Just in time for the holidays, my neighborhood has been dusted with several inches of snow. And since getting snow in the Seattle area is never a sure thing--I've experienced a few winters with nary a flake--I didn't want to squander the opportunity to take some photos. After all, snow makes a great backdrop for wintertime photo shoots, such as Christmas light displays. Taking great pictures in the show can be challenging, though, so I offer you five tips for taking pictures in snow and chilly winter weather.
1. Plan for the Cold
2. Keep a Spare Battery
Your camera's battery won't last as long in the cold as it does in normal conditions. If you don't want to end your day early, carry a spare battery in an inside pocket, where it will be somewhat protected from the cold. After you switch batteries, put the "dead" battery in the inside pocket, and it's possible your body heat might revive it to take a few more shots later in the day.
3. Frost Is Best Shot Early in the Day
4. Don't Trust Your Camera's Exposure Meter
Think about it this way: Learn what your camera is trying to tell you, and know how to adjust it accordingly. The problem is that snow is pure white, and when you take a picture, your camera exposes it so it comes out gray. Worse, if your photo is composed mostly of snow but features a dark, small subject (like a person), then that subject will be underexposed. The fix? Overexpose the shot by about one stop using your camera's exposure compensation control.
5. Check Your White Balance
Finally, snow confuses digital cameras--often the resulting photos turn out a sickly blue. The best way to fix this is to manually set the camera's white balance using a sheet of white paper before you start shooting. If you aren't enthusiastic about carrying paper around to set the color balance in the snow, you can try setting the white balance to its tungsten setting instead. Or, if your camera lets you shoot in RAW mode, you can whiten the snow afterwards on your PC and not worry about white balance at all when you take the picture. For more tips on working with RAW files, read "Using Your Camera's RAW Mode."
Hot Pic of the Week
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This week's Hot Pic: "Yellow Trolley" by Timothy Hacker, Sylvania, Ohio
Timothy took this photo with his Canon EOS 20D while visiting Lisbon, and then selectively removed color from the photo to generate this image.
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This story, "5 Tips for Shooting in Snow and Cold Weather" was originally published by PCWorld.