Working in the Snow

It has been a while since my last post and I guess it is just a bit of a case of so much to say and so little time to say it in.....the weather in England today has forced my hand however and I would be remiss to miss the opportunity to talk about taking photos in the snow.

Snow photography can be a little tricky as the camera may be inclined to either overexpose the snow if you take your light reading off the subject or underexpose the subject if you take your reading off the snow itself - I generally leave the camera on auto and try and find something between the two to read the light. This has been a recipe for success for me but it has taken practise and lots of thrown away photos to achieve a point where I am happy with the exposure on just about every shot.

The second important element of snow photography for me is the mood you are trying to create - I am of course not referring here to family snaps of snow fights and tobogganing but rather of trying to achieve the type of photo you may want to hang on your wall. I was fortunate enough to go out today on a "photoshoot" into an area of virgin snow....I chose to focus on three elements and I have to say I am pleased with the results.

Water...
Obviously where there is snow most water will generally be iced over, but if you are fortunate enough to catch some that is yet to freeze you can use it to capture some lovely reflections as it will generally be very still.

The way the snow reaches the water can also create a lovely composition and I particularly like the contrast between sky, snow and water in the first shot. The starkness of the snow can be lots of fun to play with using contrasts when photographing, and if you are lucky enough to have a bright blue sky all the better.


Macro Photography
One of my passions which is particularly hard for me to resist is any form of macro photography....in the snow it is important to really get up close and see how the ice has affected plants around you, try to take your light reading off the plant material rather then the snow and make sure you are using either a macro facility on your point and shoot or are using a lens with macro facilities on an DSLR. If the fall hasn't been to heavy you may even be able to pick up individual snowflakes on the branches of trees.


Mood
I find the snow very peaceful and for me straight lines convey structure and order which are also peaceful to me, so in order to convey the mood I was looking for I sought out compositions that allowed for strong linear subjects

Like fireworks snow is all about practise, get out there and have fun with the shadows and contrasts - the rewards can be astounding