Winter is here! I had to put my boots on this morning.
Just because its winter is no reason to huddle by the fireplace and leave your camera packed up in the closet. Photo opportunities await you! Grab your camera and get outside. There is nothing quite as beautiful as a fresh snowfall carpeting the ground and bending the boughs of trees. Who knows, maybe one of this year’s photos will grace your very own Christmas cards next year.
However, there’s a trick to photographing bright sunny days and snow. When the snow is super bright you have to squint your eyes. Guess what, so does your camera! Often, the exposure meter is panicking and trying very hard to prevent all that light from reaching the sensor. As a result, your photos will be dull, drab, dark and generally ready for the trash can. It’s not your fault. It’s the camera trying to compensate for all that brightness.
Here’s how to make your snow super white again (without Tide).
| There’s an old rule, “Add light to light and dark to dark”. In the case of snow, the camera meter is working hard to take away all the light. You need to compensate for that and add light with the exposure compensation button. It’s usually on the top or back of the camera and has a + – sign on it. | |
| Push that button down, note the grid that shows up either on the back of your camera or on the top, and take it to between +1 and +2. |
There’s an old rule, “Add light to light and dark to dark”. In the case of snow, the camera meter is working hard to take away all the light. You need to compensate for that and add light with the exposure compensation button. It’s usually on the top or back of the camera and has a + – sign on it. Push that button down, note the grid that shows up either on the back of your camera or on the top, and take it to between +1 and +2.
Once you’ve taken the shot, use the histogram on your camera. If the compensation you added is working properly, the histogram will be more to the right (Exposed to the Right on the diagram) without going over the edge (Overexposed on the diagram). If there is some clipping, reduce the amount you’ve added to the exposure compensation and try again. Don’t forget to put your exposure compensation back to 0 when you’re done shooting.
There’s no excuse for missing snowy winter photo opportunities. Bundle up, keep your camera batteries warm, and have extras in a warm pocket. Put on some warm boots and get out there. Your photos will warm the cockles of your heart!