Waking up to a veritable blizzard on Tuesday morning was like a fever dream after the balmy Autumn Sunday we’d just had. Overnight a heavy amount of snow had fallen and was still coming down. I’ve never taken successful snow photos and didn’t know what conditions to expect, but I told myself I’d be happy with one good shot as long as I gained experience. Having a professional-level kit is absolutely worth the money because the weather-sealed body and lens enabled me to capture some of my favourite photos - and landscapes, too!

I wandered slowly through the entrance to the park to work out the conditions and light, and figure how to hold my camera to avoid snow on the lens. I sheltered under trees and tried not to get the overhanging branches in most shots, although for this one it adds foreground. I’ve never taken a good shot of the house before but this was one of the first frames I’d taken and I adore it. I love the texture of the falling snow and contrasting of the colour of the house. The blown out sky works because it balances the snow on the ground and the dog walker adds something too (I’m trying to be more conscious of using people in my images as I develop my style). What I also enjoy are those icons of Autumn, the golden leaves, peeping through and reflecting the seasonal transition.

I took a few more shots that didn’t work then moved down to the open space where children were sledging I tried get the right angle of this isolated tree and captured multiple unique shots. I wanted to use the hazy trees on the left as room for the reaching branches to move into, and the texture of the falling snow is so much fun. Just like the house, the autumn colours poking through give depth and story and I was impressed with myself that I’m slowly learning that I don’t need to always use f2.8 to get the depth I want. This image especially made me appreciate the autofocus on the Z7 as it rarely missed even with the amount of snow coming down.

After I tore myself away from the prior scene I spotted this squirrel running up a tree where he sat and watched me. He is so cute with his muddy face, huddling from the cols. The tree is messy in the frame but I like the way he camouflages into the environment. Again, the quality of the Z7 is amazing; it is so sharp. I shot this at 70mm which is the maximum this lens can manage and heavily cropped it but it’s still perfect.

I have a lot of respect for this guy because the conditions were tough. By this time I was freezing and ready to head to the car but he came ready with 2 cameras and a light, so big props to him. I’d love to see what his final images look like.

I took some photos inside the woodlands but they didn’t work for me; there was no snow on the ground which took away from the overall aesthetic I wanted for this photowalk. I also tried taking photos at the bottom pond in but the density of snow made it too difficult to get a clean composition. However, as I was leaving the area I spotted this swan tucked down the side of the trees. I like the dark, high contrast background that sets the swan apart. I love the bokeh produced by the snow too which adds interest. The reflections in the dark water are pretty cool too.

As I made my way back up to the house most of the sledgers had gone, but I loved this little scene. Winter has been imposed on Autumn with the colours and highlights, and the people add dynamism to the shot. The woman’s dark coat is a good balance between the trees and the canopy is holding back some of the snow so it’s not too dense right in front of the camera. They also create sneaky leading lines, above the more obvious wall line and the way the ground sweeps up from the left, in the same direction the boy is walking. The bokeh created by the snow is such a cute foreground.

I finished my photowalk back where I started: at the house with another picture that I like. You can see the snow is much heavier than the first image and if not for the leaves on the ground it would look really Christmassy. However, I love the way the tree on the right curves around the clock and the trees on the left lean in to the house. Again, there are good leading lines here pulling you up to the house and the white on the benches lighted what could have been a dark area.

I genuinely think I’ve been spoiled by this walk. For the first time I’ve not thought ‘I wish I had a different lens’, instead I’ve come out with some of my favourite images and not one is a macro style shot. They’re full of light and colour where I would normally like to be gloomy, and the quality of the camera, both in its hardiness to the weather and the incredible picture quality (especially when cropped) is everything I’ve ever wanted for my kit and worth every penny.

A Snowy Photowalk

An Impromptu Stop at Dudley Priory Ruins

A Sunday Scoot Around Haden Hill Park