Photographing Snow Is Really Photographing Wind (Day 22 of 31)
There are different ways to photograph snow. One of the most interesting is when it’s blowing. When fine granules are blowing across a road or roof, or over the ground, it’s one of the few ways you can see the shape of the wind.
Smoke and clouds give us ways to “see” wind sometimes, as do sandstorms. But smoke and clouds move somewhat differently from the way snow does. (I imagine sand blows around more the way snow does, but I have never seen a sandstorm.)
The phenomenon I’m talking about is one illustrators use, as well as photographers. You see it in, for example, children’s picture books about snowfalls: the snow curling and eddying, blown about by the wind.
In eastern Canada, where I live, it’s not time yet for the first snowfall of the season. That’s not the case in parts of the country that deal with a lot more of it than we do here; the North is already seeing snow on the ground. For the rest of the country, it’s partly something to be dreaded and partly just a simple fact of life. Doing whatever we can to enjoy it more—like getting out to photograph it—makes the long winter more bearable.
(For the month of October 2017, I’m participating in the 31 Days bloggers’ challenge. You can find out about it here, and check out the interesting work other bloggers are posting.)
the same applies to the deserts. It becomes so alive when the wind blows. I like the photo in this post, looks awesome.
Thank you, Anton. I’ve never seen the wind blowing in a desert–maybe some day.
Some of my most favourite images are the ones I’ve taken on a windy snowy day. Especially, I have some from the beach, where the sand is frozen solid but the snow is whipping around in a most dramatic way.
It’s a pleasure to see the wind.