Do you find yourself drawn to black and white during winter? Or even moving towards photographic hibernation when the dark and cold season hits?

I know I do. I think about all the things I love to photograph that winter is not – bright colours, strong sunlight, running water outside, picnics and outdoor restaurants and the smell and sound of the sea – and I think, what’s the point of taking photos when the days are so short that the sun rises and sets while I’m at work?

There is much to be said for shooting in black and white in winter. It’s playing to winter’s strenghts – if the world around you is stark and bleak and dark, then take advantage of that, and portray the starkness and bleakness in your images. (This is a natural monochrome with no black and white filter added.)

But there is also much to be said for looking for what colour and light there is.

Such as taking a break on my way from a meeting to shoot the low sunlight playing on the walls and staircases of the beautiful buildings in which I work.

Or taking the time to notice pops of colour in between the dark and the grey.

Magical worlds in the rainwater.

The colours of autumn clinging on.

Or the dramatic colours of a simple evening street scene.

What are the colours of winter where you are?

˜Jenny Graver.