Shoot the Best Snowy Scenes with your Digital Camera

Digital Photography Tips Complementary Guide

 

 

We don’t always get snow every winter, but when we do, it’s an exciting and challenging time to take shots with your digital camera.  Challenging because of the dangerous weather conditions, also changeable lighting and reflections cast from the bright snow … but that’s all part of the fun, so let’s have a look at making the best scenes with a few digital photography tips …

 

 

Increasing Camera Exposure to Compensate for Brightness of Snow

 

Have you ever taken a shot of a snowy scene to find that it turns out a ‘grey’ shade?  This is because your digital camera has probably adjusted for a ‘mid-tone’ in your scene, which means your shot will be a touch underexposed.  To remedy this, experiment with your digital camera by increasing your exposure, and you should end up with the whiteness of the snow being captured perfectly.  Examples shown below ...

 

 

 

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Shooting different times in the day for Walmer or Cooler Tones

 

It’s very interesting to bear in mind you can cast colours over your shots depending on what time of the day you shoot.  By taking photos early morning or late afternoon you can achieve warmer tones, but if you shoot near mid-day, you’re apt to achieve cooler tones.

 

 

Photo Composition for Winter Snow Scenes

 

When shooting in the snow, look for contrasts, for example, the snow is very neutral so you want to look for something to contrast with it when composing your shot.  Say if you were taking a shot of a snow-laden tree … you have the darkness of the bark or maybe coloured leaves of the holly contrasting against your white snow.  Another idea would be a snowman against a blue sky.  See a couple of examples below showing contrast ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avoiding Silhouettes when Shooting Foreground Subjects

 

If you want to take shots of a foreground subject in the snow, beware the background brightness doesn’t wash out your foreground details, which can create a silhouette effect.  To get around this, what you need to do is either move right in to fill your frame with your subject, or perhaps shoot your subject with foliage or buildings in the background, which your digital camera should pick up on the correct exposure.

 

 

Capture Highlights with Reflection from Snow Plus Camera Flash

 

A bright field of snow can be perked up or given texture to by using your digital camera flash, in addition to the natural reflection from the brightness of the snow.  Use your flash also to capture falling snow … you may get lucky to add that sparkle to your scene.  Your ‘fill-flash’ is great to use with winter scenes, as it helps fill shadows and backlit subjects.  Note if you’re shooting close-up (macro) shots with a bright background – do not use your flash here, because you will lose detail and you may get off-putting dazzle spots on your image.

 

 

Shadows and Silhouettes

 

Using the available natural light, early morning can give you low angle light so you can capture long shapely shadows.   You can also use backlighting to set up a silhouette.  Experimenting here you can achieve some dramatic shots.

 

 

Filters for Digital Cameras

 

Graduated filters can help reduce contrast between sky and ground, while a polarising filter will help reduce the bright reflections from the snow.  When shooting in sunny conditions a good UV filter is recommended.  Alternatively, if you have image editing software, you can make adjustments to your shots.

 

Observance

 

Be observant when you set out to take shots, especially of any close-up detail, for example, ice formations or crystals that may be attached to leaves or plants.

 

Hoping these digital photography tips for winter prove helpful, take care when shooting in the snow, but most of all, have a great time and capture the season!

 

 

 

 

Have a Great Day at Taking Pictures!

 

 

 

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Underexposed

Exposure Compensated