Front Yard in Winter - 50with50

Happy January!

A look down the driveway and across our front yard on a recent winter morning. This is the first entry in the 50with50 series. What is that? Read more down below!

I like how this view changes during the seasons. During the summer, the trees and bushes have lots of green leaves, and the grass is nice and green. During the winter, everything looks brown and the trees have no leaves. I thought the cloudy sky here was particularly fitting, although this scene can look pretty nice with a blue sky, too. And some of the best sunsets I have seen have been on winter days like this one, although with a few less clouds to let the sunlight shine through.

The weather forecasters keep telling us we will have some partly sunny days, but they have been wrong about that lately. We joke about it quite a bit, but the sun does make things seem a little nicer. And warmer.

Except for a cold snap back in November, we have not had any bad winter weather yet. But I know there is still time. For now, we just have days like this. Which is fine, because that is what God is giving us. You can’t argue with that.

50with50

I decided to start a new project of sorts, and I am calling it “50with50.” It would probably be better with spaces, but where is the fun in that? Trendy things don’t always need spaces, right?

Anyway, what is it? 50with50 is my attempt to share 50 photos here that I have taken with the 50mm prime lens. Why? I don’t know, it just seemed like a good idea.

Actually, I am sometimes motivated by a challenge. And I like the challenge of the restrictions of the 50mm lens. Because it just has the one focal length, it is what is known as a prime lens. That means that you can’t zoom in or out with the lens. If you want to get closer to your subject, you have to walk closer to it. If you want to get a wider view, you have to walk farther back. If you can. Sometimes you can’t always get any farther back than you already are. In that case, you have to figure out how to best frame things.

It will be a challenge, but I think it will be fun. And besides the rule of using the 50mm lens, there are no rules. I could take photos of whatever I want. Or wherever I am. Or whatever else might come up. I also don’t have a rule of posting one photo a week or anything like that. Just 50 photos, however long that takes.

If all goes well, I might finish the 50with50 posts before I turn 50. Maybe.

Bible Verse

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? - Matthew 5:44-46

About the Photo

You already know something about this photo, since this is the 50with50 series. This was obviously taken with the 50mm prime lens. I also had the aperture open wide to have a narrow depth of field. So the light post is in focus, the bush behind it is somewhat in focus, and then things farther away are blurry. That was the look I was going for, believe it or not.

As I have been doing lately, I used Aurora HDR to give this one an interesting look. At least I think it is interesting, in a bleak midwinter sort of way.

Keep watching for more 50with50!

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: SonyFE 50mm f/1.8
Date: January 13, 2020
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee