Goodbye January 2021. A month that has been surprisingly interesting.

The month of January is one that if it was designed on paper, would have more than likely been drawn on the back of a cigarette packet. Now why do I use that way to describe this month? Well perhaps it is because January has to be one of the strangest months within a year. Gloomy and rather dull, drab even and come on - who actually likes the month of January? I certainly do not for sure - but like everyone else, biting the bullet that is this incredibly dull and drab month has bought us ever closer to February and one in which changes happen. Some major changes as the spring-time starts to flex or stretch its muscles and nature once again awakens after the big sleep of the winter.

Yet despite things being strange with yet another lockdown, January has been really quite surprising, almost a mixed bag really in terms of photography and whilst because of lockdown restrictions and measures what I have taken have remained slightly more unique, in some ways I have had to challenge myself more and experiment with various compositions. One of the first photographs of 2021 that I captured was of a family that was sitting on a bench at Shipley Park, and it is this photograph that I think sums up what January actually means - they were clearly pondering and thinking about things, but what exactly were they thinking about?

For what were they pondering upon?

A mixed bag though weather wise is what January has been, yes it has so far been quite dull, drab and boring, but in between that we have actually been blessed with some nice weather, not a lot but enough that somehow tricks the brain into thinking that it really will not be long before the first signs of spring start to appear.

The magic of January.

The simple lines.

The talking tree.

Everstanding.

Crisp patterns of the ground - (Black and White).

The clear January air - (Colour).

The clear January air - (Black and White).

A lone tree.

Crisp patterns of the ground - (Colour).

January has been one of those strange months and as you can see the weather has been kind. Perhaps too kind and has blessed us with some extra daylight, of course the extra daylight has meant that we get a little bit more in the way of sunshine - something which is a true blessing. Of course that also means that the winter skies of low sun, creating a stunning crisp sunset, that is something to behold, needless to say there is something about the winter that lends itself to landscape photography unlike any other season.

But of course January is the winter time and with that - cold weather has meant for snow. Gone are the days of having lots of snow during the winter but any that does fall is exciting to say the least and with the snowfall, I had to get out and capture the snowfall that had occurred. Crisp, bitter but pleasing in a strange way.

“Snow, oh the glorious snow. Somehow it transforms a photograph, could it be that snowfall brings out more beauty within a landscape?”

 for one think so, snow does have a magical quality that can add something else to a photograph or a landscape scene. And of course with lockdown and staying local I was fortunate enough to capture the following wintery scenes.

Down the lane - (Landscape).

Down the lane - (Portrait).

A Winter Contrast.

Winter by the Canal.

Contrasts of the canal.

The Winter Waterfall.

But even after the snow had melted, the month of January just kept on “giving” in a strange way, with its mystery and with that came a final surprise, a truly glorious evening sunset that just summed up the month of January and the season that is winter.

The January Calm - (Landscape).

The January Calm - (Portrait).

January Reflections.

Contrasting is perhaps the best way to describe January and it is a month that a lot of people understandably do not like, but it goes without saying that the month of January is one that can be full of surprises, for it is a month that prepares us for the year ahead, still though for what will the month of February hold? Signs of spring perhaps? I certainly hope so. But perhaps lockdown during the month of January has made me appreciate just what an interesting month it can be if you think outside of the box and explore the landscapes, the ones in which all seasons can be experienced within just one month. Unique yes and to me that is what January is.

Capturing the first snow of 2020. For simplicity is the key.

Snow really is a bit like marmite and you either love it or loathe it with vengeance. As a landscape photographer the snow somehow blends itself into a landscape scene. For it is these scenes which really can provide for something akin to,

“A magical scene that tells a story, one without words and one that is as soothing as it falls”

With snow photography keeping things simple often ends up meaning you get the best results. The county of Nottinghamshire, is one that is avoided by any snowfall, because of its geographical location - however there are some parts of the county which do get the odd dusting of snow and these are at the slightly higher parts of the county, it really is amazing that just a few hundred feet or meters in differential can mean that the county of Nottinghamshire can have snow in one location but head five miles in the other direction and there is no snow.

So the other day I decided to see if any snow had fallen within the county of Nottinghamshire, and just a few miles away, what did I find? The first snow of 2020 that had fallen in the county of Nottinghamshire.

A lone winter tree.

Simplicity of the snow - portrait.

Simplicity of the snow - landscape.

The beauty of snow.

The fallen snow

The winter gate - landscape

The winter gate - portrait

Looking over the hills from here.

The location was just off the M1 at Junction 27, where I had previously captured a stunning yet simple scene, overlooking the rolling hills of Nottinghamshire towards Moorgreen and DH Lawrence county, the area where DH Lawrence used to live. Keeping things simple I just had to capture the scenes of the snowfall over the rolling hills, needless to say that I was incredibly happy with the scenes that I had just captured. As the first snowfall to me echoes the following,

“Winter has officially arrived”

Crisp and cloudy, the snow is just magical to capture and winter time really does lend itself to more simplistic shots, add too much to a winter composition with the snow and your shot will be ruined, instead the simple compositions work best in the winter - but it can also be a challenge in order to capture that perfect winter scene. Work with the snow and the landscape though and try various combinations of compositions and you are sure to get that perfect snow photograph. Just remember that simplicity is the key when photographing the snow or any winter scenes.