by Erin Nicole

I took this picture a week and a half ago, at the tail end of the winter storm.  The power had just come back on after being off for for several hours.  I stepped outside and stood in the backyard, surrounded by snow and feeling frustrated and angry.  Then I looked up and I saw the sun reflecting off of these icicles that were hanging from our roof.  After getting my camera, I snapped this picture.

To me, this picture is a reminder that there’s beauty to be found during even the darkest of times.  Sometimes, it’s right above you.

The day after I took this picture, the temperature finally rose above freezing, the snow started to disappear, and these icicles fell from the roof, landed in the grass, and quickly melted.

by Erin Nicole

I took this picture at a nearby park on a temperate summer day.  I though the contrast between the clouds and the dark shadows of the trees and the civil defense siren made for a striking image.  I like that, even with the gray sky and the shadowy trees, the green of the leaves and the grass can still be seen.