I fell in love with winter imagery in my 20's, when I composed a snapshot portrait of myself, my husband and our little Pomeranian puppy out in the snow with a our little point-and-shoot film camera. It was completely a spur of the moment idea that came to me as I watched the soft, fluffy quiet snow blanket our backyard. The black branches looked like lace, the entire world was a tranquil white, and the winter sunlight, filtered through clouds, cast a lovely, even, flattering light. (Best softbox in the world, clouds!)
"Are you sure this is going to work?" asked my husband.
"Just take it, it'll be cool," I reassured him. (I had him press the shutter, as I was holding the puppy and he has longer arms = better focus.)
Here is that photo from way back in 1994, scanned in:
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| Baby, It's Cold Outside... |
Having a monochromatic background might seem boring at first, but it actually allows the focus of your photo - the people - to stand out even more. The riotous colors of fall, while indeed gorgeous, are sometimes distracting. Plus, a neat winter portrait is unique -- you just don't see very many of them! To this day, that image is one of my absolute favorites.
Another year, we posed in crazy red, green and white striped long johns for our holiday cards. We got more compliments on that photo than any other!
So why not embrace the season and give a Winter Wonderland portrait session a try? Frolicking in the snow, sledding, ice skating, colorful scarves and hats and mittens are all really fun things to capture. Or if you prefer to stay inside, how about a photo by a crackling fire with mugs of hot cocoa? C'mon, you know you want to show off your flannel bunny pajamas! *wink*
