Photo of the Week | Schoolchildren in the Snow

This week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ comes from Inner Mongolia, a province located in the north of China. I travelled to this province in spring of 2010 as part of a group from the Shanghai based NGO, Roots and Shoots. Every year, they travel to Inner Mongolia to take part in their annual tree planting sessions, normally accompanied by corporate sponsors. As well as planting trees to help combat desertification in the region, they also visit local schools in an effort to try to educate young children about the importance of protecting the environment.

On our penultimate day in Inner Mongolia we woke to see the normally dry and arid landscape covered in snow. A heavy downfall had blanketed the school we intended to visit however we of course went anyway. This shot was captured from the bus as the children bid us goodbye after our visit. I like the angle I was able to get for this shot and using the overhanging branches of the tree makes for an interesting composition. The girl in the center in pink is also interesting as a focal point for the shot.

Camera Info: Canon 7D | 16-35mm f2.8 lens | ISO 400 | f9 | 1/320th