OK, I do like to play with post production programs. On a day like today, they helped make lemonade.
Last night we had about 6 hours of rain. Following that we received a little less than an inch of snow. Meeting some friends at Archie Coulter Conservation Area for sunrise with temperatures about freezing, delivered deep gray skies. No sun, no sunrise, no blue sky, no shadows.
All these shots needed lots of help. Software to the rescue.
Fence line
Probably my favourite of the day. Remember, I said less than an inch of snow? That snow clung to every branch and wire. In Lightroom, I reduced the clarity of all the background parts and increased the clarity of the fence post. Increasing the exposure overall (even though I did over expose in camera) gave this a very soft, white result.
Tree tops
Remember, I said no sun, no blue sky? This is an HDR image. Back in Lightroom I increased the blue colour saturation and luminance. If you look closely, you will see the snow on the branches. It's not a "tell" of HDR as the white is not on the bottom of the branches.
Catfish Creek
Here, the lack of sun or shadow worked well in monochrome. Lots of playing with getting the level of detail and balance of whites and blacks just right.
And yes, Ron and Charon, I did these while watching TV.