“In January in Northern Russia, everything vanishes beneath a deep blanket of whiteness. Rivers, fields, trees, roads, and houses disappear, and the landscape becomes a white sea of mounds and hollows. On days when the sky is gray, it is hard to see where earth merges with air. On brilliant days when the sky is a rich blue, the sunlight is blinding, as if millions of diamonds were scattered on the snow, refracting light. In Catherine’s time, the log roads of summer were covered with a smooth coating of snow and ice that enabled the sledges to glide smoothly at startling speeds; on some days, her procession covered a hundred miles.”
― Robert K. Massie, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
copyright Margò Wiessman, 2012
Aniɣu 
So beautiful…. wonderful light balance as well, as snow and bright sunshine are most always a challenge. Thanks for sharing!
🙂 beautiful.. isn’t it? and indeed you are right… to photograph the winter it is really a challenge.
These are beautiful winter storybook scenes. Well done.
thank you so very much Mobius!!
Lovely images!
thank you Steven, kind as usual. 🙂 have a great week ahead!
What a treat. Thank you. Here I sit in a desert…where they have built a plastic paradise. Thank you for these real images.
too bad you cannot feel the cold.. hahahaha, thank you!!
wow. Beautiful pictures with a perfect introduction. Love it.
🙂 thank you! too kind.