Winter can be tough with the lack of light. For most of it, it seems like you start and end your day in darkness. As a photographer, you have to get more creative to continue documenting most days.

The great thing is that you are rewarded with new opportunities if you look for them. You don’t have to wake up at 4am to catch the rising sun. That dreaded mid-day light doesn’t actually exist . You get more dramatic sunsets and can find very moody scenes in bad weather. Winter gives a whole new meaning to blue hour photography.

This set of photos were taken in 11 degree weather that was absolutely frigid, but the afternoon sun was so golden that everything was cast in a beautiful orange glow.

I actually forgot about this set of photos and recently stumbled back upon them. It is a very simple set with all of the images taken within one block and about 15 minutes, but they have a great warmth and calmness to them. I think this is a perfect example of what winter light can offer you.

A good exercise to break out of a darkness slump is simple. Go out and look for two things, light & color . If you start here, you can usually start opening up your eyes to simple surroundings that become interesting when you add these elements.

Don’t put that camera away for the season. Find a way to get out and explore, even if only for 30 minutes. By the end of winter, I find myself missing the scenes and the light, just not the cold.