Despite the chill and frostbitten fingers, winter is one of my favorite times to bring out the camera. Everything glistens and sparkles, not just the Christmas lights on the tree or the cozy fire; the landscape completely changes. There is a magic to snow. A coziness that you can feel in your bones. Crafting a visual story starts with just that - setting the scene, taking in the atmosphere, or literally the landscape. As visual storytellers, it’s not just about capturing what’s happening in front of us, say a fresh batch of cookies, but telling the entire scene as a whole. How can the viewer feel the cold? How can they see the sparkle in the trees? How can they feel that urge to bundle up under a wooly blanket next to a roaring fire? It is much in the details as it is about the environment and the feelings. The ambiance and landscape can greatly inspire how you choose to style or capture your scene. A half-drunk mug of hot chocolate tells the story that someone clearly enjoyed it on a snowy outing. The delicate details of the frost on the windows show how cold it is. The way the snow glistens in the morning sunshine can subconsciously make you see that rosy cheek glow.

Winter is a fantastic time for us as photographers to get out of our comfort zone, quite literally! While we may rather just post up by the fire and hang a “do not disturb” on the door, it’s one of the most rewarding times to photograph. If you have an inviting spread with fondue or other delectable wintertime treats, challenge yourself to incorporate the natural element into your story as well. Not only will it ground the viewer into the scene, but it will bring that winter magic into the story. Regardless if you have snow or not, how can you make the viewer feel like they are in the frame? How can you capture the sense of coziness, hibernation, rest — all emotions and feelings that come with winter? One simple practice is to literally write out in one or two sentences your story. For example, “After a long winter walk with soggy snow boots, a woman enjoys a fresh slice of gingerbread nestled by the fire, with a stack of books at her feet on a bitterly cold afternoon.” It could be "On a cold day, a woman eats a piece of gingerbread by the fire.” That is quite bland and boring and doesn’t pique my interest to hear more about it. So what? Is it just a lady eating gingerbread by the fire?

Exactly.

The first is far more compelling, even if its a simple scene. What makes a good bedtime story anyway?! You’ve got get into it and feel it! You see how the more detailed you can be in writing it out, the more intriguing and easier it will be when it comes to shooting and styling your scene. So, how do we incorporate the snowy feel? Let’s this a bit further. What if you went outside and captured her through the window with the falling snow? Or what if you captured the scene but rather than her being in focus, the snow falling outside was in focus? Or maybe she’s holding the gingerbread and looking out the window at the falling snow, and she is out of focus? You see how there are so many options to play with if we just get creative and look around? Those feelings of the season are reflected in how you will compose and style your story. This may just be my style, but the more we can incorporate natural and seasonal elements into our scene, it makes the story feel grounded.

Capturing coziness isn’t just in the literal sense. It’s in the details and the ambiance. The story sometimes lies in the subtleties and the unexpected places, like the wintery window view. While candlelight and a roaring fire all add to an inviting, cozy scene, the angles in which we capture them and the elements we include in the frame can greatly enhance the mood.

Feel free to share your wintery captures with me over on the old Instagram — I’d love to see them!