BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Exposure Settings

Photography Question 

Jimmy W. Kennington
 

How to Take Pictures of Snow Scenes?


What is the best effect, or best settings, to use when shooting snow scenes?


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December 25, 2006

 

Stephanie M. Stevens
  See if your camera has a preset for snow scenes.


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December 25, 2006

 

Mike Rubin
  To photograph snow scenes, you want to compensate the exposure by +1.5, maybe +2, depending on lighting. The reason for this is because the meter in your camera will register the snow as being bright and will want to under expose the shot which will lead to gray snow.
Another option is to meter the sky (if sunny) and recompose to take the picture with that setting. As Stephanie suggested, if your camera has a "snow" scene mode, use it. That will usually take care of the compensation for you.


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December 25, 2006

 

Jimmy W. Kennington
  oh I feel dumb, haha. there is a snow setting on my camera. thanks anyway guys!


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December 25, 2006

 
- Bob Cournoyer

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Mt Rainier
Mt Rainier
iso 100, 200mm (Canon 70-200L), f/5.6 (AV priority), 1/3200, exposure comp -1 step, no post processing.....Practicing this morning shooting snow

Bob Cournoyer

 
 
My camera must have the controls reversed. When I do snow, I use minus exposure comp to get white snow. Beats me!
Bob


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December 26, 2006

 

W.
  For people or portraits in the snow: Spotmeter their skin, then zoom out, recompose the shot, and shoot.


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December 26, 2006

 

Phillip A. Flusche
  A little short saying I use is, "If the scene is white add light" The amnount varies depending on how much of the scene is white. A more accurate saying is if the subject is darker than the background (for example person with snow background) then add light - overexpose. If you shoot three shots with the 1st a white sheet of paper, the 2nd being a grey piece of paper, and the 3rd being a black piece of paper. All three will be a grey photo. To get the white paper to be white you have to overexpose -ie add light. To get black paper you must underexpose by some amount. Digital meters try to make every scene an average of gray. Since snow is the largest percentage of the scene it tries make the snow gray and thus the whole scene is affected. If uyou mess up and don't then you cna fix it most of the time using the levels tool by dragging in the slider on the right until it touches the edge of the histogram. The slider on the left will darken the picture.


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December 27, 2006

 

Bob Cammarata
  Next time you venture out to shoot snow scenics, wear a bright red hat (or scarf).
Before you shoot a particular scene, throw the hat into the snow.
Move in close and meter the light reflected off it...then recompose and shoot the scene.

(...works like a charm.)

Bob


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December 27, 2006

 
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