First I wish you all a Happy New Year with lots of great photography moments!

Between all these nice dinners and kitchen table talks I took some time to walk in nature to get a fresh nose and capture some winter-shots. One day I was out around 4 PM and the sun was on its way down. Tree branches and grass where covered with ice and snow and the low shadows created a nice atmosphere. I decided to put the tracks from a tractor (?) in the frame to create a  ‘eye focus’ lines in the image.

(Canon EOS 5DMark II, 70-200mm at 155, F18, 1/40S, 250ISO, hand held)

Protect your gear in the Winter!
Some tips:

• Keep your batteries warm. The cold can quickly take the energy out of any battery, but warming them up can restore much of their power.
• Warm your camera slowly.  When you return to a warm place (your home or car) warm your camera slowly by putting it in a camera bag or zip-lock bag. If you walk into the house with a cold camera, it will instantly become covered with condensation.  Anyone who wears glasses will know exactly what I’m talking about. 
• Balance ‘the body’ temperature. Although it is tempting to put your camera under your jacket after every shot you take, personally I don’t advice it.  Warming and cooling your camera will cause condensation and render your camera unusable. It is easier to brush falling snow off a cold camera as well.  Falling snow on a warm camera makes for first a wet, then a frozen mess.  And don’t don’t try to blow snow off your camera with your breath it can also freeze.
• Protect your tripod legs. If your tripod legs have no foam or other protection around the legs you can wrap you them with pipe insulation.  This makes them easier on the hands in the cold.