 BetterPhoto Member |
Photographing Snow How do I shoot snow landscapes or pictures with lots of white snow to get the snow as white as possible? Do I need to increase or decrease the aperture or shutter speed? Do I need a filter? I have a Canon 3000 (similar to Canon Rebel). Thanks Joe
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Phil Penne |
Just remember that whatever your meter reads has been interpreted as being 18% gray. Employing the Zone System that was created by Ansel Adams, bright white snow with some texture would be around Zone 8 (VIII) (figuring Zone 10 (X) as being a theoretical level of absolute pure white). Whatever your meter reads is Zone 5 (V); 8 - 5 = 3, so try going 3 stops over what your meter reads. Mind you, this is a radical oversimplification of the Zone System. Surf the web to find lots more information.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
Some of this depends on what type of film you are using. If you are using slide film then I would suggest metering the snow and opening up 1-1/2-2 stops. If you are using color neg then 2-3 stops. If you are using b&w then 3 stops may be appropriate. But these are just guidelines. It also depends on the contrast of the scene and how much detail you want in the snow.
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Stephanie Adams |
My suggestion is to go out and buy a gray card. Easy and works well. Hold it in front of your camera to take the meter reading instead of metering off the wite snow. Good luck!
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
The problem with a gray card is first of all you have to carry it around with you all the time. Next, they are not perfect. If you don't hold it at the right angle in the right light your readings can be significantly off. The beauty of metering off of a white surface like snow is white is white. Take a reading and open up 2 stops and you're there. No carrying gray cards. No making sure you've positioned the card correctly. If you don't like that then meter off of the palm of your hand. Most palms are 1 stop over 18% gray. Meter your palm and open a stop. Easy.
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Laura Johnson |
I have a question along these lines: would I adpot the same principles when photographing other white objects, for example, a white daisy. Should I open up a stop after my reading to get the daisy to come out nice and white? Laura
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
If you meter directly off of the white of the daisy then the answer is yes.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
BTW, the zone system wasn't created by Ansel Adams. He just popularized it.
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Hermann Graf |
Jeff's answer is correct as long as you use object metering (with the camera or with a light meter from the camera vs. the object). If you use light metering (from the object vs. the camera), it's the other way round.
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