2 days ago
I like both of these views and I think both are quite enjoyable. I prefer the vertical for only a small quibble which is that the black square in the wall of the horizontal frame is a bit distracting. Sticking with the vertical photograph, I get a good connection with snow storm, the cold, the isolation and perhaps loneliness (no people here) of winter. A lot of good emotional and intellectual engagement.
The framing and POV are pleasing considering that branches can be very unwieldy at times. But it is handled well here and the bench remains my point of interest with the eye then going around the trees later. Your exposure is just right and the tonality is wide enough. A few more solid blacks might improve this, but you can experiment and see. The snow lying on the branches is perfect. There's a slightly awkward bundle of dark branch at the very bottom and you might want to crop up a tad to get rid of it. It is competing with the bench.
Very expressive photograph, and I can see the artist in this.