Thursday, January 17, 2013

The beauty in winter

On certain days, when there are dull gray skies, slush everywhere, and it is too cold outside to truly enjoy nature, it may seem like it is difficult to find the beauty in winter.

Short of captures of pine trees and bridges covered in snow, or perhaps a gorgeous snowflake pattern, the mind doesn't really conjure up many more stunning images of wintertime. The ideal day for most is warm, sunny, and clear. Luckily, when it comes to photography, sunshine and warm weather don't always mean best. Sometimes, wind, rain, snow, or fog make for much more dramatic imagery.

That being said, winter engagement shoots and weddings really aren't for everyone. Because of this, photographing generally decreases, which can lead to photographers falling into the annual pattern of shutting down during these winter months. Well, it is time to shake those wintertime blues and rediscover the beauty in this season.

The good thing about snow is that it provides a strong contrast. Pops of color, especially reds, against the white of the snow can have you well on your way to creating a really strong image. It isn't just bright colors that work well with the winter weather; any capture with light and shadow on the snow can make for some great black and whites. 




The mixture of morning fog and drifting snow make for a mysterious black and white image. 



 I think another factor that leaves people feeling uninspired is that when they go outdoors, there is that overwhelming feeling of "Everything out here looks dead. Blah!". Although the bright lush colors found in vegetation from the spring to autumn months may be missing, there is a certain beauty in the line work and almost graphic style of bare branches.



This photo is from around the same time that same morning, but it has a very different aesthetic. Another nice contrast you can find this time of year is the coolness of the branches against the warmth of the morning sky.



Maybe the winter isn't so bad. I hope that some of you brave souls will venture out there, photograph some nature, and have some fun! Drinking a mug of hot chocolate and sitting by a nice, warm fire afterwards isn't a bad deal either.

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