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We are definitely in the cold, dark depths of winter here, brrr! I think the drawn-out and very mild autumn had lulled me into a false sense of security and/or warmth because the freezing temperatures feel like quite a shock. But grey clouds are said to have silver linings, and frosty mornings mean opportunities for photography.
I initially wrote that frosty mornings have a sparkle, but that’s not necessarily true. If there is sun, as in the top picture of a pink-flowered salvia, it makes the image much more appealing. The tiny flowers are just enough to give a translucent gleam of crimson.
The two following images, were, by contrast, in deep shade. They have a much colder and more subtle feel, lacking the drama of strong colour and sun. At the same time, there is more detail in the frost than if the flower was beginning to warm in the weak sunshine. (Any bit of sun soon softens and melts the frost, so in brighter areas I have to work much more quickly.)
Astrantia (above) wouldn’t normally be in flower at this time of year and this late flower was a surprise. The Japanese anemone (below) would normally have finished flowering some time ago too (usually October). Maybe the late flowers were a result of the warmer than normal autumn. In any case, they were a chance to take frosty flower photographs that I wouldn’t normally get.
Sadly, the frozen flowers will be destroyed by the frost. They’ll be like limp brown rags when they eventually thaw. I can’t complain though, because in these cooler, shady areas, the frost has lasted several days without lifting, giving me plenty of time to photograph these flowers.
The winter-flowering clematis that I posted photographs of recently has frozen too. Although I would expect the opened flowers to be badly damaged by the frost, I hope that the still-unopened buds will survive. With luck and milder temperatures soon, there may be more of these pink bells to come. I certainly hope so!
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Hooray for luscious frost, friend to photographers. The sunny picture understandably has more verve.
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It’s been so cold here that I’m just waiting for the temperature to rise a bit – should go up quite a lot over the next day or two, thank goodness!
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Thank you for braving the cold!
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Once I had taken my frosty photos (over three mornings) I disappeared back indoors and stayed there, LOL! Feel like hibernating right now!
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I hope you stay nice and cosy Ann!
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It’s started to get a bit warmer now – frost and snow all gone, but I took lots of photos for the blog. 🙂
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Fantastic!
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My goodness, s cold there by your side 🤗
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It has been very cold over the whole of the UK but the temperatures are set to rise over today and tomorrow – thank goodness! 🙂
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Good to hear from you 💕💕. Blessings 🎄🎄
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Thank you! Best wishes to you too. 🙂
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Thanks Ann 🤗
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Some lovely shots here…frost can be so beautiful, even more so if I can experience it through your photos rather than in person! The thaw is just arriving here as I write, it’ll be tropical by teatime 🙂
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Hehe, after spending three mornings photographing frost, I decided that I’d stay indoors for the rest of this weather, as close to the fire as possible! (And I’m looking forward to that thaw!)
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I really like that second photo. The muted colors are appealing. It probably would have been a bit more sparkly with more light, but as you say: light means warmth means an end to frost. It’s nicely composed, and very pleasing to the eye — as pleasing as a little warmth must be for you!
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Thank you! The astrantia and the anemone were unexpected for frost photography, so I made sure to photograph them. I probably won’t get the chance again. 🙂
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Lovely frost art…excellent photographs!
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Thank you Indira! I took enough photos to keep me supplied with posts here for a while. 🙂
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Without the cold, we wouldn’t get to see and photograph these frosty flowers. Thank you for going out in the elements to share their beauty with us.
Sending you warm thoughts,
Tanja
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Thank you for the warm thoughts, Tanja! They must be working because the temperature has come up a lot and the frost and snow have disappeared. That’s a bit of a relief really, with it now being a lot easier to keep the house warm. 🙂 (I was glad of the opportunity to take the frosty photos, though, since it can be difficult to find things to photograph for the blog during winter.)
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I didn’t know my wishes were so powerful but I’m glad that it has warmed some for you. 😊
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Hehe! 🙂
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Wow, that’s some great frost, Ann. It doesn’t last long and you made some nice shots of it while you could. Envious! 🙂
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Thanks Steve! It was much heavier and longer-lasting frost than usual, so I took full advantage and now have lots of shots for the blog. 🙂 It was a relief when the frost and snow went though – took a lot to get the house even vaguely warm!
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I do love that top picture with the hint of crimson. Sad to think of the cold reducing what’s left of your flowers to limp brown rags, but they make interesting photos.
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I’m just grateful that there are still one or two flowers around when the frost gets here – something for me to photograph! I didn’t expect to have most of these still around, so the late flowers were quite a bonus. 🙂
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