Winter’s Gateway

There’s a point at the end of a long day out in the snow when you’re ready to call it, when your legs are tired, your fingers are cold, and the thought of a warm car starts to sound better and better. I found myself at that crossroads. I'd already packed up and returned to my car after spending hours exploring the Mount Laguna high country, grateful to have made the most of a rare San Diego snowstorm. My dog Sierra and I had spent the day wandering one of my favorite local spots, my go-to whenever conditions align and snow blankets our mountains. We were both a little worn out and more than ready to put the heat on and head back down toward the sunshine and the beach.

But something stopped me, my affinity for pine trees and snow.

Off to the side, just beyond the parking area, a quiet group of trees caught my attention. They weren’t dramatic or towering, but there was something about the way two of them stood in the foreground, dark trunks side by side, forming a kind of gateway into the stillness behind them. They had character. And I’m a sucker for trees with character, especially when there’s snow involved. I kept my snowshoes on and walked the short distance, thirty, maybe forty yards, into the soft silence near the edge of the forest. The snow was still falling lightly, muffling everything, and the overcast sky gave the whole scene a quiet, muted quality.

I’m glad I listened to that small, persistent voice, the one that says: just a little further, just one more frame. Being out in nature helps inspire and motivate me to create art, and days like this make it impossible to resist. Maybe if I lived somewhere where snow was more common, I wouldn’t feel such a pull to take advantage of every moment. But I don’t, so I didn’t let the opportunity pass.

This image, Winter’s Gateway, became the final photograph of the day. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t dramatic. But for me, it captures something essential about why I do this, not just to make photographs, but to have moments and experiences like this one. Moments where instinct takes over and the noise of the world fades into the background. I always hope my images make the viewer feel like they were standing there with me, experiencing the same quiet stillness, and I think this one comes pretty close.

Winter is fleeting in Southern California. These storms come quickly and vanish just as fast. But when they do arrive, I do everything I can to meet them out in the field, snowshoes strapped on, camera in hand, chasing that quiet sense of wonder before it melts away.

I hope you enjoy this image as much as I enjoyed creating it.

~Andrew

Sierra and I enjoying the snow!