Last month, on a bitterly cold day, it started to snow. I liked the look of the falling flakes in the bright, soft light, so I grabbed my camera and trotted out there to see what I could see.

Well... I'm not as tough as I used to be... I only lasted 20 minutes before numb fingers and face sent me scurrying home. This was one of my last frames, and really the only one I liked. It's composed mostly of rectangles - a side view of some semi-commercial buildings from a little park at the end of Centre Street. But I wasn't thinking content; I was thinking graphic components: shapes, lines, textures. Years ago a teacher told me to shoot the graphics, and the content will be there.

Nothing in these old buildings is quite plumb, square, even, smooth; nothing quite lines up. It's part of their charm.

They're well-insulated, though, and warm in winter. Not slick but solidly built, going back nearly 100 years to the birth of this little prairie village in the middle of nowhere.

Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   buildings door windows rooftops snow snowing snowy cold winter prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2025

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I was returning home after a day trip into our nearby national park when I noticed a burst of light in the sky - the final moments of brightness as the sun sank into a cloud bank. So... I raced up a side road to get clear of buildings and power lines, leaped out with my camera and tripod, set up quickly and banged off a dozen exposures. And then it was gone. In seconds.

We're looking to the southwest, into the Val Marie Community Pasture, a co-operative local group of ranchers who share grazing lands near the village. No cows were present that day. But to the left of that cluster of trees four or five Mule Deer are visible, probably seeking shelter for the night. Small beneath the sky. I thought there was an austere beauty to the scene.

Photographed at the edge of Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2025 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   landscape winter pano panorama snow cold sky sunset snowy wild prairie community pasture Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2025

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This year, the first few snowfalls came at night. On four occasions I grabbed camera and tripod and went for a little walkabout... it's such a different look!

On this particular evening the snow wasn't falling straight down or on a slant; wind gusts were making the big fat snowflakes dance and swirl. I started with the street light at the corner of my property, and shot a series using varying shutter speeds. Every shot was different, and I liked this one best.

More to come...

Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   night snowfall snow snowing winter storm lamp post street light wind gust dancing swirling snowflakes wild crazy patterns prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024

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Night shots continue with a view down Centre Street, our downtown core. Needless to say, those of us who choose to live here did not come for the night life. The Christmas lights do add a cheerful touch, though.

To the right is the Palais Royale Theatre, A few doors down is the grocery store, across the street but out of the frame is the hotel and watering hole. The cenotaph commemorating those who served in past wars sits at the end of the street, with one of our two grain elevators looming behind it.

And that's about all there is. Not in this shot: motels and other accommodation, the library (open two days per week), Post Office, school, self-serve gas station, eco-museum/art gallery/internet café/coffee shop (closed all winter). You can hire a carpenter locally, and maybe find someone to troubleshoot your car. You can buy local eggs, beef, and pork at certain times of the year, and there is a farmer's market on summer weekends. You might even be able to find a photographer!

But for most people, living here would be unthinkable. Which is one of the reasons I love it here. Traffic is only bad in the summer. Once I had to wait for not one but two cars to pass before I could back out of my driveway. That was ten years ago, but I remember clearly how frustrating it was...

Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   night snow snowing early winter main street downtown cold vehicles prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024

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