Article and photographs © Al Perry
I have always enjoyed the challenge of winter. As a teen in North Central Indiana, I rose two hours before sunrise in the coldest months of the year to run a mile-and-a-half long trap line. More recently, I’ve grown to rejoice in the photographic opportunities heralded by the cold snowy months of winter. Wildlife looks best in the winter; especially with snow as a background. Landscapes take on a whole new form with the gentle accumulation of snow and ice.
We all know the downside of photographing in the winter: shorter days, more clouds, difficult travel, shorter battery life and yes, colder temperatures. As I write this, it is minus 18 degrees F outside my camper in West Yellowstone. However, these challenges offer opportunities for creating distinctive images in a serene wintry setting.
Each year I find myself doing more winter photography. I begin each journey with modest expectations and return with more than I sought. This winter my travels include Yosemite, Yellowstone, Iceland, and Alaska. In making the effort to embrace the challenges of winter photography, I have created images not possible at more comfortable latitudes.