Make snow angels

A snow angel takes about ten minutes, from finding the snow to checking your work. The falling is the easy part. The skill is in choosing a good patch and getting up without leaving a boot print through the middle of it.

When and where

You want fresh snow that nobody has walked on, at least a few inches deep. Powdery snow works best for the shape, and a morning after a snowfall is ideal. Find a big flat patch of lawn, a park or a field, away from paths, and check there is nothing hidden under the snow, like rocks, ice, branches or a curb.

Do it in daylight, so the shape is easy to see and you can take a good photo.

What to wear

Beyond the list above, snow angels are the wettest winter thing you can do, because you lie down in it.

• Waterproof pants and a waterproof jacket, or snow gear you don’t mind getting soaked.
• Waterproof gloves, and a hat that covers your ears.
• Boots, and a scarf tucked in so snow doesn’t go down your neck.
• Dry clothes waiting for you indoors, or in the car.

How to do it

1. Pick your patch. Walk around the edge, not through the middle, so the snow stays untouched.
2. Stand with your back to it. Keep your arms out to the sides.
3. Fall straight back. Let yourself drop, flat, onto your back. Snow is soft, but keep your chin tucked a little.
4. Sweep your arms and legs. Move your arms up and down in a wide arc, and open and close your legs at the same time, like a jumping jack on the ground. A few slow sweeps make the wings.
5. Stop and lie still for a moment. This is the time for someone to take a photo from above, if you have a friend with you.
6. Get up carefully. Sit up, roll forward onto your hands and knees, then stand so your feet land beside the shape, not on it. Or ask a friend to pull you up by the hands, straight up.
7. Step back and look. Walk out along your own tracks, not across the angel.

What goes wrong

• The shape is messy. The snow was too thin or crusty. Try another patch with deeper, softer snow.
• A hole where you got up. Roll forward and use your hands, or get pulled up.
• Cold, wet back. The snow got in through a gap. Tuck your jacket into your pants, and pull your hood up.
• No snow where you live. You’re not alone. See below.
• Footprints through the angel. Walk out on a line you’ve already trodden.

Getting a good photo

Since the angel won’t last, the photo is half of the point. Stand directly over it if you can, and keep your shadow out of the shape. Low sun from the side makes the wings look deep and clear. A friend standing over you, or a phone on a long arm, will work. A group of angels made side by side, holding hands, makes a lovely picture, and a ring of them, heads together, looks like a snowflake from above. Take a minute to brush the snow off your clothes before you head inside, and shake out your hat and gloves at the door.

If there’s no snow

Not everyone gets it. In a dry winter, you can lie on a blanket in the yard and make the movement, then take the photo as it is. A frosty lawn on a cold morning makes a faint shape too, though it’s not the same. Another idea: lie down on a big sheet of paper, trace around your outline, and cut it out as a paper snow angel.

Keeping it

Snow angels don’t last, so photograph yours first. Stand directly above the shape if you can, and take a few shots from different distances. Morning or late afternoon light, which is low and soft, shows the dips best.

Make it a winter morning

Make an angel in the first fresh snow, then build a snowman next to it, and go in for a hot drink.