I'm visiting friends who live in a remote area where there is lots of snow. I've been taking a lot of photos during my walks in the snow and was reminded all over again how frustrating it's been in the past getting good snow photos. I've got just a couple of days left before I head back to civilization. I'm wondering if anyone has some quick suggestions on dealing with snow. I've dealt with white balance issues and much of the basic stuff but the dynamic range is tough, I'm discovering. I've been shooting in jpg/RAW and know I can combine photos but I'm trying to cut down on computer time as my friends want some quick photos...and I'm picky...probably too picky about the photos I give people. I'd like to get it "right" in the camera with no PP necessary. Any quick advice for snow photos? I am using a Canon Mark II (my Mark III was stolen recently and I've not replaced it yet). Thanks....

Here is the best suggestion you will get and it will save you from messing with anything like this in the future.

Buy yourself and inexpensive incident meter, use it to set your camera's manual exposure, and shoot.

Sekonic L308. Even a used one from Ebay.


You won't have anymore issues with exposure no matter what the conditions. Snow....ice, backlight, sunset....

Buy it and use it.

Yes, you can "guess" your way to an exposure (notice the suggestions so far? "2-2 1/2 stops" and "1- 1.5 stops"?)but you won't learn what you need to learn while doing that and you will be slower than just popping a reading and taking shots.

And yes, I will get "poo poo'd " because this is overkill and we don't need incident meters anymore because our camera's meters are so good...I know.

Another huge difference is this; if you use an incident meter, no matter what your camera dial tells you about the exposure, you can happily ignore it unless it suddenly gets cloudy or sunny or whatever; i.e. if the conditions change significantly.

shoot shoot shoot and never worry.

I'm visiting friends who live in a remote area where there is lots of snow. I've been taking a lot of photos during my walks in the snow and was reminded all over again how frustrating it's been in the past getting good snow photos. I've got just a couple of days left before I head back to civilization. I'm wondering if anyone has some quick suggestions on dealing with snow. I've dealt with white balance issues and much of the basic stuff but the dynamic range is tough, I'm discovering. I've been shooting in jpg/RAW and know I can combine photos but I'm trying to cut down on computer time as my friends want some quick photos...and I'm picky...probably too picky about the photos I give people. I'd like to get it "right" in the camera with no PP necessary. Any quick advice for snow photos? I am using a Canon Mark II (my Mark III was stolen recently and I've not replaced it yet). Thanks....

I'm visiting friends who live in a remote area where there is lots of snow. I've been taking a lot of photos during my walks in the snow and was reminded all over again how frustrating it's been in the past getting good snow photos. I've got just a couple of days left before I head back to civilization. I'm wondering if anyone has some quick suggestions on dealing with snow. I've dealt with white balance issues and much of the basic stuff but the dynamic range is tough, I'm discovering. I've been shooting in jpg/RAW and know I can combine photos but I'm trying to cut down on computer time as my friends want some quick photos...and I'm picky...probably too picky about the photos I give people. I'd like to get it "right" in the camera with no PP necessary. Any quick advice for snow photos? I am using a Canon Mark II (my Mark III was stolen recently and I've not replaced it yet). Thanks....

My simple method

Use your exposure compensation setting.

If the snow covers 50% or more of the viewfinder, open up 1 to 1.5 (1.7 stops) by exposure compensation.

If the snow scene covers considerably more than say 60-90% of the viewfinder, open up 2 stops.

Always works for me... Makes the snow white.

Remember that the meter in attempting to render the snow as the meter should... stops down and meters the snow neutral grey, so if you only rely on the meter... you get grey snow.

You, being in charge have to over ride the meter with your compensation and open up the stops that caused the snow to go grey. On a large field of snow it takes 1 to 2 stops to override the snow, rendering it white.

That's my 95% solution. The only thing that the exposure compensation button does is open up and close down stops from proper metering depending on the compensation from neutral grey that the meter imposes on all subjecs.

When I am in an area of snow, I simply set the compensation amount as i described and let the meter do it's thing and the compensation button do it.

Likewise when you are in darker subject matter (not dark light, but dark subjects) the meter tries to bring dark objects to neutral grey by opening up stops too much. Your job is to stop down requisite stops to make the dark objects dark or compensate from the meter making them grey back to making them dark.

I have a simple mnemonic I ALWAY use that works for me.

"If the subject field is too light/bright, always STOP UP 1-2 stops!
If the subject field/d objects are very dark, always STOP DOWN 1-2 stops with exposure compensation"

Now this works if you are shooting the camera on automatic which is the way I always shoot such scenes.

Now I fully know how to meter and set the camera manually, but tricky snow scenes, (or scenes over water), I am able to hand better by shooting on auto and then just use compensation.

I don't think, as many do, that it impunes my "manhood" in any way by occasionally using the camera on AUTO.

The objective is to get the picture.... not to stand around fiddling with the meter and the manual settings on a scene God created to EFF with my mind

:!: :!:

Here is the best suggestion you will get and it will save you from messing with anything like this in the future.

Buy yourself and inexpensive incident meter, use it to set your camera's manual exposure, and shoot.

Sekonic L308. Even a used one from Ebay.


You won't have anymore issues with exposure no matter what the conditions. Snow....ice, backlight, sunset....

Buy it and use it.

Yes, you can "guess" your way to an exposure (notice the suggestions so far? "2-2 1/2 stops" and "1- 1.5 stops"?)but you won't learn what you need to learn while doing that and you will be slower than just popping a reading and taking shots.

And yes, I will get "poo poo'd " because this is overkill and we don't need incident meters anymore because our camera's meters are so good...I know.

Another huge difference is this; if you use an incident meter, no matter what your camera dial tells you about the exposure, you can happily ignore it unless it suddenly gets cloudy or sunny or whatever; i.e. if the conditions change significantly.

shoot shoot shoot and never worry.

My simple method

Use your exposure compensation setting.

If the snow covers 50% or more of the viewfinder, open up 1 to 1.5 (1.7 stops) by exposure compensation.

If the snow scene covers considerably more than say 60-90% of the viewfinder, open up 2 stops.

Always works for me... Makes the snow white.

Remember that the meter in attempting to render the snow as the meter should... stops down and meters the snow neutral grey, so if you only rely on the meter... you get grey snow.

You, being in charge have to over ride the meter with your compensation and open up the stops that caused the snow to go grey. On a large field of snow it takes 1 to 2 stops to override the snow, rendering it white.

That's my 95% solution. The only thing that the exposure compensation button does is open up and close down stops from proper metering depending on the compensation from neutral grey that the meter imposes on all subjecs.

When I am in an area of snow, I simply set the compensation amount as i described and let the meter do it's thing and the compensation button do it's thing.

Likewise when you are in darker subject matter (not dark light, but dark subjects) the meter tries to bring dark objects to neutral grey by opening up stops too much. Your job is to stop down requisite stops to make the dark objects dark or compensate from the meter making them grey back to making them dark.

I have a simple mnemonic I ALWAY use that works for me.

"If the subject field is too light/bright by view, always STOP UP 1-2 stops!
If the subject field/dark objects are very dark by view, always STOP DOWN 1-2 stops with exposure compensation"

That second line will turn your greyed out dark object to proper dark grey objects.

Now this works if you are shooting the camera on automatic which is the way I always shoot such scenes.

Now I fully know how to meter and set the camera manually, but tricky snow scenes, (or scenes over water), I am able to hand better by shooting on auto and then just use compensation.

I don't think, as many do, that it impunes my "manhood" in any way by occasionally using the camera on AUTO.

The objective is to get the picture.... not to stand around fiddling with the meter and the manual settings on a scene God created to EFF with my mind

:!: :!: