Thousands of original stock photos are available for use in your video or web media when you work with Xhedral. In this page I’ve highlighted a sample of photos of natural winter scenes. In addition to stills over 5000 pixels wide I have HD stock video available of many of the same scenes and locations.
You won’t see action shots of winter sports on this page as the topic is natural scenes, however I have a sample of winter sports action video here.
These winter photos were taken over the last 15 years. Many variations of these photos are available, so if you like a particular photo or setting please let me know and I can provide other variations of the same location.
Free to use for your media:
The Xhedral and Whelan Communications stock library is royalty free for use in your finished media project as long as you use us for labor in construction of your media. This allows you to save hundreds of dollars or more in fees that would be charged by microstock libraries.
Using winter scenes and themes in your media:
Winter colors and textures have a unique and beautiful feel that can be used to communicate your brand across all channels, or simply for use in holiday messages. Winter themes are used often for sales of luxury items (cars, jewelry, etc), high fashion, hygiene, seasonal fun and holidays. Clean lines, simplicity and focus are associated with winter themes. Intense, bright and cool are associated with the winter theme. When it comes to sports and winter, bright colors like yellow, some greens, and orange go well with winter. The mute background of blues, whites and blacks will help accentuate an individual doing an activity like snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing or taking a walk through a quiet and serene landscape.
Seriousness, dependability, luxury, cowboys and the American-European differences:
Winter themes have been used in very different ways to sell. Winter images can be used to show harshness and ruggedness of an athlete and her/his brand. This can create a feeling of dependability and seriousness. Chevy, Toyota, GMC and Ford often sell trucks with Colorado winter backgrounds. When the going gets tough, this brand is what you can trust. North Face and Eddie Bauer uses icons like Conrad Anker and Ed Viesturs in beautiful but tough landscapes to help build its brand trust and perceived value in its outerwear. Another totally different use of winter themes can be found in the European-based luxury market. Switzerland and the French Alps symbolize wealth and financial stability among Europeans in a way which is completely different from Miami/Los Angeles wealth. If you want to appear classy you can imagine yourself walking on the streets of St. Moritz or Davos, driving a Mercedes and wearing diamonds that sparkle like snow. You don’t have to be selling diamonds or cars to take advantage of this luxury winter look, even common items like Evian bottled water taps into this stereotype mixing themes of “pure” and luxury to allow them to sell water at high cost and succeed. On the American side Coors uses the mountain theme to communicate cold and pure even though its beer is among the cheapest. Another US-Candian theme is that of the winter cowboy. From Robbie Williams music videos to Marlboro the rugged winter cowboy (and cowgirl) are used to sell.
Below: There is one photo sample for each category of winter photos.
Winter is our specialty:
At Xhedral I specialize in winter stock. From the Pacific Northwest to the Himalaya I offer photos taken from remote wilderness areas. These photos are unique in that most are taken from areas only accessible by 4WD, skis, or require winter mountaineering skills to reach. In a world inundated by roadside amateur photographers its important to get an angle that’s unique, even if it’s of a place everyone can recognize. Contact me for more details on how we can use winter themes in your media.
All photos copyright 2001-2016 M. Whelan / Xhedral LLC