Pearl Moon Winter Glory: February 2026 in Finland
February — Helmikuu in Finnish, meaning “Pearl Moon” — lived up to its name this year.
February 2026 was exceptionally cold, often dropping below −20°C—the kind of cold that turns breath into drifting clouds and makes snow squeak under every step. But it was also incredibly beautiful: crisp air, pale light alternating with bright sunlight, long shadows, and a landscape in crystal clear white.
I took my camera along on forest walks, on skis, and while running along and across frozen lakes, trying to catch small pieces of winter’s glory: the soft glow before sunset, the blue shade, ice textures, snow-laden branches, and those moments when the world seems to pause.
The photos were taken in the south and in the west of Jyväskylä, in the heart of the Finnish Lakeland.
View the full album on Flickr →
Making of
All photos were taken with a Sony RX10 M4.
This month I deliberately played with manual settings, especially aperture and exposure, to explore different moods: opening the aperture for softer backgrounds, stopping down for crisp detail in frost and branches, nudging exposure to keep snow bright without losing texture, and leaning into darker exposures when the light turned blue and quiet.
The cold was part of the process too: shorter stops, warm gloves, and quick adjustments. But it also helped shape the images—clean air, stable light, and that unmistakable clarity you only get on very cold days.
Michael Emmerich 