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Getting Started
Before you begin the push along snow trails
and frozen lakes there are some tips and tricks to
bear in mind. First, I’ll go over how to prepare for
shooting outside in cold weather, while
keeping your camera equipment safe. Then, I’ll let
you in on how to shoot properly exposed scenes, even
if the bright sun and snow are plotting against you
and your camera. Finally, I’ll provide a few ways to
compositionally take advantage of the snowy scenery
to turn “snapshots” into fine photographs.
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(Lens) Baby it’s Cold Outside
Whether you turn off your warm car or step
outside your front door, the first things you should
consider are the temperature and weather conditions. Of
course you’re going to be covered from your hat to your
boots, but what about your camera? One of the first problems
encountered while shooting in cold weather is your camera
battery’s temperature—the colder it gets, the less charge it
provides. Try to keep your camera warm by holding it close
to your body, and keeping any spare batteries in a warm
pocket or pack.
Now that your batteries are snug and out of
the cold, your camera lens is fogging up and you can’t see a
single thing through it! Don’t panic. Your precious glass
and camera must first acclimate to the colder temperature.
It’s the same as your car windows fogging up. Simply leave
the camera around your neck, in a bag, or on a tripod for a
few moments to equalize the air in and around it. The goal
here is to safely allow a gradual temperature change rather
than an abrupt drop that could cause permanent damage to
equipment, like cracked LCD screens or condensation in
lenses. This also gives you a chance to look around and note
anything you may be interested in shooting under the fresh
blanket of snow.
Blinded by the Light
Now that you’re prepared for the cold, you
are free to wander this winter wonderland shooting
breath-taking snow vistas, right? Nope. Now you have to
prevent all of that powdery fluff from fooling your camera’s
settings. The light meter doesn’t know you’re aiming at
snow, it only knows that it is very bright, so it will tone
down the exposure. The first thing you’ll notice in your
shots will be both dull grey snow and dark silhouetted
trees, or bright white and over blown snow with little
detail left standing. The rule of thumb to remove the dull
grey snow look is to compensate for the bright scene by
manually “opening up” your aperture (f/ stop) one or two
stops, or slow your shutter speed in order to get your
camera to over-expose the scene and brighten that dull grey
snow. If your camera has an exposure compensation meter
experiment with +1 or +2 to see which of them gives the best
result in a given situation. You may also opt to use a
“Snow/Sand” scene mode on some cameras, rather than manually
compensating the exposure. The opposite is recommended if
your image is already over-exposed and highlights are blown
out (become pure white and lose detail). Turn things down a
bit to bring detail back into the snow and surrounding
areas, but not enough to make the snow grey and dull. Snow
should show a degree of texture, to make it realistic and
help the viewer feel that they can crunch through it with a
pair of boots. Some of us in the lake-effect region can take
a look at a detailed photo of snow and almost tell if it can
pack a good snowball.
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This method changes if you are shooting
people while out in the snow. Instead of using the snowy
scenery to gauge your compensation, concentrate less on the
snowy scene and more on the exposure, or light reflecting,
off of their face(s). Once set you can shoot from any angle
and still keep proper exposure of their smiling faces. You
may lose detail in the snow if you aren’t bracketing
exposures, similar to HDR photography, but that’s a whole
other technique. If you cannot get close enough to their
faces to get an accurate reading, just take a glove off and
use this technique on your bare hand. As long as the skin
tones and lighting are similar enough you should be able to
get accurate shots of children careening by on a sled that
otherwise would have been difficult to do on the fly.
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How
much blue is too much? |
Blue Christmas
To keep your images from looking like every
other blue snow photo, the white balance you choose is
vital. To accurately capture the white snow the way your
eyes see it you will need to help your camera out, because
once again the snow is trying to fool it. The higher amounts
of UV rays reflected by the snow tend to give off a blue hue
in your camera, and most of the time the camera presets
(Auto, Day, Cloudy, Tungsten, etc.) cannot handle it. To set
the correct white balance, just point the camera to a clean
patch of snow and use the Snow/Sand or Custom/Manual white
balance settings on your camera. Take a couple of test shots
to gauge how things change as you change these settings.
Once set, the proper balance of colors will remain in your
photos for your entire session, or at least until you find a
dramatically different scene. In that case just repeat this
step and continue shooting! A lot of this can also be done
in the post-processing of images, especially using RAW file
converters. However it is always recommended to have things
set correctly while you shoot, because it can be hard to
drastically correct things after the fact.
This is not to say that achieving a
pure-white image is always the best, or the only way to do
it. However by controlling colors and white balance you can
be in charge of exactly how your images come out. Using cool
blue tones will make your image chilly, while warm yellows
and oranges will warm it up.
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On the left, a cool white balance
leaves the snow looking blue. Second, a
neutral white snow is often dull and
unrealistic. Third, since snow reflects
the light that shines on it, it's
natural color should have a tint from
the sky or objects above it. In this
case the brown from the trees adds a bit
of warmth to the snow.
Lastly, too much warmth can make the
snow look muddy. |
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Silver and Cold
Just as with any other time of year, the “Golden
hours” to shoot remain the same—early morning or late
afternoon. Now that the days are shorter it’s even easier to
wake up before sunrise! Right? Having the sun at a right
angle to your subject casts long shadows on otherwise flat
scenes, or adds contrast that may not have been there if the
light were overhead. The golden glow of sunrise or dark reds
and purples of sunset can add a dramatically different tone
to your shots. Try to shoot just after a snowfall to ensure
you find dramatic snow drifts and glassy icicles before they
have a chance to be disturbed or melted.
Though the idea of shooting a pristine,
undisturbed snowy field sounds good in theory, it may fall
flat in a photograph. Take note of objects that differ from
the background adding color or contrast to a scene and try
to incorporate them. Colorful sleds, gloves, hats, cars,
berries, etc. could all add an interesting subject to a
beautiful scene. Fences that lead viewers into your image or
trails left by animals or sleds also help your composition
immensely. They may also add emotional weight and
connections to viewers that further elevate your image from
what may have otherwise been considered a winter snapshot .
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Include color to a scene to increase
contrast and vibrance.
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You’re a Mean One, Mr. Flash
An uncontrollable flash can disrupt a shoot in any
weather. With winter photography your flash can be used in
very unique and targeted ways to produce wonderful results.
Experiment with different flash settings for dramatically
different effects. If you choose a basic high-speed or
pop-up flash you will stop snowflakes in mid-air and capture
the snowfall in an instant, yet it may unintentionally
darken the background if not appropriately compensated for.
Using a strobe lamp with a slow shutter speed will capture
snowflakes at specific points in their descent, creating
very interesting dotted effects. A fill flash 2nd curtain or
slow-sync flash, with a slow shutter speed, will show the
sweeping fall of the flakes, followed by a quick flash to
freeze them at the last instant. Of course if you’d rather
remove the snowflakes and show the beautiful sights beyond,
just use a longer exposure and they will be much less
noticeable.
Christmas Without You
You never want to lose your beloved camera or lenses
after all of the wonderful winter scenery you just captured
together. Now that you have weathered the blistering winds
it’s time to get back home to that hot chocolate. Just as
when you left the cozy house or warm car, your camera will
need to gradually re-adjust to the change in temperature.
Pack it back up in a camera bag or large baggy and let it
acclimate slowly to avoid condensation and damage once
again.
I Saw Mommy Processing Santa Claus
The post-processing can be done by the chimney with
care, in hopes that a Wow-factor would soon be there. As
with most photos the common aspects to address are exposure,
white balance, and sharpness. Use a white balance that gives
the image the proper mood you are seeking to achieve. Levels
or Curves can further brighten up dull snow, but making sure
to keep sunlight and bright clouds a little brighter than
the snow. Of course like anything else, rules have
exceptions, so experiment on your own and have fun with
developing your own style of processing your images.
Quick tips
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Don’t panic if your batteries drain fast
or lens fogs up. Keep the batteries warm, and let your
lens get used to the cool air.
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Keep an eye on your camera’s exposure
settings to keep detail in the snow and also make it
look as bright as it should be, depending on the scene.
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Use white balance and color casts to
give a certain mood or look to your photo.
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Capture quiet early morning sunrises or
cool winter sunsets to get the best, most dramatic
lighting.
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Keep things interesting by composing
your photos with an intentional subject, drawing viewers
in, or experiment with different shutter speeds and
flash settings.
Now that you’ve got these helpful tips for
winter photography, leave the hot cocoa for later and grab
your boots! |
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