Winter Photography

Not sure if you have noticed it or not, but the weather around here lately has been, well… a bit challenging. Super cold and a bit of snow. This is when a lot of nature photographers move inside, stop shooting and work on images or do some other indoor tasks – big mistake! I would argue this is exactly the time to get out and go to work!

Our wild subjects don’t stop making their living. They survive. They endure. That is an amazing story and something you should be out photographing. Tell their story.

Besides, winter is beautiful. Frost ice and snow are pretty. They add drama and context to our work. They help tell the story of our subjects. The image below is one of my favorites. It is a simple image of a Common Redpoll, a bird about the size of a Chickadee. It was made in Zak Zim Bog in northern Minnesota. At the time, it was 40 degrees below zero, without the windchill.

You can actually see a bit of frost at the base of its beak formed by the bird’s breath. As illustrated by this image the birds survive by fluffing up their feathers to hold in every bit of heat their bodies can create. Additionally, they hunker down on their feet to insulate them as well.

Winter is no doubt a tough test on the wildlife. A test they must simply survive and endure each year. Unless of course you are a Snow Monkey, in which case you catch snowflakes on your tongue!

Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve