# Some Russian Winter photos



## merlin (Apr 16, 2015)

I was sorting through some of my photo albums today, and came across a lot of wintry ones which can be quite atmospheric



.

A frozen river



Part of a monastery complex covering a huge area in the north of St.Petersburg
.

one of many churches in the area
.

.


----------



## merlin (Apr 16, 2015)

A couple of pictures of the frozen sea in the Finnish gulf north of St.Petersburg



.
.


.


.

Ferocious icicles which kill several people each year during a cold winter
.


----------



## NancyNGA (Apr 16, 2015)

Beautiful!   Some of these remind me of the movie Dr. Zhivago.  You must take some photos of fields of daffodils now.


----------



## Pappy (Apr 16, 2015)

Nice pictures Merlin. Love to look at snow, just don't want to be in it.


----------



## Pam (Apr 16, 2015)

Stunning photos!


----------



## merlin (Apr 16, 2015)

NancyNGA said:


> Beautiful!   Some of these remind me of the movie Dr. Zhivago.  You must take some photos of fields of daffodils now.



Yes I am a bit behind the seasons, I did take a snap of the Kerria at the side of the house, its in full bloom at the moment, I don't have any daffodils unfortunately


----------



## SeaBreeze (Apr 16, 2015)

Beautiful photos Merlin!


----------



## AZ Jim (Apr 16, 2015)

Nice pics Merlin, reminds me of my years in South Dakota.  One year had drifts to the roof on my north side.  5' on lawn....Brrrrrr  All years we got snow, lot's of it.


----------



## Bee (Apr 16, 2015)

Beautiful photos merlin.


----------



## Cookie (Apr 16, 2015)

Beautiful photographs, Merlin, your sense of color is really wonderful.  I love the dark green, blues and terra cotta against the stark white background of the snow.  The yellow flowers are lovely.


----------



## merlin (Apr 16, 2015)

AZ Jim said:


> Nice pics Merlin, reminds me of my years in South Dakota.  One year had drifts to the roof on my north side.  5' on lawn....Brrrrrr  All years we got snow, lot's of it.



Funnily enough I never used to think of the US as having very cold winters, I thought it was either hot plains or California style temperate, and all the snow fell in Canada  but I came to realise you get some pretty ferocious winters in some parts, much worse than anything we get in the UK, the two bad ones for snow were 1947, and 1962, when we had two feet or so in Worcester.


----------



## Josiah (Apr 16, 2015)

I particularly liked the abandoned two story building with the very faded burnt orange facade.


----------



## merlin (Apr 16, 2015)

Cookie said:


> Beautiful photographs, Merlin, your sense of color is really wonderful.  I love the dark green, blues and terra cotta against the stark white background of the snow.  The yellow flowers are lovely.



I love the yellow flowers too Cookie, its called Kerria Japonica, I dug up a couple of rooted shoots from a friends garden several years ago, and they have spread all over the garden now, they give a great splash of colour in spring, and on and off throughout summer.


----------



## AZ Jim (Apr 16, 2015)

merlin said:


> Funnily enough I never used to think of the US as having very cold winters, I thought it was either hot plains or California style temperate, and all the snow fell in Canada  but I came to realise you get some pretty ferocious winters in some parts, much worse than anything we get in the UK, the two bad ones for snow were 1947, and 1962, when we had two feet or so in Worcester.



The highest annual average is 16' in Lead SD, most other areas run to 5-6' except Deadwood which gets 8.5'.  Of course in Blizzards the drifts get enormous.


----------



## merlin (Apr 16, 2015)

Josiah said:


> I particularly liked the abandoned two story building with the very faded burnt orange facade.



That's amazing that you picked out that one Josiah, that was my favourite of the whole shoot, I spent half an hour taking pictures of it, somehow it captured me, no idea why. I have spent time since messing about with it on photoshop, I can still capture how I felt standing in front of it. There were dozens of derelict buildings on the site, though still a working monastery.



.
.
.


----------



## hollydolly (Apr 16, 2015)

Oh they are  just glorious photos...absolutely love them and I agree with You and Jim...my favourite is the abandoned building..it reminds me of Urban photography..


----------



## Glinda (Apr 16, 2015)

Merlin, these are just beautiful.  You have a great sense of depth in composing your shots and the subject matter is fascinating.  The icicles really caught my eye as we often had similar ones in Pa. where I grew up and we were warned against standing under them as children.


----------



## ndynt (Apr 16, 2015)

All the pictures are beautiful...but, I too love the abandoned faded terracotta building.    Your yellow flowers are lovely.  Wonder if they would grow in my climate.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Apr 17, 2015)

SeaBreeze said:


> Beautiful photos Merlin!





Bee said:


> Beautiful photos merlin.



:dito::dito::dito::nicethread:


----------



## merlin (Apr 17, 2015)

Thanks Ken, I love your avatar by the way, sums up my mood more and more these days!!!   :sunglass:


----------



## merlin (Apr 17, 2015)

ndynt said:


> Your yellow flowers are lovely.  Wonder if they would grow in my climate.



I don't see why not Nona, they are very hardy and spread by seed and suckering, and I haven't lost any to frost or drought. I only started with some rooted shoots a few years ago. According to wicki your climate is sub-tropical so most things will grow there won't they?

I have just taken these photos:



.


They have even self seeded into a wild part of the garden
.


----------



## Ameriscot (Apr 17, 2015)

Stunning photos, Merlin!  Brrrr.....  We have kerria in our garden as well.


----------



## merlin (Apr 17, 2015)

*Going back to winter *:winter1:*  here are a few more:*


----------



## Ameriscot (Apr 17, 2015)

I just love those towers on the buildings that are so distinctly Russian.


----------

