I have learned to love Winter
It has taken awhile but I have finally got there. It has been a long journey, especially after the floods and storms of last winter. It is hard to see past those dank grey days and the long dark evenings where the day ends at 4pm.
For me now, the colours of pink and blue on the dawn horizon always heralds what is going to be a promising sunrise. Even if the clouds come, it is a wonderful quality of light and I just gaze. I never ‘just gaze’ in the warmer months . There is never time! Except in winter. On a nice day the light will be low and milky and although there is less in the garden to photograph there are alternative elements to explore.
I like to think of frost as Nature’s Christmas decorations. Being out in a garden at sunrise is such a spiritual experience with no other company except birdsong and a camera and is particularly special with the dusting of frost. Last week’s shoot was in -6 degrees and I never noticed. With a big thick jumper and boots aside, I was too busy to notice.
Strangely now, on those dank grey days I really notice the bare trees. They have a monochromatic quality and their myriad shapes can be appreciated better without their usual leafy covering. I can see them now as natural sculptures peppering the landscape. They seem so artistically placed but are fascinatingly unintentional. Of course this also means that these grey days are great for a little monochrome work- something of a luxury for me these days.
There is also the chance to really stop and look at things that inspire for next year’s ideas. With a slightly emptier head (for want of a better turn of phrase..) and being camera-less sometimes I have time to really ‘see’ the bigger picture. I never stop ‘seeing’ our amazing natural world but in winter I really sit and take notice.
Last winter I knitted an Aran jumper as a project for the long dark evenings. Definitely the must- have for shooting the blue -pink dawn in the sub-zero weather…
Enjoy!
