Many people consider snow a complicating factor in their life. But not if you are a naturalist. And certainly not if you are a photographer. A healthy, blanketing snowstorm wipes the landscape clean, leaving the world fresh and free of distractions. For the photographer, brushy foreground is often eliminated, leaving compositions simple. For the naturalist, visible tracks can be accurately aged within a small margin, allowing one to place the movement of wildlife - and nature - much more easily. Most literally, the world becomes much more "black and white" - with evidence of patterns, textures, and contrast which otherwise become lost in the melee of color.