Cold days, long nights, blankets of snow… that can only mean one thing, winter is in full effect across the country. Whether you’re cozy on the coast, exploring mountain terrain, or snuggled up in the plains, your surroundings can take on an entirely different perspective this time of year. From earlier sunsets to a snow-enveloped ground, capturing the beauty of the season can be an enjoyable way to add to your photo book.
In this post, we’re going to cover some useful winter photography and editing tips to help you along the way.
Beautiful Winter Photography Tips
Manage Your Meter
According to Rick Sheremeta, “One of the most challenging things in winter is achieving correct exposure. All camera metering systems are calibrated to base exposure on neutral tonality or neutral gray. White, snow-covered landscapes will influence and most likely dominate your camera meter’s exposure reading. Consequently, solely relying on the camera’s meter to set exposure may lead to disappointing results when you discover that all your snow-covered winterscapes are underexposed and appear a dull gray. While this might be the mood you’re trying to capture, you normally would expect snow to appear white regardless of lighting conditions.”
Time Your Shot
Pro Nikon photographer, Alex Soh, suggests the best time to capture a winter landscape is early in the morning before the sun gets too high.
Prep Your Gear
You know how if you’re wearing glasses and you go from a warm space to a cold space they fog up? The same can happen with your camera. Udi Tirosh suggests you keep your camera cold and your batteries warm (since batteries drain faster in colder weather).
Consider a Fill Flash
Plan for shoot but the clouds are out? No problem. Kyle Shurman says, “If you’re shooting on a cloudy day with snow cover, the photos can have a flat, dull look. Depending on the thickness of the clouds, you may want to use a fill flash for all photos.”
Find Your Focus
It can be hard to utilize your camera’s autofocus in wintery conditions. In the field, consider switching to manual focus. A good rule of thumb when photographing animals outdoors is to focus on the eyes.
Add Effects
Let’s face it, sometimes shots “in the field” do not necessarily turn out how we’d hope. No fear, wintry effects are here! Use Light Edge, as shown above, to put the focus on your subjects or for a more fun look consider adding textures – Faded Paper and Fancy Paper can give it a real artsy feel.
Frames for Fabulousness
piZap’s Frames can take your beautiful winter photography to that next, printable, level. Consider some of our snowy-ish options or choose from stylish icons, like these stars.
Put Yourself There
When all else fails – you can’t find the perfect day for a shoot, you’re having a bad hair day, the clouds are too intense – simply put yourself where you want to be. piZap’s (new and improved!) Cutout Tool makes it easy to take elements of one photo and add them to another.
Winter doesn’t have to be dull and dreary. Get outside and discover how the change of season reshapes the landscape with gorgeous lighting. Capture, edit and share! Be sure to tag us in your posts.