Not sure how to get the best results taking photo's of the "Snow": Visiting my son in a few weeks in Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and I want to get the...

Karenn Loc: Sydney Australia.

Visiting my son in a few weeks in Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and I want to get the right advise for taking shots of the snow..... What things to check for with the camera and settings etc. I have also been told that the batteries flatten quickly in the cold climate. Can anyone help.

BermBuster Loc: Hi Desert S.Cal

Karenn wrote:

Visiting my son in a few weeks in Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and I want to get the right advise for taking shots of the snow..... What things to check for with the camera and settings etc. I have also been told that the batteries flatten quickly in the cold climate. Can anyone help.

I usually grab a grey card and set a custom white balance when i head to the ski slopes...or at least take a shot of the grey card so you can fix the photos later....This prevents the snow from coming out "grey".
Sounds like fun.

Gobuster Loc: South Florida

If your camera can be set up to take sets of bracketed exposures, I recommend you use the feature, setting up for under and over by 1 to 2 stops. Shoot RAW if possible, it gives better flexibility in post processing. A circular polarizer filter can help under certain circumstances.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Just set your EV levels up 3/4 to 1 stop from what the camera says. That simple. This will keep your snow from being grey or blue.

Karenn Loc: Sydney Australia.

Thanks, I knew posting this would bring some great and easy feedback. Look forward to my snow photos in a few weeks. Thankyou everyone again.

tainkc wrote:

Just set your EV levels up 3/4 to 1 stop from what the camera says. That simple. This will keep your snow from being grey or blue.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Karenn wrote:

Thanks, I knew posting this would bring some great and easy feedback. Look forward to my snow photos in a few weeks. Thankyou everyone again.

Just watch out for the yellow snow.

Underwaterant

Karenn wrote:

Visiting my son in a few weeks in Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and I want to get the right advise for taking shots of the snow..... What things to check for with the camera and settings etc. I have also been told that the batteries flatten quickly in the cold climate. Can anyone help.

When exposing for pure white, all
cameras will expose the white image
for 18%mid grey tone.
(Also black as 18% grey)
So, when you expose the image for
the indicated exposure and take the
photo, the image of snow will appear
18% grey. (darker).
So, whatever the camera's IE is, you
MUST close down stops ("f" value),
(usually 2 full stops) so the camera has
more light available to make the camera
"see" the bright white snow as pure white
and not 18% mid grey tone.
This might be by opening up the aperature
2 full stops or shutter speed lowered
2 full stops, or ISO up 2 full stops.
You don't necessarily require a greycard.
I hope this makes sense.

I might see you at Thredbo or
Perisher. I'll be the one with a camera.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

tainkc wrote:

Just set your EV levels up 3/4 to 1 stop from what the camera says. That simple. This will keep your snow from being grey or blue.

:thumbup:

memorykeeper Loc: Indianapolis, Indiana

Karenn wrote:

Visiting my son in a few weeks in Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and I want to get the right advise for taking shots of the snow..... What things to check for with the camera and settings etc. I have also been told that the batteries flatten quickly in the cold climate. Can anyone help.

I use exposure compensation of 1 1/2 to 2 stops over even when using Evaluative or Matrix metering. That is the easy way. You could do spot metering on the snow and again use exposure compensation to upset the 18% gray. Everything should fall into place after that. However, I like a bluish, moody look to my snow pics.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Spent a week in Antarctica last year and had occasion to take many photos under varying lighting conditions. I'd suggest exposure compensation of from +1 to +2 stops, checking histogram and eyeballing results on the LCD frequently. Required compensation to get good snow rendition varies with changes in lighting.

AdkHiker Loc: Northeast

BermBuster wrote:

I usually grab a grey card and set a custom white balance when i head to the ski slopes...or at least take a shot of the grey card so you can fix the photos later....This prevents the snow from coming out "grey".
Sounds like fun.

For sure use a grey card or meter off something grey. you can purchase a grey micro cloth that is easier to carry and serves two purposes. Keep spare batteries warm by storing them in inner pockets helps to extend the life of the charge

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Karenn wrote:

Visiting my son in a few weeks in Jindabyne which is part of the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and I want to get the right advise for taking shots of the snow..... What things to check for with the camera and settings etc. I have also been told that the batteries flatten quickly in the cold climate. Can anyone help.

First, you will get a LOT of differing replies...some who talk about changing the exposure compensation, and they will all have a different number for you...and they are all just guesses that will get you "somewhat close" to having snow that's properly exposed.

It can get confusing with so many contrary opinions floating around.

The problem begins with the fact that snow scenes tend to wreak havoc on the camera's ability to decode what you want in a scene. It's great if you're taking pictures of grey cards, but bad for many other things.

As I see it, you have two choices

1.) Get a hand held meter and get perfectly exposed snow under any conditions...never have to bring it up again.

2.) Spot meter off of the snow itself and then set the camera to manual exposure and ignore the wildly swinging needle until the light changes, and then re-meter and take more images.

That's my advice.

djtravels Loc: Georgia boy now

Underwaterant wrote:

When exposing for pure white, all br cameras will... (show quote)

I think the exact opposite is true. You will need to underexpose, or set your EV 1 to 1-1/2 below normal. Shoot EARLY or LATE. Use a CPL. Purple in the shadows is good. :-D :-D DJT

twowindsbear

Does your camer have a 'snow scene' mode? Use it!!!

JoeV Loc: Wisconsin

Good advice so far. One quibble. Yes, auto white balance and custom white balance with a grey card...good ideas. However, for some shots you might want to use other settings to bring out the blues in the shadows, or to capture the evening glow on the snow. Sometimes you WANT to get color casts on the snow, and AWB will work against you.

RE. the battery in the cold. Keep a spare battery close to your body, e.g in an inside pocket to keep it warm. When photographing in cold weather, between photo ops, when I am walking around, I slip the camera under my half open jacket. This keeps a bit warm, but, since I keep the jacket half open, it doesn't fog up. (Dress in layers)

And speaking of fogging up. If it's cold, be careful not to breathe on your viewfinder or lens. Also keep in mind that when you come in, the cold camera will collect ondensation and it will take a while for that to clear off.