First Snow of 2025

Welcome to my first post of a new year as I photograph the fist snow of 2025 with my iPhone

The first snow of the year is always something I find to be quite special. As a young child I always wished for snow, after all what child doesn’t? Building snowmen and playing snowball fights were always fun and the chance of a snowy day was always something that I welcomed. Fast forward a few years… As a grown adult I now realise that snow can be a huge inconvenience to daily life and just proves how unequipped the UK is to deal with a touch of the white stuff!

That said the photographer in me still loves a snow day.

The First Snow of 2025

As soon as the temperature drops and those first few flakes begin to fall, there’s a sense of calmness and anticipation in the air. The landscape quickly transforming before our very eyes. The crisp white snow gradually covering the surroundings as the virgin snow crunches under your feet. Nature holding its breath in anticipation of something spectacular.

Sounds perfect doesn’t it?

Perfect, until you realise that you need to drive, have an appointment at a particular time or fear falling over and breaking your neck on the icy pavement. (That’s “sidewalk” for my friends across the pond)

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As a photographer, there’s something I find particularly captivating about snow. The way it clings to branches, dusts rooftops, and creates patterns on the ground as the wind blows offers an entirely new canvas for creativity. I really do love how snow makes the most unkept scenery look so clean and picturesque. I do find you need to be quick though, especially in busy areas. It doesn’t take long for that pure white snow to be disturbed by footprints, become dirty or worse still melt!

Mobile Phone Photography

This year, I captured the first snowfall using my iPhone camera. Whilst I often rely on my “big” camera for many of my photographs, there’s something about making images with just a phone. The simplicity and ability to make a photo at a moment’s notice without a lot of fuss is very difficult to beat. It’s also the camera that’s always in my pocket meaning I don’t need to plan, pack a bag or worry about if batteries are charged.

Photograph Your Local Area

There is an area of woodland close to my home. Whoops, that description makes it sound a lot bigger than it actually is. Maybe I should describe it more of a cluster of trees, shrubbery, and a few bushes that resides between two paths in the middle of a housing estate. You probably know the type and may even have something similar close to your home.

The snow in this area is best described as patchy or better still a light dusting of snow. I was drawn to this scene initially by the prominent trunk of the birch tree which contrasts considerably well against the darkness of the background evergreens. My eyes also drawn to the deep tones of red within the adjacent flora.

Following the rule of thirds I placed the trunk of the birch tree on the left hand third and made my photo. It’s not the kind of image that will win any awards however I do like the image as a record shot. This kind of image can be very difficult to compose as it’s quite a messy scene with very few compositional options. The 3x focal length of the iPhone makes the scene quite tight. It also appears quite flat with very little depth.

Taking a step back and zooming out a little allowed me to capture the wider scene. Compositionally I kept the trunk of the birch tree on the left hand third. The snow covered foreground and clean skyline helps to achieve better colour separation and in my opinion makes for a much more appealing photograph.

Challenges of Phone Photography

Capturing snowy scenes with an iPhone can be magical, but there are a few common challenges that catch people out due to the nature of snow and the limitations of smartphone cameras.

5 Of the Most Common Challenges

• Overexposure or Loss of Detail in the Snow
• Poor Contrast Between Snow and Trees
• Blurry Images
• Reflections and Glare
• The Sky Being Too Bright or Washed Out

While capturing snow scenes with a phone has its challenges, most of these can be mitigated with a little attention to detail. By adjusting exposure, using manual controls, and taking advantage of the phone’s editing tools, you can still capture stunning winter landscapes.

Let me Help You

If you are struggling with your photography feel free to reach out. I can assist you to overcome your issues and in turn help you to make better photos.

Ciao for now.