Frosty Late Winter Morning

It was a chilly morning, but not TOO cold for a somewhat dedicated photographer like myself. From my window, I could see that the fog had filled the valley so I jumped in the car and went out to the pond. The only problem is that, as I drove up the side of the mountain toward the pond, the fog disappeared. There went my hopes of getting a nice shot of a foggy pond. But I was already in the car, so I kept going.
Along the non-foggy trail, I found my reward. Due to the chill in the air overnight, the dew settled as frost. The dry leaves along the forest floor were lined with little white crystals along their egdes and veins. I was especially attracted to the white oak leaves, which have been long-time favorites of mine since years ago growing up in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. In recent years, back in Iowa, I had spent some effort trying to photograph "baby" oak leaves, that is leaves that are just starting to come sprout in the spring. They reminded me of little tiny mittens!
On this day, I got my chance to photograph dried up and dead oak leaves in a brand new way that would bring out their texture and shape. I was excited as I set up the tripod and got out my 200 mm micro lens, and attached it to my Nikon D70 camera body.
I got a few shots and then recomposed the shot to tilt the primary leaf just a little bit within the frame. You can compare the shots yourself and see which arrangement you prefer. I have a defnite preference, but I will keep quiet about it for now.
As spring approaches, I will dig back to my photos from last year and get some of those ready to post, and I will certainly add many more brand new shots from the current year. The only problem that I forsee will be finding the time to keep up.