Winter is a beautiful time of year when landscape photography amateurs (and professionals, of course) are out to brave low temperature and fierce weather to capture the magic of the season. Those who appreciate the beauty of winter landscape photography must also be aware of its challenges and even more so those who seize the opportunity of a mountain vacation to test their skills in the snow.
Before you grab your ticket to the snowy summits and your camera gear, here are a few suggestions on what you should include in your luggage and, of course, a few handy photo shooting tips to consider before you go.
Packing up for the Trip
1.Clothing
If you are going to be shooting outside for longer than a few minutes, make sure the clothes you are going to wear are suitable for the outdoor conditions you may have to face; and don’t forget your ends too!
Your Feet:
Regardless whether you will be walking in cold snow or on icy ground, or whether your toes will be at risk of getting frozen while you are standing still waiting for the perfect time to click, make sure you wear appropriate boots to keep your feet warm.
Your Hands:
And what about your fingers that will start to freeze while you will be holding the camera? Putting gloves on and off may prove to be a tricky exercise, especially when your fingers are not flexible; you may even risk dropping your camera! Some gloves have rubber grips on the fingers. What do professional photographers recommend? Some like to use shooter’s gloves which have the particularity to uncover the tip of the fingers you need to use, like the trigger finger which in your case will be the shutter finger.
Your Eyes:
If you are going to be out in the snow and especially when the sun is out and shining, you won’t want to be caught without sunglasses. Keep your eyes safe from sun reflection.
2.Photographic Gear
- -Camera (lol)
- -Tripod
- -Spare battery
- -Extra memory card
- -Hand light meter (if you have one)
- -Water resistant camera bag
3.Handy Tips
For your Gear:
KEEP IT DRY!
If you have to be in the snow, prepare your gear so that you do not have to put any of it on the ground and risk getting it wet. A water-resistant bad is a good option.
For your Batteries:
As mentioned earlier, it is always a good idea to pack extra batteries. Cold temperatures drain batteries faster so it may be wise to keep those extra ones nice and warm inside your pocket.
For your Shoot:
-BEWARE OF BRIGHT LIGHT!
When shooting pictures in the snow, like can be extremely bright and over-powering. Using camera mode will be your best option while using your histogram will guide you to adjust your settings. If you happen to have one, use a light meter!
-Not just White Snow:
I once found out at my own expense while driving over sand dunes that my camera had a real hard time focussing on anything at all. It’s the same with snow: the camera gets very confused. So, avoid taking just fields of white snow and instead, add some other interest to it like a person, a chalet or a tree or…
-Slalom Snowflakes:
It is beautiful when snow falls, however, snowflakes coming close to your lens may be a hindrance when it comes to the good results of your shoot. What’s a photographer to do? Professionals recommend to set the camera on a tripod, decrease the ISO, increase the aperture and shoot with a delayed shutter.
-Watch your Steps:
If you are planning to shoot a subject surrounded with pristine snow, remember checking that you are not taking your own footprints. Oops!
-Keep All your Photos:
For one, extremely bright light and reflection from surrounding snow will confuse you when you’ll look at your LCD screen to check your pictures. Instead, keep all your shots and review them when you get home. Because you will have brought an extra memory card, you won’t have to worry about a thing!
-Keep your Camera from Fogging:
To avoid your camera from instantly fogging when you walk in and out from the cold into a warm place (and again when you re-expose it to the cold) do not try to warm it up but on the contrary, try to place it in a cold nook (like by a window?).
-At the End of the Day:
When you are ready to go back indoors, keep your camera inside the closed bag and for a while, resist the urge to take it out to check your pictures of the day. By doing so, your camera will warm up slowly and you will avoid condensation forming on the lens or even inside the camera. Another thing you can do is remove the memory card from the camera while you are still outside in the cold.
