In landscape photography we try to communicate our vision through the images we create.
Using the changing seasons is a popular means of visual storytelling, but telling a story through our photography is not simply reflecting what we see. Storytelling is an attempt to communicate our connection to the elements of the landscape. It is personal; an emotional response to what we see.
In most seasons we create our story by the locations we go to, the scenes we choose to photograph and the way in which we compose our images.
We can choose to go out in early morning or late evening and we usually have weather conditions conducive to creating worthy images. At the very least, our photography is usually not hampered by weather.
In winter it can be different.
Weather conditions are very unpredictable, and consequently so also is travel.
Many days can be bitterly cold or very wet, which don’t entice us to get out with our cameras, especially if they are not weather sealed. And the shorter days give us less time to wait for a change in conditions.
Yet the many variations of this season can bring its own joy for photographers, as I think winter is the season that creates it’s own story and it is up to us, as photographers, to get out, witness that story being told and bring it to others. The winter story is a tale of many variations
Crisp mornings
Amazing sunsets
Frost
Snowy days
Ice
Still, frosty air
Frozen ponds
Beautiful afternoon sun streaming through the trees
Cold, moonlit nights
Bare trees
Dramatic skies
These are some of the variations in weather that winter creates. There are also short, dark days where photography seems impossible, yet they too tell their story.
The winter story is all around us. All we have to do is tell it.