

In addition to fewer people, winter travel in Europe affords the opportunity for dramatic weather. France’s Loire Valley received a light snowfall during one visit, and I raced to photograph my favorite little castle, Azay-le-Rideau.
The moody color was not added in the computer, but rather in the camera. I used a split filter to add atmosphere to the leaden gray sky. The resulting image more accurately depicts the magic I felt wandering in the subfreezing temperature before this fairy tale.