How to let an average winter walk surprise you!

I recently braved 20-degree weather on a sunny Sunday morning to meet some photographers at a small lake in Maryland. I had not visited this lake before, but I had low expectations since we are in the dead of winter and currently without snow. I didn’t know what I would capture, but I wanted to get out of the house and enjoy the company of the other photographers.  

Often, we visit a place and know what we want to capture or expectations of the possible subjects or compositions we will shoot. We have preconceived ideas about our photo walk. On this day, I threw all those preconceived ideas out the window. I approached this new place with fresh eyes and no expectations. I didn’t go with the idea that I wanted to come home with a particular shot. There is nothing wrong with having a focus for a photo outing. I visit gardens with the intention of capturing certain flowers in bloom. However, I think that walking in nature without a purpose and just exploring with your lens can yield great results. As I reflect on my recent nature walk, some key factors helped me walk away with a collection of images that I love. 

  • The first consideration is always weather and timing. The walk started at 8:30 in the morning, and we were blessed with a cold morning but with bright blue skies. The light was beautiful. The time of day can impact a nature walk; I find the early morning or late afternoon best on a clear day in the winter. 
  • I took a variety of lenses but kept my 70-300mm on my camera most of the walk. This lens helped me zoom in on objects at the side of the lake, birds on branches, and ice formations on the lake. I did switch out and used my 24-105 and my Lensbaby sol45. I let the location and the light determine the best lens choice as I walked. 
  • Light is critical to photography, but I let the light lead me on this walk. As I walked, I scanned the banks of the lake, the waterfall, the trees, all for the light. How could I use the light to capture the beauty of the winter season? Often, the light was backlighting dried seedpods or adding bokeh and highlights to these dried flowers. Looking for the light is one of my #1 tips when shooting at any location. The sun was dancing on the ice and water, which allowed me to capture it abstractly. Just observing the light will help you find and capture stunning images. 
  • Use creative techniques when you have a bland subject. The lake was partially frozen, and the ice was not thick or pretty. But I loved the patterns and texture and still wanted to find a way to capture the icy landscape. I also noticed the color reflections on the water and thought about expressing that with my camera. Intentional Camera Movement is my go-to resource to capture magical light, texture, lines in an abstract way. I had a UV filter on my lens, so I raised my Fstop to 18-22 and used camera movement to capture the ice. I also zoomed in, shooting the ice very close up to get the pattern and textures. 
  • Let color guide you. I noticed how the blue sky gave everything a lovely cold winter look as I was shooting. I used this to my advantage as I shot and post-processed my images. I decided to keep most of the image temperature set to cool when I edited; this brought out the winter feel and helped me have a set of images that flowed together. 
  • Shoot a variety of subjects. I enjoy all types of photography, so I don’t let the genre guide me on a walk like this. I let the light, the colors, textures, lines drive what I capture. I love to go to one place and come back with a set of images that describe the place I have been. For this walk, I created some abstract photos of the ice and water close-up shots of dried plants, trees, birds, and ice. 

I will continue to “plan” photo locations and what I want to capture, but I plan to incorporate more spontaneous photo walks into my life this year. I will choose to be open to possibilities, make observations, walk slowly, and let nature be my guide. 

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