find a spot where I could sit for a few minutes and let this raw powerful natural force engulf my body. It was empowering to face this awesome and sometimes destructive force under my own terms and stare it in the face.
I have also always loved the aesthetic of snow. While other northerners retreat into their homes under sweaters and blankets, and barely emerge until spring (except to get food or trudge into work), I am compelled to seek out this landscape with my camera in tow (sometimes so cold that I have to keep the batteries in my pocket if I want to have any chance of a full charge).
Snow is a great equalizer. It isn’t selective. It doesn’t snow on your house but not on theirs. No matter what colours pervade in your world outside, snow will quickly reduce that to a broad pervasive blanket of white. However, that white does several things. With colour lacking, the eye starts to pick out forms and elements of composition that would have been impossible just weeks earlier. It is also acts as a convenient backdrop for those natural elements that persist through the winter months. Its texture also changes with the wiles of wind and temperature.
Most importantly, snow is evocative which to me makes it a perfect subject for photography. It can evoke fear, excitement, loneliness, curiosity, wonder or any number of other emotions to the viewer. To me it is an underrated and underappreciated part of our natural world."
- Peter Kelly.
Behind the Front Door is pleased to present a series of Peter's photographs in this quarter's issue of the magazine.
5