How to do El Camino de Santiago in winter

February 01, 2020 in journal

A few weeks ago, I decided to go on an adventure that will be hard to forget: I walked the last 130 miles (200km) of the Camino de Santiago. I followed the most famous route, the French Way. It was in late December and I got hit by 3 storms and got plenty of rain, wind and even snow and ice. Doing the Camino in winter comes with many more challenges than bad weather, though: you'll need more gear, many places will be closed, limited hours of daylight, fewer fellow pilgrims... but I believe it's the best time to do it. I wanted to share a few tips that might help those of you thinking about doing El Camino to decide whether you should do it in winter or wait for warmer months.

Like father like son, O Cebreiro, February 2018

February 15, 2019 in photographs

This is not a good place to photograph in the snow. It does snow a few times every winter, but it's not cold enough for it to stick around. You can get a few white days in the mountains, but that's about it.

That's why I wanted to make it to the mountains so bad a couple of weeks ago. A recent storm had left some considerable snow, but the days were about to warm up so the clock was ticking.

I was lucky enough to get a few hours of cloudy weather and I was able to make some good images. I'm still hoping for some more snow in the weeks to come, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

White Death, O Cebreiro, February 2019

February 11, 2019 in photographs

I showed how I made and edited this image in a video a few days ago, so there's little else I can say about it.

Cemeteries aren't usually places I like to photograph. That day, though, I was looking for subjects that would look good with that layer of fresh snow. Things you wouldn't see covered in snow often in that area.

When I saw it, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to reach it. The path to the cemetery was covered in untouched snow, and the gate was closed. I still wanted to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. I had no problem getting inside.

After a short walk and trying a few initial compositions, I stumbled upon this one. Everything was perfectly in place, a big cross with its white tomb, and a line of other dark crosses in the background.

Once you see a composition, everything is very easy. The hardest part of photography is to recognize it when you see it.