9 It’s getting dark out there
Add mystery and melancholy to winter scenes
Mid-winter festivals maintain an enduring appeal and lift our spirits – after all, December and January days can be nasty, brutish and short. While we often anticipate romantic snowfalls, a more likely outcome, particularly in the UK, is murk and rain. Creative photographers, however, don’t wait around for better weather: they can take full advantage of this melancholy time of year to evoke how they are feeling, or how they feel about an area.
Diambra Mariani takes moody and atmospheric images of Veneto, an economically depressed area of Northern Italy where she grew up. “During 2012 the number of suicides, due to Italy’s economic situation, grew 40 per cent,” she explains. “Veneto was one of the most badly affected areas. With my ongoing project ‘Veneto Landscapes’ I’m trying to describe the sad atmosphere of this foggy land through a dreamlike and involved look.” Why not see if there are some areas near you that would be appropriate for this kind of treatment? It’s a good project to set yourself on a dark winter afternoon…
Get started today
* Look for a foggy day. Diambra is obsessed by fog. “I love it. In winter, I always check the weather forecast looking for a perfectly foggy day.” * Choose your time. Diambra likes to take pictures in the afternoon, when light is weakened and the atmosphere gets more mysterious. * Choose your location. Woods have a strong appeal for Diambra, but if there aren’t any near you, use the light of street lights to crank up the melancholy winter feel * Use damaged, cloudy or wet surfaces, like the glass of a window or of your car, through which you can photograph the landscape.