The previous night had seen a pleasant sunset, more snow was forecast overnight and a clear sky predicted at dawn which meant only one thing – an early walk in the snow.

I set off across the fields, my feet squeaking through the fresh untouched snow, my hat pulled down over my ears and a faint hint of sunrise ahead of me. The only sounds were my breathing and my boots in the snow, the birds were all still huddled down for the night. I walked through the woods made breathtakingly splendid by the fresh snow and eventually emerged into the field that contained my ‘favourite’ trees.

As soon as the light started to change, I was spoiled for choice. The first rays of light were highlighting the branches a brilliant orange while the sunrise spread red, gold and blue across the sky. It really was quite breathtaking.

It was only on my walk back home that I realised quite how cold it had been. the fact that I had spent my morning kneeling in the snow and getting fairly wet legs didn’t help. As I made my way home, squirrels leapt about in the branches above showering me with snow.

Getting up and going out in the cold to take pictures can seem like a real chore, but it’s also one of the real pleasures of landscape photography – especially once you are back in the warm.