It’s been a white Christmas and a New Year - finally! I haven’t seen snow for ages. It was two lovely to have a little walk by the sea on Christmas Eve. I had my camera and iPhone with me, and wanted to capture so many snowy views and details. Unfortunately the weather was pretty brisk and being without warm gloves my hands felt numb in a second.

Wintery places can offer such wonderful opportunities for photography, from shooting beautiful snow covered landscapes to tiny details. However the cold weather also creates unique challenges - one of these are easily freezing fingers. At least that was my biggest problem. It was easier and more comfortable to quickly shoot with my iPhone.

I always use manual mode and adjust the shutter speed and aperture as well as ISO according to the prevailing light situation. Now I kept the ISO in 125 and changed the shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/ 250 and aperture from f3.2 to f5.0. I had only one lens with me Canon 50mm f1.18.

Sandy beach with dunes look so different when covered with snow.

Guess what - I lost the cover of the lens. I had put it in the pocket of my puffer coat and it probably dropped when I took a handkerchief. So stupid of me!

The timing was just right. The day was sunny and the best golden light was just before the sunset in the afternoon. Note that the sun sets after 3pm before 4pm. So the actual play time is pretty short.

Wintery moodboard

First of all, I was a guest in my nephew’s wedding, not a photographer. Of course, I took my camera with me and took some snapshots.

In my opinion wedding photography is the most difficult and challenging field of photography. How to get high-quality, clear and consistent-look photos, when you can only shoot once to capture that unique moment. The wedding day is such an important and intense day with a lot of expectations. I can’t even imagine how the couple - and the photographer - would feel if the photos were not what they expected and wanted.

There’s certainly some pressure for a photographer on a wedding day. It’s a one-time event and everything must be captured as it happens and not miss the big moments. That’s a lot of responsibility.

For a wedding photographer it’s evident to:

do the research
arrive early
create a timeline
prepare, prepare, prepare
be creative

Of course it is impossible to be everywhere and see everything, yet you can’t miss those one-time moments: the kisses, the laughs, the crying, the emotions, and the dancing. That’s the pressure a wedding photographer is constantly under.

For me Hugo & Lyydia’s wedding was the most beautiful wedding ever!

Winter Magic

Wedding Photography