Jcthebaptist wrote:
I am going to Colorado next week take photos and would like to any information on the best way to photograph in the snow.
Thanks Johnny
Focus on subjects OTHER THAN the snow. If you are shooting rocks, focus on the rocks and take your meter readings from the object on which you focus. Your snow will then expose white. Focus on the snow and your camera will fight to make it look 18% grey!
Mr Brandt's advice is right on. I ski and photograph at Loveland Ski area. I've learned a lot from their photographer, Dustin Schaefer. Set your exposure compensation to overexpose 1 to 1.5 stops. Check your histogram. The same rules apply for sand dunes. The lightness of the subject matters. The ambient light will vary widely because it's seldom always sunny. Cloudy and blowing are often the conditions. Compose your pictures to have sufficient contrast and form using trees, mountain ridges, clouds, clumps of skiers. flares and shadows. In Photoshop, you can take the blue out of your pictures easiest if you shoot in raw and open that file to adjust the light temperature. I also pull down the highlights and boost the clarity when it's effective. Life is much more fun since the end of "film".
Jcthebaptist wrote:
I am going to Colorado next week take photos and would like to any information on the best way to photograph in the snow.
Thanks Johnny
The best way to photograph snow is with a camera.
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
Jcthebaptist wrote:
I am going to Colorado next week take photos and would like to any information on the best way to photograph in the snow.
Thanks Johnny
Set the exposure compensation at +2 and take a couple test shots and adjust from there. I find +2 works well for me in Aperture Priority.
petercbrandt wrote:
**depending on how much white is in your frame**, you should set your exposure to over expose. Meters are set to give you an equivalent of middle grey of anything in front of the lens. White snow shot with the "normal" setting will give you 'grey' snow; kick your meter up to 1 to 1.5 stops over exposed so that white snow looks whiteish. experience with your histogram and visual LCD on back of camera will tell you what you need to do to improve image quality. The opposite effect come true in very dark setting(night view or theater show); set camera meter to under expose.
**depending on how much white is in your frame**, ... (
show quote)
Actually, set the exposure compensation to +1, 1.5, or even 2 (whichever you prefer) to get the snow to be white rather than grey.
Petercbrandt is right.
You will need to overexpose the snow to get it white and occassionally with the texture.
A circular polarizing filter is very impotant not only to get the snow white but also the conifers green - don't forget to watch the sun angle.
Very often you might need to lower the conrast - that might call for neutral density graduated filters.
Have a great trip!
Jcthebaptist wrote:
I am going to Colorado next week take photos and would like to any information on the best way to photograph in the snow.
Thanks Johnny
Expose to the right, without clipping. Expose for the white.
https://youtu.be/mvT9TlurUy8
The old rule of thumb for shooting snow in a sunny situation was f/22 @ the shutter speed appropriate for you ISO. Example: ISO 100, f/22 @ 1/125. This was also the rule of thumb for shooting on a sandy beach on a sunny day.
bwana
Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
Jcthebaptist wrote:
I am going to Colorado next week take photos and would like to any information on the best way to photograph in the snow.
Thanks Johnny
I just returned from a wintry week in Banff...
Suggestions:
- go with center/point focus and aperture settings
- set aperture on the object of interest; the histogram is a great assistant. If you go the auto approach, your subject will come out black (with little hope of recovery!)
- try to keep the ambient light on the front of your target and/or use fill flash
- some people like a polarizing filter. I find them more trouble than they're worth.
- if you have a camera with really good dynamic range, you can be a little less careful, i.e.: some hope of recovery in postprocessing
- shoot RAW. JPG files are hopeless in conditions like this!
- dress warmly. Fingerless mitts are handy!
I shot all my natural light Banff pix with a Sony RX10 III and used a full spectrum A7S for IR on hazy / snowy days.
Have fun!
bwa
I don't think anyone has mentioned adjusting the white balance. This precludes a lot of pp for me. 6500 degrees Kelvin does the trick for me.
Wear shoes and probably a coat.
dicspics
Loc: southwest fla. 10 mins from the gulf
If your going to shoot in the snow, I would put boots on...
Jcthebaptist wrote:
I am going to Colorado next week take photos and would like to any information on the best way to photograph in the snow.
Thanks Johnny
The white snow will be gray unless you use exposure compensation. A common recommendation is 2 stops. >Alan
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