 'rural winter series' for almost 4 years now, working out the process of what types of scenes suit the approach. I've settled on a 1 vertical x 2 horizontal crop for the most part, but have used other aspect ratios when they seemed better suited. I've shot on bright sunny days, foggy cold winter mornings, in snow squalls and dreary overcast days. Since making the first image, I've refined the preparation, processing and presentation of the image considerably thanks to improving my skills and utilizing some of the newer features in LR & PS. My naming convention for titles has morphed from sequential series name and number into an acronym-like format of the rural address for the location that does not blatantly call out the specific residence.  

 

Beginning with that first image, a sizeable series has emerged. As of this writing, comprised of 25 images, 'rural winter' is not complete. It does represent a conscious and significant effort to collect and curate a series of consistent woks, a few of which I've shown on the blog previously.. 
 

rural winter library as of 2026-02-08

My own inspiration for this series, as I've mentioned previously, came from the works of a watercolour artist who paints winter scenes of stone heritage buildings in a minimalist setting.

 

So why then in my self-talk, when I see others pirating my idea, do I feel violated. Perhaps because I feel I've put the effort into creating something different, unique to my work. Should I? Am I justified in my feeling? Or truly, is "imitation the sincerest form of flattery"?

...  

 

DJE