10 Reasons December Is The Most Promising Time For Photographing Wildlife & Nature

This time of year a lot of photographers hang up their gear and hunker down by the fire. However, here are 10 reasons why December is the time to photograph wildlife and nature.

10 Reasons December Is For Wildlife and Nature Photography

1. Beautiful Winter Light
2. Frost, Snow, and Ice Textures
3. Clearer Atmospheric Conditions
4. Unique Animal Behaviors
5. Seasonal Visitors
6. Minimal Crowds
7. Striking Contrast and Simplicity
8. Later Sunrises and Early Golden Hours
9. Holiday Lighting + Nature
10. Animal Tracks and Stories in the Snow

Beautiful Winter Light

December days are shorter. Plus, the sun stays low in the sky. This creates soft, flattering “golden hour” light almost all day in large parts of the northern hemisphere.

The strong directionality of the sun during winter is why it's cold. That said, the light it casts is warm and wonderful. In fact, it illuminates animal eyes, allows for dramatic back-lighting, and creates amazing shadows.

Frost Snow & Ice Textures

Who doesn't love hoarfrost, snowflakes, and frozen ponds? Plus, don't forget about icy branches. These all add dramatic detail and transform ordinary scenes into magical ones. As a result, photographing landscapes in the winter is an entirely different experience.

Clearer Atmospheric Conditions

Speaking of landscape photography! Cold air often holds less moisture. This leads to crisp horizons, sharper mountain views, and clearer skies for landscape shots. Not only that but even if places without snow cooler weather means less haze. Therefore, even folks as far south as Florida can get clearer shots this time of year.

Unique Animal Behaviors

Many animals switch to winter survival patterns. Birds turn to flocking behaviors. Deer and other mammals with antlers begin to rut. Plus, the lack of foliage increases visibility. Thus, we can see strange animal behaviors more clearly.

Personally I love to watch crows in the snow. They often play with snow, tossing it in the air and digging around. Too, crows have been known to sled-ride.

Seasonal Visitors

Winter means migratory birds arrive or settle in accessible winter habitats. For example, Snowy Owls travel down to areas around the Great Lakes. As a result, you can often see them in cities like Chicago and Detroit. Too, this is an excellent time of year to visit Yellowstone National Park for photos of Bison and Elk.

Fewer People

Winter means fewer people go outside. That means fewer loud hikers in parks. As a result, you get more peaceful photography conditions. Plus, more opportunities for wildlife to behave naturally as they're less on guard.

I can't tell you how often I've had birds or large mammals get flushed because of someone walking for health while very loudly talking on the phone.

In fact, one time I had a lawyer walking through a park loudly discussing a case including saying the names of witnesses. I could hear him talking several hundreds of feet away. He scared the birds off before he even appeared from around the corner.

Striking Contrast

Snow-covered landscapes create minimalist compositions, with clean lines and silhouettes that are harder to capture in other seasons. Of course, you need to be careful. After all, that contrast can be a blessing but can also be a curse.

In fact, try to keep the sun behind you if you're photographing wildlife in the winter. Then you'll get them well lit. Otherwise try to get creative with backlighting and silhouetting your subject.

Later Sunrise and More Golden Hour

I touched on this earlier. Winter is great because you don’t have to wake up as early for perfect sunrise shots. Plus golden hour lasts much longer the farther from the equator you are. Take advantage of these conditions.

Not only do sunrises happen later but winter also means fog and frost in many places. Therefore, watch the weather. Then, see if you can catch a foggy morning sunrise.

Holiday Lights & Natural Settings

Maybe it's that I grew up near a large park that had a massive light display. However, urban parks and suburban homes often have impressive light displays. The contrast between festive lights and winter landscapes can create unique mixed-genre images.

Plus, I'm a sucker for showing the impact of humans on the natural world. Also, the color of these lights allows you to do some fun intimate landscape photos.

Snow Patterns

Fresh snow reveals wildlife patterns such as footprints, trails, and feeding sites. All of these help photographers track and anticipate animal movement. Plus, they can help you know where to return in the Spring. Beyond that, blowing snow can create unique patterns. These patterns can be similar to sand dunes.

Blowing snow can also make for magical photos if it's backlit by the sun.

In Conclusion

You shouldn't hang up your camera when winter arrives. Instead, you should see it as a great opportunity to create unique photos. Of course, it helps if you know where to start. Here is my article on finding wildlife locations near me. Good luck out there this winter and be sure to tag me on the socials in any great shots you get this season!