Photographer Dominic shared with Bored Panda how professionals and amateurs alike should prepare before venturing out to take photos in the cold.

“When going out in any inclement weather, it’s extremely important to dress appropriately for the conditions. Make sure you’ve got a good pair of gloves to go along with a nice coat. You want to be able to feel your hands, at least a little bit while photographing the winter scenes before you,” he told us.

“I’m not good about going out in it myself, but once I’m out there, so long as I’m properly dressed for it, you’d be hard-pressed to get me out of the snow. Dress warm! That’s the best advice I can give. If you have too many layers on, you can always take a layer of clothing off. It’s better to over-prepare than under-prepare in these situations,” Dominic pointed out that it’s best to put in a bit more effort when getting dressed before heading out. We’re talking about our health, after all.

The photographer also shared a few insights about the relationship between snow and lighting. “It really depends on what you’re dealing with as far as lighting is concerned. If it’s a typical bleak and overcast winter day, you’re going to have nice soft shadows,” he told Bored Panda.

“Now if it is a sunny day with a lot of snow, you’re going to have high contrasts and harsh shadows. No matter what the weather is, photographing under an overcast sky is always going to be less of a challenge than in direct sunlight,” the photographer explained.

Though there are some places on Planet Earth like Fiji, Vanuatu, and Tuvalu that have never seen snow (and likely won’t see it any time soon), the vast majority of countries have gotten snowfall at one time or another. Even hot countries like Egypt see snow from time to time!

The general rule is that the closer you move towards the equator, the less likely you are to see any of that wonderful thing we call snow. Places with mountains, however, can have snowy peaks, as the high altitudes make for a far better home for ice and snow than the warmth down below.

Some of the chilliest places on our planet include the Eastern Antarctic Plateau which holds the title of the coldest location on Earth at -94 degrees C (that’s -137.2 degrees F!). However, some researchers actually believe that the temperature there might even go lower because of how dry the air is there.

Standing in second place is the Vostok Station in Antarctica. The temperature there was noted to have dropped down to -89.2 degrees C (-128.56 degrees F).

In third place, not far behind, is the Amundsen-Scott Station in the South Pole, built way back in 1956. The lowest temperature recorded there was -82.8 degrees C (-117.04 degrees F) in 1983. However, don’t think that it stays that cold all year round. In fact, in 2011, the temperature rose to -12.3 degrees C (9.86 degrees F). That’s practically summer!

Of course, all of this pales in comparison to the coldness of space. Once you leave the coziness and warmth of our atmosphere, you can enjoy the company of absolute zero which is -273.15 degrees C (-459.67 degrees F).

When it comes to the smallest particles that make up snow, the snowflakes themselves, researchers are still unraveling their mysteries. One thing that we were stunned to learn was the shape of snowflakes changes depending on how cold it gets and what the humidity is.

For instance, at certain temperature points, the snowflakes we know and love can actually start looking like columns.

It’s true that no two snowflakes are alike and we think this definitely proves the involvement of magic on some level when it comes to physics (you should expect your letter to go to Hogwarts any day now).

Snowflakes develop as they move through the air, so each one’s ‘evolution’ is entirely unique. That’s because you can’t replicate the exact same humidity and vapor conditions in every tiny area of the sky. So let’s extend this even further: it’s not just every snowflake that’s unique, it’s absolutely each and every pile of snow and blizzard. From the tiny to the vast. You might not see it in the photos, but the fact is always there.