Nature photography is one of the most exhilarating interests that one could pursue. Whether you are a professional or a beginner, most people start their interest by capturing the beauty that lies within nature.
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Advice For Winter And Snow Photography
Of course, it’s pretty easy to take photos and images during fall, summer, and spring as these seasons are not really tricky to work with.
In fact, the amount of light present in these seasons are much more helpful in captivating beauty through your lens. But as for winter, things may get tricky in photography.
Winter or snow photography is actually a very challenging interest to work with. Not only that the presence of light is not really apparent, but the weather itself can almost always be a hindrance to your activity and task of taking photos.
But even so, there are simple things that you may do to help you with this. And if you are a beginner in the field, these 7 simple winter photography tips and advice will definitely help you:
1. Dress appropriately
One of the most important things that you need to remember when taking your pictures through the winter or snow season is your clothing. As it happens, dressing appropriately should be well-regarded for this can either make or break your pursuit of snow photography.
Even if you are not a photographer or hobbyist, you would know for sure that dressing appropriately is a must during this season. Not only that it can help you survive the cold and freezing winter, but it can also protect you.
And so much more when going outside to spend a few hours with your camera to capture different angles through the snow.
You may want to wear boots, gloves, a scarf, earmuffs, and other appropriate clothing for winter. But you must keep in mind as well that a little cold can be really helpful too.
You would not want to walk in the middle of the winter feeling all sweaty and hot inside. It may cause irritability and uneasiness as you do your photography activities.
2. Keep your camera cold
Keeping your camera cold is a very helpful thing to do when doing snow or winter photography. And no, it does not mean that you need to put blocks of ice over it or under it. Keeping your camera cold simply means that you must expose it outside as you do your photography.
Other beginners tend to do this during their activities. They would, from time to time, put the camera inside their “bags” or cover it with their coat to protect the camera and its battery from the intense cold. While thinking that this could protect that camera, this will only potentially harm the camera.
3. Shoot in aperture priority mode
As mentioned, photography during the winter season is pretty tricky. But one trick that could help you boost your creativity during this weather or season is to set your camera to its aperture mode.
For Nikon cameras, you would see this as an A on the options. And as for Canon models, you would notice the button with the symbol Av.
Choosing the Aperture Priority mode as you do your winter photography helps you change the depth of field. And once you do this, your camera will appropriately utilize the more accurate shutter speed in every shot.
4. Shoot in RAW format
Shooting in RAW format is one of the most basic things that one should always remember. And this is not only for winter and snow photography.
As it appears, many photographers tend to take shots immediately with filters. Although some of them would look pretty good, it is not really advisable.
It is worth noting that every photographer should keep a RAW format of his or her shots. Besides, one can always do editing and filtering afterward. And having a RAW format allows one to do many things during editing.
5. Never delete images
The same thing apparently applies at this point. As a winter or snow photographer, you should not delete images at first, especially if you are not on your watch to edit photos yet. In fact, this point also applies to other photographers.
You may delete images once you get back to your studio to do the editing aspect. But any time before that, you must ensure to keep all your shots intact. You’ll never know what you have actually taken until you do full scrutiny and editing.
6. Keep the extra battery warm
Batteries tend to have a much shorter lifespan when exposed to cold temperatures. This is why many beginners tend to keep the camera under their coat when doing snow or winter photography.
But as mentioned, this can harm the camera itself. And the best way to do in order to lengthen the battery is to have a spare.
To further save battery life, the spare must be kept inside your pockets or somewhere close to your body heat. This will keep the battery warm and could preserve its natural life.
7. Use your Histogram
Another best way to check the quality of photos is to use your histogram. Apparently, using this feature can help you see if the images are intact with the details. Through histogram, you can see if your highlights are overexposed or eradicated.
But even so, you don’t want to overexpose or undercompensated your photos, so better take raw photos and adjust them at a much later time as you do your editing tasks.
8. Break up your shots, don’t photograph only snow
Unless your goal is to produce tens to hundreds of white snow photos, you must incorporate other elements in your photos.
Keep in mind that winter and snow photography do not only focus on snow and ice alone. In fact, there are several other things that you can use as a subject to your winter photography.
Twigs and branches that are frozen or colored yet snowed roofing systems are only some of the great subjects, but of course, you would certainly find other interesting things and subjects in your chosen area as you do your winter photography.
9. Protect your camera
Protecting your camera during your winter and snow photography session is just fitting to do. But keeping the camera under your coat will not do this successfully.
And the best way that you can do to fully eliminate the risk of having condensation and fog build-up is to place your camera inside a zip-lock bag.
In it, place a few silicon bags to fully absorb the moisture. And as you get home or back to your studio, allow the camera to reach first room temperature before taking it out from the zip-lock bag.
Now, these tips and advice are very much helpful in doing snow or winter photography. As it happens, professionals and experts are the ones who largely recommend these things.
So, before you do your activities in the snow with your camera, ensure that you remember all these things to fully enjoy the task and obtain the quality that you want in your session.
- 9 Simple Advice For Winter And Snow Photography - May 1, 2019