Snow Days!

Closeup of a snowflake sticking out of the top of a pile of snow that’s nestled in the branches of a cedar tree.

Last weekend it really snowed here in Victoria in a way that usually happens once or twice a year. So of course I put on my snow pants and my snow boots and all the hand knits and ventured out to see what I could photograph. Capturing individual snowflakes is very hard but worth the effort! And snow landscapes might be my most successful landscapes so far. Once again, I’m grateful that I get to see this place through all the seasons and treasure what each one offers.

I think this series is more artsy and less literal than my bright-light nature photos, but I kind of love the grainy, dreamy quality of these images. Though to be totally transparent, I realized after the fact that I was going to edit the images with that quality since the light was so low.

A misty, dreamy landscape with bright red rose hips on bare branches in focus in front of a blurred out snowy lake with evergreen trees.

A goose looking down into the water at its own reflection with snow falling around it.

A blurry lake scene with powdery snow falling on out of focus geese who have snow on their backs.

We walked to a nearby lake and saw geese with snow on their backs! The snow would build up to a big blanket and then they’d dip their whole bodies over into the water to get whatever they were snacking on, and the whole pile would tip over into the water. It was pretty charming and had me wondering if they were cold.

Closeup of patches of snow on cedar branches

A snowy path in the woods is lined with tall, skinny evergreen trees.

Closeup of a spindly twig that’s topped with little earthy buds. Some of the branches are in focus and some are blurred in the background.

Cattails in a snowy lake that’s partially covered in ice.

More attempts at super closeup snowflake photos are below. I had a really fun time looking SO closely at snow. I pretty much only got myself to stop trying when my hands got too cold to keep hitting the shutter.