Ice Castles in the Snow

A friend of mine told me recently that she thought our photo club should give timely tips to the members, so that when everyone is going to be outside taking snow pictures, they'd know how to do it correctly. So, I decided to give a "shooting in the snow" tip today. If you're already an expert, just disregard it.

Note: You'll notice that some of trees in the background of this picture, and the steam in the front, aren't a pure white, but that's the way I wanted it. So, when you're taking pictures, or when you're editing, always keep in mind what you want the final effect to be.


Photo Tip 1: When you're taking pictures of snow or ice, you want to make sure that the whites look white and not a dirty gray. Our cameras don't see as we do, though, so how do we accomplish this? Since your camera is going to try to make the snow appear as a middle gray, you have to "open up", or increase the light that's getting to your camera's sensor. You can do this by using your exposure compensation button & setting it to +1/3 for a start. That probably won't be enough, but it's a place to start. After you take the first picture, check the histogram on your camera to see if that's enough. If not, increase it to +2/3, etc. Sometimes you might have to increase it to +2 in order to make the snow a true white. Lighting will change this a lot, so if the sun is going in and out of the clouds, check to see if you need to change your exposure compensation. You want the snow to be white, but you don't want to blow-out the highlights. If you bump up the exposure compensation too much, that's what will happen. If you're shooting a white object on white snow, this gets even more tricky, so check your histogram frequently to make sure you're getting the shots you want.

Photo Tip 2: When you're getting ready to go take pictures in the cold, take the largest and strudiest Zip-Loc type bag(s) with you. BEFORE returning inside, put your camera inside the bag & zip it shut. Let your camera & lenses warm to room temperature before reopening the bag(s). This will prevent moisture condensation inside your gear.

Now, get out there in the cold, make some pictures and have great fun.