Weeknotes 2022.49: Under snow

We have snow! It’s not common to get it this early in December, especially not in the run-up to Christmas. I’d still be surprised if a white Christmas was on the cards, but it definitely feels unusual (for London at least) to get snow while the decorations are up. I’m feeling quite smug that we put our lights up earlier today.

The frosty weather with bare tree branches and low light has, in general, been photogenic. Even at night, there’s going to be some fog or some steam rising from somewhere that’s going to catch my eye. Maybe that's what makes winter landscapes so visually arresting; I generally think that people enjoy art (and specifically looking at photographs) when there's something that surprises them, even if it's just a little bit, and in winter, with trees largely bare, unpredictable lighting, and with human activities taking on a different shape, the 'wow' factor must come from somewhere else. Sometimes it's a fruit or seedhead that's especially surprising; sometimes it's a barren landscape with the only sign of life a train crossing it, warm lights and soft moquette beckoning from within.

And sometimes, with weather like this, some low-lying fog or some snow or a cloud or simply the way a shadow falls can stop you in your tracks. The surprise comes from thin air. (Best hope we get our act together with the climate lest we end up with more, successively less pleasant surprises.)