If you’re not sure which aperture to choose for your snow photography, try shooting two images of each scene – a wide-aperture shot and a narrow-aperture shot – then compare them when you get home and see which you like best.Īfter you’ve chosen an aperture and an ISO, take a look at your shutter speed. A wide aperture (such as f/2.8) will give a beautiful shallow depth of field look, but a narrow aperture (such as f/11) will keep most or all of the shot in focus, which can help highlight all the intricate details in a snowy landscape. This will keep your images looking clean and free of noise.Īs for your aperture setting: This really depends on your artistic interests. I’d recommend setting your ISO at its base level (generally ISO 100, though this can change depending on your camera). Once your camera is set to Aperture Priority mode, you’ll need to choose an aperture and an ISO. But if you want complete control over your camera settings, and you don’t mind working with cold fingers, then Manual mode is an excellent choice.) However, in Manual mode, you’ll need to adjust all your settings, not just the aperture and ISO, so Manual mode isn’t ideal if you’re still wrapping your head around exposure, nor is it great for fast-moving situations. (Another option is to shoot in Manual mode. It’s also a lifesaver in cold weather because you generally only need to spin a dial to adjust your aperture (cold fingers aren’t so great at doing complex operations!). It’ll allow you to adjust the aperture and ISO while your camera automatically changes the shutter speed (with the goal of achieving a good exposure).Īperture Priority mode is a great way to gain control over different camera settings without feeling totally overwhelmed. This will let you recover clipped shadows and highlights (and thanks to the brightness of sun on snow, the latter are pretty common in snow photography). You see, when you use the RAW file format, you’ll have far more information to work with when editing. While the best snow photoshoot settings will vary depending on the light, the situation, and your artistic intentions, I do have a few simple recommendations to keep your snow shots looking sharp and well-exposed.įirst, set your camera to shoot in RAW. Choose the right camera settings for snow photography (For even better results, use your camera’s Live View mode to preview the image on the rear LCD and zoom in to check the focus at a high magnification.) 2. Switch your lens over to manual focus, then carefully turn your lens’s focus ring until you’ve achieved perfect sharpness. Note that if you’re trying to photograph a low-contrast scene, such as a white house against a snowy backdrop, you may want to give up on autofocus entirely. And once you’ve created the perfect composition, press the button the rest of the way to take your perfect photo of snow! If you’ve found a sufficiently contrasty part of the scene, the focus should lock – but if it still won’t work, you’ll need to identify an even more contrast-heavy subject.įinally, hold down your shutter button as you recompose the shot. For instance, you might focus on the bark of a tree, some vegetation poking through the snow, the roof of a house – anything that pops against the white. Then position your main focus point over a contrast-heavy area of your snow scene. Switch your camera to its single-point AF mode. This works great in normal shooting situations – but when everything turns snowy and white, your autofocus will have a hard time acquiring focus, which can lead to a lot of frustration and even missed opportunities.įortunately, there’s a simple way around this: Focus on contrast (or use manual focus)Ĭamera autofocus works by identifying contrast. So if you’re ready to learn how to take gorgeous photos in the snow, then let’s dive right in, starting with tip number one: 1. How to photograph falling snow for a beautiful, ethereal effect.How to keep your camera gear safe in the cold.The best time to head out for pictures in the snow.In this article, I share my absolute best tips for snow shots, including: If you simply head out on a snow photoshoot without proper preparation, you may run into autofocus and exposure issues (plus, the weather can lead to all sorts of gear failures).įortunately, I’ve been photographing snow for years, and I know how to handle each and every one of the common snow photography problems. Snow is stunningly beautiful, yet capturing gorgeous photos of snow can be surprisingly difficult.
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