Shadows
I shoot a lot of outside winter venues so when I’m venturing out with my camera to capture the snow, I’m reminded of how tricky it can be to shoot for good results.I thought I’d share one simple tip for getting better photos in snow.
So here goes…
Obviously, we all know that snow is bright and white. Your camera, however, responds to the brightness by averaging everything out to give an overall “middle gray” picture. That’s why, with bright white snow, you’ll often end up with an under-exposed, or dark, photo.
To compensate, tell your camera to over-expose. With snow, I typically over-expose at least one full stop and, sometimes, as much as two. Some factors that will determine how much you over-expose include the amount of snow in the shot, the time of day, and anything else of different shades and colors in the composition.
Now, there’s some subjectivity involved in all photography, of course, where personal taste and style play a major role… and snow is no exception.
But, if the photographer wanted to get a brighter shot, telling the camera to over-expose will result in a more professional image…
As I mentioned earlier, there’s always some subjectivity in how bright or dark you’ll want your shots to be. But simply learning how to understand your camera and using it to create the desired outcome is critical.
When shooting in snow, the general rule of thumb is to over-expose anywhere from one to two stops.
And, if your camera has a mode specifically for snow, go ahead and use it — it’ll take
the guesswork out for you.
Whispering
