Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Dec 28 : With heavy snowfall in Kashmir, the long dry spell has finally come to an end, bringing joy to the faces of locals and tourists alike. Everywhere, the atmosphere is alive with lights, camera action, and selfies!
From the bustling markets of the summer capital city Srinagar, to Ganta Ghar, to Boulevard Road, and the winter wonderlands of Kashmir—Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam—selfies, reels, and videos are being captured everywhere. The winter wonderland is being perfectly showcased, especially the magical snowy moments. People are taking the time to create reels and snap selfies.
Over the past 24 hours, there has been a White Revolution on social media, as users flood platforms with pictures, reels, and videos. Almost half of the social media users in Kashmir are sharing their winter experiences!
Bilal Ahmad, a cinematographer based in North Kashmir, spoke with The Web Story/The Varmul Post about the current trend in social media imagery. “It’s a tough competition between social media influencers and regular users, as everyone is in selfie mode,” he said.
Bilal said that today’s younger generation prefers these activities, especially photoshoots—particularly when it’s snowing.
Bilal explained that pictures and reels taken during snowfall have a unique vibe, and there has been a significant increase in the craze for snow photoshoots among the younger generation over the past few years.
He mentioned that as soon as it starts snowing in Kashmir, I strat receiving calls for advance bookings for photoshoots, particularly for drone shots.
Another cinematographer shared his experience with The Web Story/The Varmul Post, stated that while snow shots can be a bit expensive, people love them much more than regular shots.
He said, “I had planned to go somewhere nice to shoot for myself today, but my friends have been calling non-stop since yesterday, all excited to capture some beautiful moments.”
He observed that more people now prefer reels as the craze for them has significantly increased, with girls even more enthusiastic than boys about these shots.
He also mentioned that I regularly receives bookings for personal social media accounts and recently did a shoot for a model in Gulmarg, which was intended for her personal Instagram account.
He further stated that there is immense enthusiasm not only among the younger generation but now across all age groups, as many are actively clicking pictures and reels to upload on social media.
Meanwhile, as the plains of Kashmir received the season’s first snowfall on Friday, videos and pictures of visitors began circulating on social media. In these, they are seen joyfully playing in the snow, building snowmen, and soaking in the winter charm. To keep warm, they gathered around bonfires, sipping hot tea almost everywhere in Kashmir.
According to the local news gathering agency KNO, when the snowfall began on Friday, tourists couldn’t contain their excitement. Some even broke into impromptu dances and cheers in front of the historic clock tower (Ghanta Ghar), which became a center of attraction for tourists who were seen enjoying the snowfall.
Meanwhile, normal life was severely disrupted across Kashmir on Saturday as heavy snowfall continued to impact the region, causing significant disruptions to air and road connectivity.
The Meteorological Department of Kashmir has stated that the weather is likely to improve from Sunday onwards; however, moderate to heavy snow is expected in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir from January 3 to 6.
