Winter days are dark. The sun is wrapped in gray patches of clouds that let few rays through. The sky is sealed, and the forest is dim. The light meter in my camera tells me that I need to be creative if I want well-exposed shots in the bag.

The fallen leaves lie thick on the forest floor, and the trees are nearly bare. The wind relentlessly tears at the hardy leaves that cling on until the very end. But even they must surrender. I am moving through the forest. It, too, is in motion, as it’s in the mercy of a cold northerly wind. The leaves swirl around until they finally find rest on the forest floor.

Bare, swaying trees and swirling leaves are today’s subject, long shutter speeds the technical challenge. As always, one must work with the conditions encountered out there and with the camera at hand. Recognize the subject and know your camera; that is part of the secret behind a successful photograph. The weather forecast predicts gray skies for as far as the forecast eye can see, and I’m not the type to sit down and wait for optimal conditions. I want to go out and photograph, because if you want to be really good at something, you have to do it every day. Off I go!