Sunday Walk in the Snow

Sunday Walk in the Snow, Emma Arthur, (2015)

I know the exact spot where this photograph was taken as it is a special place for me all year round. It is on my daily jogging route and I walk past it on my regular, long Sunday walk. Maybe you could call it my personal pilgrimage as the walk brings me peace and calm. It is my time to meditate in nature. My body and mind are free to roam.

What is the definition of a pilgrimage in today's world? My search has led me to a complex array of meanings with no one seeming to agree. To me, a pilgrimage is an inner spirtual journey that takes place as you are moving through time and space in the outdoors. I need not take a journey to a religious site to experience a pilgrimage because it happens inside me.

About the image

This is a landscape taken with my EOS camera and worked on in Photoshop and Postworkshop. It was worked on digitally to make it more dramatic. The composition was carefully chosen after moving around to get the best shot. The diagonal lines of the stream lead you into the forest where the trees are hanging with snow. I intentionally made this a black and white image as I wanted the black to contrast dramatically with the white. The white is whiter and the black is blacker. The intention was also to give the impression of frost on the black stream and emphasise the icy reflections. Also, the smooth white texture of the snow contrasts with the roughness of the trees. Finally, I wanted it to have a painterly feel.