Permanent Tourist

Out in the cold

Individual photographs, Landscape photography, Life • Sunday, 20th December, 2009

Every year, in around early Spring and in late autumn, I pledge to myself that this will be the year when I finally shift my arse to get out into the snow and take some decent winter landscape photos. Last time I went out and took some proper snowy scenes, composed and gathered (that time) mainly for memories of Jo’s first winter visit to Switzerland and secondly for a client, was at Männlichen in 2005; now almost five years ago. (Cue gaping expression from me.)

So, I made the first effort of this winter today and despite the fact that Jo elected to stay in the warm, which had been my preference until I packed my camera bag and headed out, I wandered up to the small park near the train station to take the shot above of the large illuminated tree overlooking the harbour in our home town of Spiez. From there, I saw that a second, smaller tree was illuminated on the grassy lawn next to the harbour and castle, so I slithered down the dark, precipitous path between twinkly houses, holding onto a freshly-installed steel guide rail, and set up my tripod for another snowy Christmas tree shot. I was almost totally alone while I was down there, except for an old woman walking her dog who came over to admire the tree and have a chat, and as I set up the last shots of the evening, the clouds (visible in the shot above) arrived and started snowing on me and the scene.

This is likely to be the last article I post before Jo and I head into the Christmas holidays, so I’d like to wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas, wherever you may be.

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