When winter rolls around, the natural world and how we enjoy the outdoors change fairly significantly. The same can be said about how you photograph these mesmerizing winter landscapes, and understanding how to properly adapt your shooting style to suit these new conditions will ensure the best results.
It is no secret that winter weather can present harsher shooting environments than you may be used to. These conditions can be particularly detrimental to fragile camera equipment and accessories if you are not adequately prepared. Before venturing outdoors, it may be worthwhile consulting with your local photography retail store, like C.R Kennedy Photo Imaging, who can advise you on the necessary steps to keep your valuable gear well protected.
Timing is Key
Timing is the most important factor in getting the most out of a magical winter landscape. Depending on where you live or where you are traveling, fresh snow may be fairly rare to capture, either melting too quickly or getting too dirty before you have an opportunity to photograph it.
The key is to watch weather forecasts closely and learn to identify the small pockets of good weather that typically follow winter snow storms. Even if they are cloudy days, these short windows are going to produce the best results and won’t force you to battle harsher conditions than necessary.
An added bonus to shooting straight after fresh snow is that unwanted subjects that might otherwise be difficult to avoid and eliminate from your shot, like trash bins in natural parks, will disappear under the snow.
Black & White Images
While there is something magical about a winter color palette, snow, and frost are fantastic conditions for capturing black-and-white images. The low sun prolongs the shadows on practically everything outside, and these elongated shadows create unusual and dynamic shapes and lines.
Basic composition elements are much more visible in black and white, especially when highlighted during post-editing. If you find yourself shooting during sunny days, when the harsh midday light is particularly reflective off the snow or ice, black-and-white photos can remove the unwanted harsh light.
Embrace Color
Clean, white, snow-covered landscapes are the ideal setting for a unique color palette you simply cannot find anywhere else. Snow and frost work well in changing the tones of a landscape, simplifying any overwhelming hues while highlighting smaller, less visible pastel shades.
In many cases, the strongest color you find is the deep blue tones of a clear sky, mainly because snow covers almost all color elements on the ground, like the mismatched green/brown shades of empty fields and open land.
During golden hour, the short period of light directly after sunrise and just before sunset, the white canvas perfectly reflects the tame fiery hues in the sky. In more extreme environments, you may be treated to fantastic bursts of rich purples and oranges along the horizon.
Frost is Your Friend
White frosty mornings are fantastic for turning almost anything outside into a beautiful and magical scene. Ironically, this fairytale whimsy is what makes it so difficult to capture, as it can obscure the focus of the shot when trying to build the right composition.
The key to using frost to your advantage is taking your time to properly build your shot and find your focus. While composition and framing are crucial for the perfect picture, it is vital not to overlook other variables that will influence the final product, like exposure, depth of field, and other settings your camera may have. Experiment with different setups and modes to find the balance you want.
Work with the Snow
Wind and frost do a wonderful job of creating unusual and unique shapes and forms in fresh snow. These creations may be the ideal subject for the foreground of your landscape shots. If the snow is slightly older and partially melted, look for animal tracks or other markings that can work as leading lines.
Alternatively, if the snow is covering the entire landscape, spend time searching for smaller details to capture. Even on cloudy or gloomy days, simple and mundane items like branches and fences can look different with a flattering white backdrop. Additionally, ice, icicles, snowflakes, or trapped bubbles in frozen lakes are simple and small details with unique structures and appearances worth documenting.
Sun as the Primary Subject
The winter sunshine is nowhere near the harsh summer sun you likely avoid when taking photos. So, it may be worthwhile making the sun the primary subject in some of your shots, shooting against it to include it in the frame. The ideal time of day to get the best effect is in the morning and late afternoon when it typically hangs low in the sky.
If you have the appropriate lens to handle flares well for stunning sun stars, it can be a fantastic compositional element in your shots. To get sun stars to appear, you will need to work with a very small aperture, like f/11 or f/16.
Respect Nature
One of the biggest draws to photographing nature is wildlife. If you hope to capture animals during the winter season, it is very important to respect them and their habitats. Food is scarce during the winter months, and animals shouldn’t have to expend their limited energy attempting to evade your company. Instead, maintain a respectful distance that doesn’t disrupt or alter their behavior and grazing patterns. Shoot using a zoom lens or get creative using landscape shots and varying apertures.
Image Credits: Unsplash