On The Cusp.

I’m writing this on a dank, grey early December morning. The sky is featureless , light drizzle hangs in the atmosphere and winter has arrived. We generally think of winter being snow covered, crisp and cold. Winters in the UK are more like today as a rule. For the next four months, many days will seem like today. It can be a challenge for a photographer who takes most of his shots outside. It’s not that the weather is so forbidding, more like unappealing. Maybe I’m a lightweight outdoor photographer, easily put off by grey skies and some rain. Christmas is beginning to loom and weight of expectation and frenzy sit in the corner, quietly watching me.

I like Christmas but find it hard to deal with. This will be the first year in my 59 years on this planet, where my mum is no longer with us. My family are spread and my two daughters have new babies. It’s a magical time for many and I do get that. The transformation from autumn to winter is indeterminate. One day it’s bright orange , yellow and brown leaves, brisk cool air ; and the next, cold air, bare trees and grey skies. There is a beauty in a bleak winter landscape and I’ve taken some of my favourite photos at this time of year.

I’m undergoing a sort of seasonal adjustment , one that leads me eventually to think ‘ok, it’s winter now, how do I make the best of it?’ Eventually is maybe the keyword in that last sentence. I’m sure in a day or so, I’ll be more at peace with the familiarity of winter. On the cusp of winter marks change. The run up to Christmas, the realisation that this will be the norm until spring creeps in, is something I think we maybe all experience. It runs deep in our souls however preoccupied, how busy we are. There is some part of us that feels the change of the seasons even if we don’t always acknowledge it.

Give it a couple of weeks and the focus will be on presents, decorations, preparations for the ‘big day’. I will be in organised mode trying to make sure another Christmas can be successfully navigated. A few dry days, some good moody skies and no immediate plans to scupper, will give me that chance to get out with my camera and capture the bleak beauty of December.