Dgrin Mini-Challenge #261 - In the bleak mid-Winter

sarasphotos

The first two lines of the Christmas carol by Gustav Holst read "In the bleak mid-Winter, frosty wind made moan". Whenever I sing it or hear it I feel the cold of winter in my bones and picture the bleakness of the season. Since we've had the greyest winter in 70 years, I am definitely feeling the bleakness!

For this challenge I'd like to see your Winter pictures, and not necessarily those of beautiful blue skies and lush snow. Even for those who live in warmer climes where there is no snow the winter has a different feel - less or different vegetation, different sky color. A different kind of beauty.

The challenge will run until Monday Feb. 19 at 9am Pacific Standard TIme. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of interesting entries.

Here are a few examples:

OUR UN-OFFICIAL GENERAL RULES
1. Have fun sharing and seeing what others share!
2. The host supplies a topic and you post 1-3 images. The host judges the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and is not eligible to enter.
The 1st place winner then chooses the next topic, judges the winner and then passes on the baton to the new champion.
3. Any photo you’ve taken is eligible, regardless of when taken or camera used.
4. Any amount of post-processing is allowed. However, it is helpful if you list your camera and lens along with your photo.
You may comment on other contestant's images. If you want someone to leave you some critique or criticism, just ask within your post.
5. The winner has up to three days (72 hours) to begin a new mini-challenge, or the honor goes to the #2 finisher and so forth.

Guidelines:
1. Enter 1-3 photos and put them in a single post.
2. Either embed your image in the thread or, if you must, supply a link to it. Keep in mind, however, most people don't want to click to open photos hosted elsewhere (i.e. on your website).
3. Also try and resize your photos prior to posting so they're sized appropriately for viewing without having to scroll (~800 pixels on the longest side works best.)
4. Give each image you enter a title.
5. Enjoy discussion with members about their images, don't let this just be an entry thread!
6. When quoting a post change the IMG urls to a 200x200 size picture so it is clear your post is feedback and not another entry. (see here for help)
7. Don't be hesitant, share'em and enter!

Mini-Challenge pointers:
1. Upon winning a mini-challenge round your first step is coming up with a new theme, and start a new thread using the same format as others have used.
2. Make sure to notify the admin of this thread to update the main thread links with your entry thread.
3. Feel free to watch the thread as it grows or wait to the end time and look at all the entries all at once.
4. After the time/date has passed, then officially close the thread with a single post notifying everyone of the fact.
5. After you're finished judging start a new thread (again use the prior formats) and post your Winner and runners-up, it is important to have runners up incase the winner does not show within the 72hr window.
6. PM the winner with this info above and let them know they have 72hrs.
7. After the 72hrs and the winner does not show up, notify the next runner-up and post a message on the Winner thread of the fact.
8. Remember, if you're the Winner, you run the show.

pegelli

Great theme Sara, looking forward to many great and moody entries!

Here's my three

Sunrise in the park:

A road less travelled (with a wink to the previous contest)

Winter pond

sarasphotos

Oooh, nice entries Pieter - just the direction I was thinking of. Thanks for kicking it off!

JAG

Perfect timing on this theme for everyone above the equator. Ok here are my three!

1 Cook Inlet, Alaska

2 Eagle Outlook on a frosty day

3 Winter Wagon (Chena Hot Springs, Alaska)

lkbart

Great theme! I can tend to shoot for more colors, been loving the deep colors on the horizon just after sunset. Three from me:

1. Cold Thirsty Robin
   

2. Hint of Snow
   

3. After the Sunset
   

sarasphotos

Joyce (I first said Jo, but I meant Joyce!) and Lillian, great entries! Thanks for joining in.

Cavalier

Good topic! Here are mine:

1) Facing the blizzard on a glacier

2) Brrrrrr

3) Yosemite meadows

sarasphotos

Jo, now I'm feeling really cold. Thanks for entering!

StueveShots

I like this theme! Right now, we are passing through our most mild winter in decades, but last winter was one for the ages--in some spots on our property, we had snow drifts 3-4 feet tall. So all of my shots will be of our last winter...

1. The Ranch after the Storm. (This first is an iPhone panoramic shot, taken when I trudged out the mail box box on our road after a major storm. Granted, it would be bleaker if my house and out buildings weren't so cheerily colored, but at least it looks cold!)
   

2. Sunrise, January 13, 2017
   

3. Sunset, January 13, 2017.
   

4. First Storm of the Winter, December 14, 2016. (Not for consideration in the contest...posted just for fun. Pictured are my son and our exchange student, returning from visiting friends a mile down the road. Cold? What cold?)
   

DavidRGillespie

Great theme Sara. I looked out my bedroom window, and my first thought was "what a dreary day" and my second thought was "great! I can capture some dreary images!"
Here on the wet coast of British Columbia, dreary means endless mist and rain, and dark days. So here are three images that are a take on
today's version of dreary

1. temporary pond and reflections
   

2. Barbed wire and water drops
   

3. filbert catkins and water drops
   

sarasphotos

Heather and Dave, thanks for the wonderfully appropriate entries. I'm glad to see so many jumping on board. Keep them comin'!

grandmaR

I always think of the first photo when I sing American the Beautiful although people insist that the mountains are blue and not purple - this is a digitized slide I took in 1964 of my dad's hometown
1. Purple Mountains
2.. In the Doghouse
Our side yard - the doghouse is no longer in use
3. A Light Dusting
I took this on the way to a doctor's appointment

sarasphotos

@grandmaR thanks for entering! 1 & 3 are especially perfect for the theme.

[Deleted User]

Deleted.

sapphire73

Great theme! I am going to share some photos but please don't consider them as entries as I will be traveling again soon. Thanks!

1) Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

2) Looking toward the Rockies

3) Geese on Ice

sarasphotos

@sapphire73 Gretchen, thanks for posting!
@Jørgen_Bjerring sorry to see you deleted your entries...

bfluegie

Here are my three.

Last summer's hydrangea

Frozen waterfall, Hathaway Preserve at Ross Run

Yes, I know water doesn't fall very far in northern Indiana but I'll take whatever "waterfalls" I can find here in the flatlands.

Winter cornfield stubble

We do have plenty of cornfields here, though.

sarasphotos

@bfluegie Thank you Barbara, your entries are prefect for the theme!

kurzvorzwoelf

Just in time.

1. The birds living around my garden love my lilac tree, especially when it snows. It seems that they even cease fire in the fight for the territory, as two male black birds sit in peace next to each other - this is a rare case to witness, as black birds are usually very territorial birds.

2. A shelter for cows with plenty of food around, abandoned in the winter.

3. A shepherd is driving his herd of sheep over the lightly snowy hills of the Swabian Alb.

sarasphotos

@kurzvorzwoelf Thanks for entering and for telling the associatedd stories! The shot of the Schwäbische Alb reminds me of a lovely bike ride we made there (around the Blautopf) a couple of years ago. On that day we also saw a flock of sheep being driven up just such a hillside.

kurzvorzwoelf

@sarasphotos Yes, the Swabian Alb is great for prolonged bicycle tours and has lots of beautiful environment to discover, I can imagine that it has been lovely! I just hope you didn't make that tour inmidst the cold winter time

sarasphotos

@kurzvorzwoelf said:
I just hope you didn't make that tour inmidst the cold winter time

No indeed, that tour was strenuous enough in the summer! I am such a wimp when it comes to hills and the Schwäbische Alb is not at all flat.

sarasphotos

The challenge is now closed. Thanks all for the many fine entries. I'll work on getting a decision posted by this time tomorrow.