This old maple stands a few miles from my Michigan home at the edge of a farm field backing up to a small pond. I drove by it recently, in midsummer, and hardly recognized my old friend when covered with a dense blanket of green leaves. Nice, but for photography I prefer the bare tree, which has beautiful lines and is striking against the winter landscape. In fact, I prefer photographing this scene when snow is falling or an ice storm has come through overnight. One of my words of wisdom is that bad weather often makes for better pictures (I might have trouble making as many interesting pictures in, say, the sunny environment of San Diego.)

Location: Mecosta County, Michigan, USA

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.