Inspirations – Lizzie Shepherd

© Lizzie Shepherd

Canon 1DSiii, Canon 24-70 2.8L @ 67mm, ISO 100, 1/200s @ f11

My husband and I spent a week ‘perfecting’ our cross-country skiing skills in Norway’s Rondane National Park. We soon discovered just how much improving was required in the difficult late season conditions of mixed slush and ice! The latter was particularly troublesome on downhill stretches and we were soon both covered in bruises. My camera gear, thankfully, was safely stored on my back in one of Kata’s excellent sling backpacks. This not only proved comfortable for a day’s hard skiing but also allowed very quick access to camera and lenses – crucial, when you are combining an activity like this with photography.

After a particularly tough day, skiing through thick cloud and falling snow, this was my reward for lugging several kilos of gear on a day when it might have been tempting to leave it behind! Towards the end of the afternoon, as the clouds broke up a little, I looked back across a frozen lake and noticed lovely patterns of light and shade. As luck would have it a lone skier was making his way across the lake and – even luckier – he was wearing a bright red jacket. There was just had enough time to grab my camera out of my backpack and make the most of that fleeting moment.

We photographers spend a lot of time waiting for the light, visualising and planning a particular image. In contrast, this was one of those occasions when instinct, awareness and the ability to react quickly are more important: a combination of circumstances allowed me to make what remains one of my favourite images to date.

This image was commended in the Adventures category of Travel Photographer of the Year and is currently being exhibited at the Royal Geographical Society in London, along with all the winning and placed photographs from last year’s competition. TPOTY and the RGS have done a fantastic job setting up the exhibition and all the images are beautifully printed and displayed. Definitely worth a visit if anyone is in London over the coming month, with details about opening times found here.  ~ Lizzie Shepherd

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