It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve even picked up my camera. A couple of weeks filled with little time and, as a result, little inspiration.

There are so many photographic possibilities surrounding me, and even more ideas running through my head; it’s a matter of finding the time, inspiration, and a whole lot of fun equipment to play with.

As I was walking down the street this morning on my way to the office, thinking about what I would have time to shoot, I began to notice our changing storefronts. One by one the windows are being painted with scenes of snowflakes falling, hills and meadows covered with fresh blankets of snow, and signs announcing new winter sales. The displays inside the windows are changing in color, with items added that vary from seasonal decorations to figurines of moose and bears on skis.

At the paper, we’re busy building ads transitioning businesses and their customers from autumn and Thanksgiving into the winter. We’re working on new ads and planning specials into next year, but unfortunately most of the planning counts on the presence of that fluffy, white stuff.

Staring into the window displays and seeing so many depictions of winter, then looking to the mountains and seeing very little of the white stuff lingering around, I began to feel like we are woefully willing winter to come to us.

So many people here count on the winter to not only bring skiers to town to fill beds in our lodges, tables in our restaurants, massage tables and hot tubs at our spas, and gift bags at our stores. But even more people count on it for seasonal snow removal work to offset a slower construction season, as well as for the sales of new snow tires, shovels, snow throwers, rock salt and everything else that goes along with our mountain winters.

For some, including myself, winter brings a whole new set of creative possibilities.

As I looked into the storefronts, I felt as though I too am willing winter to come. There are so many unique opportunities for making photographs after a fresh snow or during a foggy winter morning. I am willing winter to come for panoramas of the white -coated mountains against the deep blue skies, chance family photos, and amazing black and whites focusing on shape, texture, and depth.

As I went through my photos I found some treasures, and also some that made me question what I may have been thinking. Ironically, as I went through folders and folders of winter photos I found that last year our first real snow came on this day, Nov. 10. My thoughts, backed by a mostly sunny 10-day forecast and a now all-too-apparent lack of fall colors, wandered to my thoughts about business, and bringing it to photography. Just as business owners are doing right now, we photographers need to go out and seek and create new opportunities for ourselves.

We shouldn’t count on the snow to bring us photographic chances and business, but we should be thankful when it does come and take advantage of each moment it brings.