Bykovo Estate – White, Cold & Cloudy

On the second day of the new 2010 I made myself go outside in the cold and have some shots of nature covered with snow.
I really hate this cold and breezing season, full of short days, long nights and cold, cold, freeze.. I prefer warm and comfort. That is why I was more than sure that will never be able to capture a beauty of the winter scenes that quite a lot of people find really beautiful and unforgettable.
Not to be completey dissatisfied with the time wasted in the cold (it was about -8) I decided to go to one of the places I regularly visit – Bykovo estate – I have never seen it covered with snow.
(just to remind you its scenes in summer and autumn)

Here is the outcome of my first 2010 photoshoot (13 photos all in all in more section) for your judgement.

All the Yellows of Autumn

Last weekend, as usual, I got out to shoot some autumn scenes. The weather was great – clear blue sky highlighted the yellows all around, the touch of warm sun light gave a very speacial feeling to every tree, every bush. No matter where I turned I was surrounded with gentle yellow warmth.

 

P.S. I never liked autumn, just because of its cold and gloomy days, o similar to one another. And the expectation of winter made it even more cold and unpleasant. But after visiting this lake (this is Bykovo country estate I was earlier in summer), I set in my car and thought to myself “Such autumn can be loved”

Cinderella’s Palace

It is amazing how close the beauty is to us. Everyone of us would love to travel to other countries to discover and explore other civilizations, religions… And they will never even think of going out and look around there own house…
I myself was of the same kind till I got my first Canon. Starting from that time (2 years ago) every weekend I travel around Zhukovskiy town discovering amazing places & scenes I never knew about before. And this is only one example. I think everybody in Russia should remember a very old B&W fairytale movie Cinderella (1947). There was a palace there. A beautiful one. And I never thought it really existed somewhere. Just this year (last weekend if to be sharp) I found this “palace” standing real just 5 km away from my house in Zhukovskiy in the middle of Lackovo village!
Actually this is the church built in 1798 (arc. Bazhenov) and is a part of Bykovo country estate.
There are very few people there even in warm sunny day – there is no mentioning of it on maps and even road signs. Probably this is the main reason why it is still stading there and not ruined by vandals.