The Bleak Mid-Winter

As a photographer based in north-eastern Ohio, winter can often be a challenging time. With snow covering the ground for extensive period of time, not only can early morning shoots be uncomfortably cold requiring many layers of cumbersome clothing to be worn against the elements, but psychologically depressing and difficult to find interesting compositions against a lifeless, monochrome vista.

There are several ways which I use this to my advantage. One is to forget colour altogether and find simple, intimate compositions which work well with black and white contrasts. The other is to apply a broader landscape approach but utilising colour to break up the monotony of the scene.

Using dashes of colour is another approach I use to splice apart the monochrome monotony of broader vistas. Trees are also a great subject to work with, especially evergreens and when they're replete with fresh snow, also give rise to very seasonal images over the Christmas holiday. I've found a number of really interesting shapes on my travels this winter so far.

Light, when it is good, is often diffused on short winter days as the sun sits relatively low in the sky, and with the often extremities of cloud company which can accompany it enable me to head out at any time of the day and not worry about harshly lit images. However even on the most overcast days, all is not lost when monochrome details can be had in abundance.

Spectacular sunrises are a rarity in this part of the world over the winter months and this morning's shoot was no exception; the sun may be in the ideal place but distant banks of cloud can often ruin the scene with broad vistas. I haven't been able to capture a decent weekend sunrise whereby all the stars figuratively align since the beginning of December. Today I headed to Shenango Reservoir near Sharpsville, Pennsylvania which was still largely covered with ice despite a recent week of significant thawing. Without any grand vistas of note, I decided instead to utilise some woodland which had a trail running through it as a useful leading line with the sunrise in the background through the trees. It made for something different, colourful and interesting while we have a period of comparatively little snow on the ground.