Snap by: Luke Simmons

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Fresh snow crackles under your feet as you walk through the ice covered snow to the perfect spot. The camera feels like a rock in your hand, supported by the pressure put on your neck by the strap. As you shiver in the relentless wind, you turn on your camera and take off the lens cap which causes the glass of the lens to become foggy in the cold. You observe your surroundings and decide the exact settings to use to get the perfect picture of the snowy wonderland.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

You keep walking. Looking down at your camera, and back up again. Down. Up. Down. Up. Trying to decide the perfect ISO level and shutter speed to capture the scene at its greatest. Its a photographer's worst nightmare to take an amazing picture just to find its too bright or too dark when observing it later. You carelessly hold the camera up and take a picture to test it. After observing the screen, you realize its too bright. Its time to change the shutter speed. You click some buttons that beep every time you touch them. A faint smile crosses your face as you admire the fine work that has been done perfecting the settings. Now its time to shoot.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

As you approach the lake, you look around to find new things that you haven't noticed before. You have been here countless times during every time of day and every time of year, yet every time something new seems to catch your eye. You shiver and pull the zipper of your jacket up higher as the wind has an eternal battle with the world. You squint to observe your surroundings as you contemplate where you the best photograph of the day will be taken. You keep shuffling through the snow.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

And finally, only a few yards ahead of you, you find the spot for a potentially flawless photo. You feel the photo assemble in your head as you view the landscape. The trees in the background. The bushes coated in a blank, icy canvas scattered throughout the foreground of the photo. The lake, frozen in time, framed by a barren, yet beautiful, landscape of cold. You know exactly what to do, and now its time to execute the plan.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

You reach the spot. Taking a quick look around, you confirm in your head that this is the perfect location. You bend down on one knee.

Crunch.

You slowly lift the camera up to your face. The snow that had collected on the screen of your camera bites at your face as your cheek touches the glass. You squint one eye closed as you hold the other eye right up to the small glass opening. You adjust your legs in the snow to get the perfect angle.

Crunch. Crunch.

Once the angle is perfected and you are satisfied, its time for the big moment. The moment that every photographer lives for. Your numb hand shakes as you lift your right pointer finger lay it gently on the shutter. At the same time, your left hand moves to the lens to adjust the focus. When the image you see through the camera is crystal clear, you know its time. You hold your breath to steady your hands, keep completely still, and...

Click.