Snow Photography Part 1
29 September 2008 Filed in: Exposure
Photography of landscapes covered with snow is
difficult. However you have some tricks to your
disposal.
The problem is you can’t use the same trick in every situation. The best solution for making a proper photo depends on the circumstances e.g. bright sun versus overcast skies, a lot of other details with important texture, large patches of smooth snow reflecting the light (additional light source).
In general you are in trouble because of the light metering of your camera. The light meter assumes average light conditions. In addition the white balance setting can have a significant impact on the result.
The camera meter compares the light values it receives with average grey. The most dominant light value will be average grey, the other light values will be relative to the average grey. As a result a large white snow patch in the photo will be shown grey.
The first solution is overexposure of the photo. Set the camera to over exposure with one or two stops. This works sometimes, but the risk is overexposure. You get loss of detail and blown-out snow.
You could use auto-bracketing to take multiple pictures with different exposures.
The second decent option is to find an average “grey” subject and use it for spot metering e.g. use the road. Keep this metering result and take your picture.
The problem is you can’t use the same trick in every situation. The best solution for making a proper photo depends on the circumstances e.g. bright sun versus overcast skies, a lot of other details with important texture, large patches of smooth snow reflecting the light (additional light source).
In general you are in trouble because of the light metering of your camera. The light meter assumes average light conditions. In addition the white balance setting can have a significant impact on the result.
The camera meter compares the light values it receives with average grey. The most dominant light value will be average grey, the other light values will be relative to the average grey. As a result a large white snow patch in the photo will be shown grey.
Over Exposure
The first solution is overexposure of the photo. Set the camera to over exposure with one or two stops. This works sometimes, but the risk is overexposure. You get loss of detail and blown-out snow.
You could use auto-bracketing to take multiple pictures with different exposures.
Spot Metering
The second decent option is to find an average “grey” subject and use it for spot metering e.g. use the road. Keep this metering result and take your picture.
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