If you read my previous post then you are ready go out and take some winter photos. Here are several other tips that will make your winter photography experience more enjoyable:
Have extra batteries:
For any professional photographer this may seem like a no brainer but for those of us that have a limited amount of batteries, we tend to not carry extras.
Alkaline batteries work well in cold weather. However, cold weather will reduce the amount of shots you can get from a single battery. It is not uncommon for them to drain in an hour or less. So carry an extra set of batteries in one of your inner pockets where they will stay warm to extend its cold-weather performance.
Fool your light meter:
Your camera’s light meter uses a gray scale for average picture taking conditions. When taking pictures of snow this can cause dull and lifeless photographs, try to over exposing your pictures by one or two f/stops.
Scared of damaging your expensive camera?
If you are scared that you may damage your nice camera go out and get yourself a one-time use camera. The built-in flash helps cut shadows cause by the bright sunlight and water-resistant models are great for shots of snowboarding, skiing and sledding, though they do not have a built in flash.
Night pictures:
Night photos tend to have a more balanced look to them and can be accomplished from the light of the moon. The landscape lights up under the light of the moon and the reflection of the snow. Just be sure to use proper nighttime photography techniques and dress appropriately; night tends to be more frigid then the day.
Keep your camera dry:
If you get a snowflake on your lens, remove it with a lint-free brush. That one water droplet can drastically reduce the quality of your photos.
Condensation:
Condensation is a big problem when taking you camera between a warm and cold environment. Try putting your camera in a zip-lock bag before going inside and the condensation will form on the bag not the camera.
Rewinding film:
If you are shooting with a film camera that automatically rewinds exposed film, in dry, cold weather, it may cause static streaking on your film. To prevent this when you are done shooting remove the batteries and bring the camera indoors to warm. Once your camera and film warm back to room temperature replace the batteries and let the film rewind.
Add a Filter:
There seems to be too many gray skies during the winter. Use a graduated filter to color the sky while leaving the foreground natural.
Tags: Winter