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Numb Fingers and Thumbs

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As the romantic colours of autumn are receding and the leaves that provided this annual display of splendour are most gone, we once again head into the winter. Until last year the winters in the UK were not much to talk about - to be honest they could be described as non-descript and positively boring. If we conjure up thoughts of what a 'good' winter should be - it should give us the crisp air, blue skies with frost and maybe a powdering of snow, even if only on higher ground.

The fact is that the UK winters have not been like this at all. We have been subjected for many years to a barrage of 'cold dampness' with grey skies and weather that basically makes you feel as miserable as it looks! That was until last year. The winter of 2009/2010 was a monumental shift in what we have been used to. Whether you consider this to be a good or bad thing is entirely down to personal taste and circumstances! The commuter thoroughly hates these days of slow or blocked motorways, freezing-cold platforms for delayed and cancelled trains and the same goes for the bus-stop experience.

For the outdoor photographer the arrival of a winter of this magnitude was something of a blessing for the portfolio. Many of us have the opportunity to grab the occasional image of the glowing sunset and sunrise, the autumnal colours of the trees are guaranteed every year and the summer will always deliver (even if in limited numbers) days of bright sunshine, but the winter wonderland was always considered as illusive.

I recall seeing the weather forecast with announcements of snow and thought little of it. That was until it actually arrived. I was stunned. And after it arrived it certainly did not want to leave! Fortunately I had the opportunity to visit two locations last winter and both rewarded me with very different offering. The first location was close to my home in Lancashire and the second was an arduous trip over Rannoch Moor into Glen Coe, a place I certainly love to be with a camera.

Photographing in snow and harsh winter conditions sets new challenges for the outdoor photographer. The landscape itself is totally transformed by one simple fall of snow. One of the greatest challenges in outdoor and landscape photography is simplifying the chaos of nature. Snow does a great job of this in one main way. It almost makes everything monochrome just revealing shape and form, which is something I seek out as a predominately black and white photographer.

Besides it being cold and difficult under foot, operating your equipment can be a major challenge. When I went out close to home I worked with a DSLR and quickly noticed that I was far from acclimatised to the conditions. I just grabbed my kit, jumped into my warm car and headed down the country lanes where I was faced with a vast array of opportunities. When I left the car I soon discovered that, after about an hour, the cold had rendered my hands pretty much useless and the camera controls were close to impossible to use. This was immensely frustrating as my mind was telling me, 'You wont get this opportunity again for years!' but the excitement pushed me on and I made a series of images that were worth every moment of numb fingers and thumbs.

Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor were totally different challenges all together! Firstly the usual six-hour drive took about eight because of slow motorways and closures. (This was my commute nightmare!) Secondly it is colder up there. Sounds like a simple statement but believe me it really is! I made it over a snowy Rannoch Moor and checked into the Kings House Hotel. It began to snow and blizzard did not stop for two days! I was in awe of the place. Well what I could see of it! It was a total white out. During the two days I had very small pockets of time in which to get out with a camera.

I must admit that without my Land Rover this would have been impossible which could only just navigate its way along the roads, which where only identifiable by 'pole-markers' on the roadside.

On the last full day the weather did break and the road was once again passable. I managed to get out onto Rannoch Moor and onto the edge of Loch Ba and Lochan nah Achlaise. The snow was up to my waist and the going was very tough. With a 40 kilogram pack on my back and tripod in hand I simply sank down the entire depth of the drifted snow. By the time I had picked my way to the edge of the frozen water I was exhausted and my main concerns was that I could not actually be sure if I was suspended on the frozen ice of the Lochan or standing on solid ground.

I tentatively exposed a number of sheets of film during those few hours - and the wind and light changed at all times. In some places I could see cracks in the ice that I was standing on and the bubbles moving beneath constantly reminded of the fact that if I was to fall through the ice I would almost certainly not get out again.

Those experiences in Scotland and near to home last winter have certainly whetted my appetite for more winter photography. There is something unique about the cold, the wind and the self-control needed to persevere in such conditions, certainly with a large format camera and regardless of the long drive and the long wait for the blizzard to clear, each time I look at the images they remind me of one of my most memorable trips with my camera.



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026