If you live anywhere near the Upper Midwest portion of the United States then I’m sure you would agree that Old Man Winter has hung around long enough. During the last four months we have been hammered with snowstorm after snowstorm; endured brutal wind chills and chipped off more layers of ice than most Alaskans do in a lifetime. Still, there are times when I have peered out my bedroom window and wished I was hearty enough to brave the elements in order to capture some frameworthy winter scenes.
Alas, I have not made good on my New Year’s resolution to get outdoors and photograph the many beautiful winter landscapes that are sitting right outside my patio door. Instead, I have remained bundled up indoors and taken mental pictures. Of course, judging by the mountains of snow piled up on my front lawn, winter is far from over and there is still plenty of time to make good on my promise.
If you too plan to venture outdoors in the coming days to capture Mother Nature’s wintry white natural showcase consider following these simple tips:
WHITE ON WHITE
When shooting in the snow remember that your camera does not see white the same way the human eye does. A typical camera meter turns white into an 18% gray shade. Therefore, you need to trick your camera by opening up your lens by 2 f-stops. To do so, switch your camera to MANUAL mode and adjust the aperture setting +2. Most high-tech cameras have a SNOW mode, which makes taking winter pics a breeze. Another tip to remember: When shooting as the snow is falling, turn off your flash. Shooting with your flash on will only capture the snowflakes a few feet in front of you, and distort the rest of the shot.
BLUE ON WHITE
If you notice a blue tinge in your winter photos don’t delete them. Snow reflects ultraviolet light and often appears blue in prints. If you encounter this situation simply edit your images by adding red and yellow tints in a photo editing program to get rid of the blue hues. Then, upload the edited image and print.
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