Exploring the Creative Possibilities for Winter Photography

Winter is probably the season that gives us the most variety in weather conditions here in Ireland. It is often said that we could experience four seasons in one day!

A winter's day could be wet and windy, or just wet all day long. On the other hand, it could be cold, crisp and dry, with some beautiful winter sun.

Winter could bring frosty mornings where the landscape is transformed into a winter wonderland and even tiny details take on a magical look.

Sometimes, we awaken on winter mornings to see the landscape shrouded in mist, where the day takes on an eerie feeling as our familiar landmarks disappear before our eyes.

And then there is that most beautiful of winter mornings, when the landscape has been transformed by a blanket of snow.

Each of these weather conditions has it's own beauty and creates its own ambiance, and each one has something to offer the photographer.

Below are some suggestions to help you explore the creative possibilities of winter photography.

Embrace the weather.

Winter is not generally considered to be the best season for photography and it can be hard to motivate yourself to get out with a camera on a cold, wet winter's day. But not all winter's days are like this.

There are some bright frosty mornings that promise amazing sunrises and they call us to bring along a camera and see what we can capture.

Winter morning sun can throw a new perspective on a familiar everyday scene, and experimenting with exposure can reveal lots of possibilities.

Fog can bring challenges for photography in that compositions are difficult to find in foggy scenes, but embracing the challenges will improve our photography skills and also encourage us to take a different approach, such as aiming to capture mood and respond to emotion.

Irish days of sunshine and showers often produce dramatic skies, thunder clouds and rainbows, in between sun bursts.

Embracing the weather conditions, whatever they are, will turn perceived difficulties into photographic opportunities.

Capture emotion, mood and atmosphere.

Winter often brings a range of emotions with it. There can be the loneliness caused by longer, darker evenings, a dip in energy as a result of reduced hours of daylight, or even nostalgia for times past.

When doing winter photography it helps to tune in to the emotions that are evoked by winter scenes and the mood created. We can capture the winter mood and atmosphere with images of bare trees, foggy scenes, abandoned, lonely buildings, wet roads, a lone light in an otherwise dark house.

This image of an abandoned picnic table conveys a lonely feeling, a feeling of loss of the vitality of summer when it would have been buzzing with activity.

Search for beauty in the tiny winter world.

The tiny world offers numerous opportunities for photography, ranging from frost covered leaves to tiny droplets suspended on a web or clinging to a leaf. Ice patterns, winter berries and snowflakes all show the beauty of the miniature world that we often overlook.

Photograph tree characters.

When the trees have shed their leaves in winter we are given a great opportunity to photograph their structure. The branches are more defined and allow us to see them at their most basic. Often they are standing tall holding bare branches to the sky, at other times we will see trees gnarled together weaving wonderful tree patterns. They are all shapes and sizes, growing tall and strong or small and spindly.

We can photograph the size, shape, form, character and inter-dependence of trees in their native habitat and allow them to create magical images.

Quality of Winter Light.

In winter, the sun rises later in the morning and sets earlier in the evening, meaning that we don't have to get up so early to capture those beautiful sunrises or spend all evening waiting for sunset. Winter sun is at a lower angle than summer sun so it is more diffused and creates softer, warmer light and extended golden hours. Unlike the harsh midday sun that we see in summer, you could almost photograph all day long in winter as the light never gets too harsh.

The low angle light creates long shadows and is great for backlighting. This effect can create dramatic silhouettes by underexposing the image while shooting into the sun, an effect I like to play with.

Conclusion

Rather than being a 'bad' season for photography, winter is in fact one of the seasons which offers photographers the best opportunities. Why not get outside with your camera and take full advantage of the opportunities winter has to offer - warmer light, deeper shadows, variable weather and beautiful details. It might just become your favourite photography season.