Anytime you’re creating something—photography, a painting, a book—it’s a question of audience. At least, for those of us who plan to show our creative works to others, which I have to imagine is most of us. While we are ultimately free to create whatever we’d like to create, we need to do it with the idea that someone out there will find some sort of enjoyment in it.

So what is it that people enjoy in art? Of course, you and I know that there is no answer to that question because it’s all so subjective. No matter what you create, someone in the world will enjoy it. We can only quantify the things that people generally don’t enjoy in art—and one of those things is how you got there...

For many of us, winter gives us thoughts of short, dreary days and long, frigid nights. Between the weather and the lack of daylight, it can be hard to get inspired to take photographs. In some respects, I think this is what makes winter so special as a season. When everyone else stays home, you can be out capturing the images that no one else has thought to take.

It’s an ideal time of year for black and white photography, and if you dress warm enough, it’s also a great time to do long exposures at night. Around the Holidays, you’ll have lights and decorations to experiment with, and out in nature, animals abound and there are numerous new ways to photograph the prior year’s fruits and foliage.

So if you’re suffering from winter dreariness, remember that there is just as much out there to photograph now as there is during the warmer months. And, if you’re stuck for ideas, the following list features a variety of subjects that you can photograph outdoors or from the comfort of your own home to help get you inspired. Use these ideas as a starting point to get your mind thinking about cold weather photography...