Photo a Day: Bright

Knowing that today's Photo a Day theme was "Bright," I was delighted to wake up this morning to a bright, sunny day with a clean coating of fresh snow over the old. From every window there is a glitter of white sun on snow. The sky is a clear, deep blue without a hint of clouds, and the sunshine is streaming through the windows, casting bright bands across the floor. There were almost too many opportunities for a "bright" photo. 

I wandered around the house, looking for options. I took a picture of blocks of sunlight streaming through the glass doors into the dining room, with bands of shadow cast by the door jambs. I took several closeups of icy snowbanks glittering. I took a few of bushes covered in snow and branches encased in ice. I took several of a leafless birch tree jutting up into the deep blue sky. They all illustrated "bright" very clearly. 

But in the end, I opted for the photo with the most interesting composition.

I love this photo not only because of the clear blue sky and the sparkling icicles, but because of the juxtaposition of curves and straight lines, of the blue color block of the sky and the white color block of the eaves, of the rough branches and the smooth roofline and window frame, of the interior wood and the exterior woods. 

I'm not much of an artist - I can barely draw a straight line - but I do have enough of an artistic eye to recognize a well-composed photograph (or at least, a decently-composed one). I consider myself a creative person rather than an artistic one, but photography is a place where, if I work hard enough and experiment a lot, I eventually come up with something artistically satisfying.

It may not win any awards, but I like it. It's bright.

Bright.