Most of us carry a camera at this time of year to capture pictures of friends and family but why not take some pictures that  capture the essence of winter and submit them in this competition?   http://www.wintersnaps.windowsvistamagazine.com/ You don't even have to be a great photographer because with Windows Live Photo Gallery you can:

Create a panorama

Sharpen a blurry photo

Take away red eye

Crop your photos

Publish your photos online

You can download it for free here

The competition is open to anyone (including academics and students!) of UK nationality who is over 18 years of age. A maximum of five entries are permitted. Your photos should not exceed the maximum size of 2MB, in JPEG format. Closing date 15th February.

Finally, don't forget to visit the gallery in a few weeks to cast your vote.

Good luck, Claire