winter

out of curiosity what do photographers that shoot primarily landscapes do in the winter? not that you can't shoot

landscapes during the winter but that winter seems to be less dramatic no leaves on trees no brilliant colors of flowers

less pretty blue Sky's or brilliant sunrises and sunsets and plenty of grey or cloudy days. Unfortunately I did not get

a chance to get out and shoot a lot this summer and I would like to get some ideas for things to shoot this winter

when it seems like that's when I have more time.

I find winter to be more photographic than the other seasons. I like its spareness. Dress in layers and go out for the dawn, or in late

afternoon: winter light can't be beat, the sun so far south, slanting in at us almost horizontally.

I think I take as many pictures in the winter as the summer. For me, bad weather seems to produce the best pictures.

No leaves, good.

 

No flowers, brilliant.

 

No pretty blue skies, no, but instead of pretty you get crystal clarity.

 

Total grey? Excellent time for b&w.

 

Less dramatic? Nonsense.

 

Depends on your taste I guess. ;)

Winter is the only time we get clouds in the sky here in Northern California, so I make the most of shooting cloud reflections in the water, shiny buildings, etc. It also makes for nice sunsets, something we don't get during the dry season.

 

<Chas>

To Tim Ted & Kari yes there may be times of good photographic potential but to me it seems less in the winter than in summer. To Charles here in south eastern colorado winter is typicaly the dry season while other areas in colorado might get tons of snow we might get just a dusting with very cold temperatures and lots of wind and to get to those places with lots of snow its typicaly a very tough treturous drive with lots of miles

This just has to depend on where you live. I remember living in the mountains (Appalachian) and those were some of the most beautiful landscapes I'd ever seen. To me, nothing is more dramatic than snow and clear blue skies, especially if it's started to warm up and the snow has started to melt just a bit. By contrast, I moved from there to Chicago, where the snow was grey rather than white, and the only thing that didn't look filthy was the lake. Of course it was easily the best time of year to shoot the lake.

Winter is a great time for monochromatic and limited tonal/color range studies. It's just a different challenge. Like playing the blues with only two chords instead of three.

Thomas, you're in southeastern Colorado? Then we're neighbors. If you're not finding winter pictures there, come just across the

New Mexico border. It's a photographer's paradise. Check my portfolio for examples...look for winter shots, there are plenty.<div></div>

Is this some sort of a trick question?

 

Winter is THE time for serious landscape photographers.

 

You just gotta get into them mountains!<div></div>

You're joking, of course. Winter is my favorite time of year for photographing. Of course, if you want autumn leaves, etc.,

you're going to miss out on the subtleties of winter colors, tones. I don't like photographing landscapes in the summer

because its harsh sunlight and deep shadows. So, in the summertime, in addition to doing what I can with landscapes,

that's when I shoot buildings and, as a bonus, avoid the worst of the tick season.

 

I don't think it matters as much where you live as much as how you see and how you think about what you see.

 

At the wetlands in northern California, winter is the time of high tides, rain, fog. Wow!<div></div>

Yeah my favorite two times of the year for photography are the 3-4 weeks of good fall color and then winter once all the leaves have fallen and the colors become muted. Perfect for B&W work and with some snow in there color can be appealing as well sometimes. I enjoy spring and early summer for the flowers and blooms, but as Sally mentioned, you have deep shadows and harsh light. A perk of winter is even at noon the sun just isn't that high in the sky and you get some fairly nice lighting for much more of the day then the 2-3hrs you seem to get in the summer (that is if you are shooting color).

I find winter challenging too. Between the shorter days, balancing good light with work schedules, and the fact that I really hate to be

cold, it's hard to motivate myself to even get out. But I live in Vermont, one of the most scenic winter vistas in the country! I feel SO

guilty for not taking advantage of it. Then again, as much as I love the winter landscapes, I sure as h*** don't want to see one hanging

on my wall in July! Summer here is far to precious to be thinking about winter.

 

So this year, I've given myself a couple of "assignments" to get me moving.

 

1) Light and form.– I have a really hard time simplifying my images. I tend to want to see ALL the details. So for this winter, I'm going to

work on taking more simplified/graphic images. AFAICT, a nice even blanket of snow helps. We don't always get that in our valley

though, so it'll be challenging.

 

2) During mud season this spring, I started to learn a little bit about tracking. One of my goal for this year is to get a photo of either a

coyote or a bobcat. It doesn't even have to be a good photo, it just has to be one that I've gotten by finding the animal. So that means

that I need to learn more about habitat and behavior, and more importantly, it means that I have to spend the time outside. I'm sure that

while I'm out there, I'll find lot's of other images.

 

3) We seem to get a lot of freezing rain in our area, so I need a bail out plan for when it's just too nasty out. I'm starting down the lighting

road. I've immersed myself in Strobist and the Strobist way of life! If I had realized before that I could get into lighting for so cheap, I

would have done it years ago.

 

So I would say, try assigning yourself a couple of different photo projects. Make sure that you've got some choices for good/bad

weather, night/day, specific/loose. Let there be one or two that don't have great odds of success, they can become an ongoing thing.

Even if you don't have a ton of portfolio pics at the end of the season, you'll have learned quite a bit and come away with new skill.

There is far more to shoot in the winter than the summer, but it does depend on where you live and your ability to travel. Snowy landscapes? Seldom in the summer. Huge waves expolding over the cliffs in low angle dramatic light? Seldom in the summer. The weather and light are better for photography in the winter in many coastal areas of this continent and perhaps others.