Winter Landscapes - light, low sun, frost and snow

Robert Harvey, a photographer based in Wiltshire gave us a talk about making images of landscapes in Winter. He explained the challenges and opportunities of making images using the winter light, frost and snow to document the beautiful transformation of the landscape during the winter months.

"Winter is my favourite season for landscape photography, especially when snow, ice and frost combine with crisp, clear air and low sunlight".

Robert's images taken in the UK were really wonderful and showed how beautiful the landscape can be when the elements of snow, ice, frost, dark skies and low light are combined; they certainly showed a "Winter Wonderland" !

The light in winter gives a wonderful crispness and "clean" aspect to photographing the landscape, with the low sun able to illuminate peaks and mountains giving wonderful rich tones. Early morning mists allow light to bounce around, giving texture to rocky outcrops and reflective light creates beautiful images of trees with their leaves gone. Winter light is fabulous for capturing the gaudy colours on birds and the low sun accentuates their plumage making this really pop. Frost transforms landscape scenes, reflecting the colours of the sky; early morning pink skies create beautiful frosty images. Icicles on rocky outcrops are accentuated by the golden morning light and snow can give great texture to an image in areas that are not too deep, detailing the foreground. Using the white skies to make images of snowy landscapes can give a monochromatic look, giving an opportunity to create a silhouette or abstract photograph. What is also wonderful is how the pre-dawn "blue" light makes the landscape look and feel arctic like.

As well as images of the UK, Robert showed us some of his landscapes captured in Tromso, Norway, north of the Arctic Circle; beautiful photographs showing the wonderful fjords, beaches and the red houses on stilts, which are iconic in this fantastic landscape, and images captured of the Northern Lights from a trip to Nordkap. He also showed as images taken in Yellowstone, wonderful photographs of the geothermal features (hotsprings and geysers) against the frozen elements, showing the hot water turning in to steam reflecting the sun in a particularly effective and stunning way.

Take a look at Robert's website and see his brilliant winter landscapes. www.naturalworldphotography.net

Another fantastic talk and hopefully inspired members to get out in the cold during the winter to get some fantastic images !! Wrapping up very warm of course!