"Winter Landscapes" by Mathadogg
Continuing on from last month’s post, here are five more tips to survive photography problems in the winter season:
6) Time of Day
To avoid overexposed, washed out photos due to all that reflecting white snow, take your photographs either very early in the morning, or very close to dusk. Dawn is probably your best route because the snow will be untouched and undisturbed for your photograph. The lighting on both occasions will have truer colors and softer light, and will also effect the outcome of the sky’s hue. Sky in the early morning or dusk often appears more red, due to the sun being close to the horizon.
If you’re looking cool blue skies, being closer to midday is your best bet, but avoid high noon at all costs (if you absolutely have to do so, always take your photos with the sun at your back).
7) Exposure
If snow is on the ground and the sun is high, chances are that it’s far too bright outside to take a proper winter landscape, and your photograph will appear overexposed (especially on low-end model cameras). Many cameras have features to help avoid this, but it’s important in these cases to have a camera that can adjust aperture and F-stop settings, as well as adjust the ISO value for your shots. Using the lowest ISO available will help minimize overexposure, as well as using a small aperture and F-stop if the scenery is bright.
In these cases, using a stable tripod is also very important, so make sure you’re on firm ground.
"Korea Winter Landscape" by kwang-chual
8) Light and Dark Objects
It’s good to know how to juggle the focus on light and dark objects when taking any picture, but the addition of bright snow can make this even more important. If there’s an object you want to focus on that is darker than your surrounding area (such as a person standing in snow), and it’s not possible to avoid the harsh qualities of midday lighting, zoom and focus on that object or person as desired, then press your shutter button down gently halfway so the camera adjusts to the lighting accordingly (even the most basic model cameras have this function). Frame the shot without moving your finger, and then take the picture when you’re ready.
Keep in mind that focusing on darker objects will make the snow and background appear brighter, so one of the best ways to capture such an object or person in action during winter settings is through close-up and macro shots, eliminating much of the background in your framing.
9) Color and Atmosphere
More than most other landscapes, snowy landscapes will directly reflect the color of the atmosphere, therefore coloring your entire photograph. That’s why it’s very important to pay attention to what’s going on in the sky when you take your photographs–overcast days will often promote truer color in your subjects, but may also result gray or fairly colorless landscapes if your focus is the snow. Keeping close to dawn or dusk when the sun is on the horizon will create warmer colors, most likely strong pink and red hues, which will then reflect in the snow in your photograph.
During the day, if clouds are parted, thin or not present, the sky will be a cool blue, which will also reflect on your snow. Depending on how close you are to noon, the blues will become brighter or darker and will effect the mood of your photograph accordingly.
Photography by Bigalexandru
10) Play!
Don’t forget to play with your angles, lenses, filters, macros and action shots! Just because winter landscapes are usually quiet and serene doesn’t mean they have to be. If you want to be different, try strong angles, or focusing on objects with color, or performing macro on oft-neglected objects, such as the parts of a snowman or snowflakes in someone’s hair. In my eyes, the most important aspect about photography is to have fun, and if the winter landscapes or photos you’re trying to capture aren’t working to your expectations, go bold for something different.