It all started when…

I was striding through hip-deep snowdrifts, sliding on black ice, and persevering the cold but fun blizzards. Zero Visibility, Zero People and definitely Below Zero Degrees, however, there were many photo opportunities to be had. Taking shelter behind a huge boulder from the exposure of high winds and driving snow which felt like sharp ice, I took my camera off from the tripod and decided I would go handheld. Diving out of the shelter I was immediately pushed back by the chilling gusts, I shot everything I could see insight, yes, not the usual approach to my photography but there wasn't a choice as I was fighting time as the sun had already set and I was conscious about the amount of time I was exposing my camera to the harsh unforgiving elements. Many photos later I tucked into a small gap between two large frozen rocks to get the right angle for this shot. I can't tell you how much winter excites me every year with the ice, snow and frost all amazing elements to see especially when they gather over many days and weeks to build up to create horizontal shards of ice crystals that wrap around the rocks like a cloak.

This was one of those occasions where you walk past a subject and instantly know this will be worth setting up all the gear for, a photograph with great potential. I have walked past this for many years but never spotted this delicate and intimate scene. The heavy snow gently falling without the presence of wind allowed the white dust to balance on the thin pine needles, a very fragile scene and it hopefully comes across that way too. I like the soft and gentle feel of this photograph and how this displays how elegant this tree looks with a covering of snow.