winter landscape
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: Beauty in #Stark Landscapes

How can it be March already? After a dismal and snow-filled February, and for many, a long winter in the northern hemisphere, March is the month that heralds spring (or autumn). March 1st begins Meteorological spring, although spring is traditionally marked by the vernal equinox on March 20.

By now, readers may have their own collection of images demonstrating STARK, this week’s Sunday Stills theme. STARK means “complete or extreme,” as in a “stark contrast.” Stark also means “devoid of elaboration, bare, harsh or sharply delineated.”

winter landscape
Eastern Oregon’s Stark Landscape

If the word stark sounds familiar in some ways, besides its definition, Stark is recognizable through the fictional Stark family in Game of Thrones and Marvel Comics’ Tony Stark (Iron Man). But I digress.

“You are a life made of seasons. Do not apologize for the starkness of your winter.” ~ Liezel Graham

In Eastern Washington, the snow has disappeared after warm rains hit our region of the Inland Northwest. Just days ago, we witnessed these deer tracks in the snow.

Deer tracks

This stark boot track was spotted on a driveway.

Making Snow Tracks

As the snow melts in the mountains, our Nine Mile Falls typically begins flowing in March to offset potential flooding. The abrupt run-off was reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s fictional chocolate river when water was released in late February.

Sharing for Brian’s February Last on the Card.

brown waterfall
Chocolate Nine Mile Falls

Indeed, the muddy waters starkly contrast to the ordinarily beautiful and pristine falls from where our town gets its name.

Nine Mile Falls
Nine Mile Falls, first sign of Spring

As I prepared this post, I spied our fabulous feathered friends in our yard and surrounding property! They bring life to the otherwise stark landscape as we await more signs of spring.

Say's Phoebe (flycatcher) bird
Say’s Phoebe (flycatcher)
Robin
Robin Contemplating the Worm Situation
gray swatch

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

Sharing for Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday AND Lens-Artists: Pick a Word (also hosted by Johnbo this week)

I can’t wait to see how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we kick off early spring and explore the theme “FAVORITE FLOWERS.

I’ve updated my Sunday Stills Challenge Page with March themes.

How stark is YOUR landscape?

winter landscape

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121 comments

  1. There’s not many contrasts in Southern California where we’re wintering over except for the contrast between rainy and sunny days (we’ve had way too much rain). I love the way you presented this theme, and I love deer prints in the snow. Great work, Terri!

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  2. There’s not many stark contrasts in Southern California where we’re wintering over except the contrast between rainy and sunny days (we’ve had way too much rain). I love the way you’ve presented this theme, and I love deer prints in the snow. Great work, Terri! Joe

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  7. What a perfect theme, Terri. It’s like you were actually on our trip with us, not virtually! Your ice formation is certainly not stark! It looks like it was done with a stencil or cookie cutter. What an amazing picture! That eastern Oregon landscape is certainly barren and stark. The sky adds to the whole depressing scene. Without the bleak sky, it might not look nearly so stark! Sadly, you were there when it happened. 🙂 Your beautiful waters definitely look quite different than when I saw them. They are still pretty, though. Great chatting. Did you see the house I sent you? If not it’s in my post! 🙂 xxxxx Lots of love to you both.

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  8. Terri, you gave a us a rich and interesting post for the STARK word – and I enjoyed the xtras like this quote:
    “You are a life made of seasons. Do not apologize for the starkness of your winter.” ~ Liezel Graham

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  10. I’ve never seen ‘Stark’ being used as a theme before, Terri. Well done on using it.

    After all the snow and starkness of February brought you, you’ll be glad for some springlike weather. Spring has indeed sprung in my part of the world with warm sunshine during the day, even though a cold wind makes you still wrap up.

    Winter can be the best time to see stark landscapes and I think black-and-white photos help with the starkness, hence why I’m including one for this week.

    Fog is another great way to show starkness.

    Enjoy the rest of your week.

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    • Thank you, Hugh! Sometimes I surprise myself with themes 😁 Others would agree with you how black and white photography lends itself to the stark theme. Glad spring is making her appearance. We also have a brilliant sunny day today. Have a great week!

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  13. I have not spent enough time in Eastern Oregon or Washington… only traveled through, but I love the starkness of the inner-mountain west. “East of the Mountains” is a novel which captures that scene.

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  30. Interesting study Terri.

    Because I tend to only shoot at sunsets,I’m not sure I have anything that could be said to be stark? Having said that, after 2 weeks worth of rain….everything starts to look a bit stark to be honest!

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  31. Yesterday I searched Google images for Stark and those fictional characters was all that came up. Since I am not familiar with any of those stories I found it quite useless. I guess I should have waited for your post. You have explained it much better.

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  34. Your snowy and all-white vista is the epitome of stark Terri. It always amazes me how nature recoups itself in the Spring and suddenly we have a carpet of green grass, then dandelions and blossoming trees. It’s so easy to forget how it looked in Winter once that happens. Our landscape has been devoid of snow for a few days but it’s very cold (single digits with windchill) and we have a rainy week ahead and maybe a bit of snow. If we could get everything cued up nicely for a few days it would be welcome. I agree about the birds, especially the vibrant ones like Cardinals and Blue Jays. Once our Red-winged Blackbirds return around mid-March, I feel like that is a sign of Spring for sure. I liked the boot print – stark and very interesting.

    Here is my stark post – it was not done for Winter because I really have not been out much due to ice and high winds and twice last week on errands. So, instead, I chose to highlight “stark beauty” instead.

    When you encounter a snag in your nature walk.

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  36. These are all great images for the ‘stark’ prompt Terri. Your snow and ice ones show a very different environment to ours and yet each are beautiful in their own way. I was keen to find photos of stark and managed to do so with landscapes and burnt out bush. I agree there’s a certain beauty in a stark scape and love seeing everyone’s interpretations. Thanks for another thought provoking Sunday Stills prompt.

    My post is here https://debs-world.com/2025/03/02/sunday-stills-capturing-stark-landscapes/

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  45. Stark can be beautiful, as you demonstrate, Terri. I have to say I prefer Graham’s images to snowy ones, but your boot prints are oddly attractive. Our rivers have been running mud brown or orange recently, as heavy rain brings the soil down from the hills. All part of nature’s beauty. Have a great week!

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  47. Your photo of “Eastern Oregon’s Stark Landscape” is stark, Terri, but also sublimely beautiful. I’m looking forward to spring, but only because of winter’s contrast. Each season becomes new and welcome at the end of the last. I hope you’re getting bluer skies and warming temps. 🙂

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      • Awww. Thanks, Terri. That winter start winter landscape would be the perfect backdrop for Erith’s walk to the village through the fields (or a movie of such!). Lol. Today’s a little overcast, but what a dry winter we’ve had here. A little concerning though I love the sunshine.

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  48. Well Terri, although I may change my mind in July and August, your post reminded me of why I choose to live in the south! Ice and snow are definitely not high on my list of favorite things (although once a year snow or ice can be fun and great for photography as you’ve shown!) Wherever we live spring I think is universally beloved. Here’s to the change of seasons and the end of STARK landscapes! Terrific post – especially loved the snowy footprints and the muddy waters.

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  49. Beautiful! We’ve had spring all month. Rumor has it that we’ll get some colder temps toward the end of March. Here’s hoping! And here’s hoping it includes some SNOW! Our skis/snowshoes have only made it out once this winter. People are twitchy, LOL. We want our winter! (Just…maybe not on the days I have to drive hither and yon, eh?)

    I’ve got some stark beaches today. https://frostonthemoosedung.com/2025/03/02/sunday-stills-stark/

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  50. What some consider stark others find beauty in. Snow-covered mountains with a golden field in front (your last photo) is stunning, and the snow-covered hills of your first photo are peaceful. Bernie

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  54. That’s an interesting theme, Terri. The quote by Liesel is thought provoking. Beautiful pictures as always…the chocolate river, pristine waters, the snow leaving and the visiting birds…enjoyed it all.

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  57. Interesting that your stark landscape would be so totally different from ours. We have not had any rain in probably close to 6 months. Our spring green is a dirty brown this year. Will try to capture this starkness and share. Love seeing your world coming back to life. Great captures of the birds as always.

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  59. Interesting! I tried reloading your page several times without success in getting those images to show. When I commented, I logged in to post the comment, and when the comment posted, all of the missing images appeared.

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    • Thanks for letting me know, John, glad they finally loaded. They’re not large files either. Some people had trouble commenting last week. I may have to change my theme again. It’s a fairly newer theme, so who knows what’s going on. Did you read on your computer or via Jetpack app on cell?

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  60. Good morning, Terri! I just read your post. Not all photos are visible to me. The photos between the stark boot track and your Sunday Stills reminder are all blank, only a short descriptor is visible.

    John

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