Snow shooting tips
Discussion
Hullo there photography forum. I have been messing around with cameras all my life and have taken the odd photograph that I look at and think wow, but have a bit more time on my hands now and want to get a bit better. I hate snow and everything about it other than making things look beautiful so have been getting through these past days with a bit of snapping.
I am using a Nikon D60 and a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-300mm lens.
Yesterday I was so cold I just shunted the camera into auto and pushed away, did a little bit of fiddling in iPhoto and was done. Here is a small selection of what I achieved.
(This one was taken with a macro lens - just an experiment really)
Really I am after some simple things to do with the settings that should improve the shots. I am currently without tripod as my idiot son ran it over with a Land Rover last time he used it.
I am using a Nikon D60 and a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-300mm lens.
Yesterday I was so cold I just shunted the camera into auto and pushed away, did a little bit of fiddling in iPhoto and was done. Here is a small selection of what I achieved.
(This one was taken with a macro lens - just an experiment really)
Really I am after some simple things to do with the settings that should improve the shots. I am currently without tripod as my idiot son ran it over with a Land Rover last time he used it.
Welcome Rufus 
Don't think you're doing much wrong - a nice set of pics there. Getting the white balance can be tricky with snow (ie getting it to look white) but that is relativey easy to sort in post processing (don't know if iPhoto can do it though).
Re 'idiot son' with Landrover - made me chuckle
Don't think you're doing much wrong - a nice set of pics there. Getting the white balance can be tricky with snow (ie getting it to look white) but that is relativey easy to sort in post processing (don't know if iPhoto can do it though).
Re 'idiot son' with Landrover - made me chuckle
With snow the key is to expose it correctly, which, on the whole you look to be doing, the camera's meter will want to expose it as 18% grey which will give you a mushy grey, you need to add in a load of exposure compensation (often more than a stop) to ensure the snow is white, but of course you need to make sure you've not overexposed it to the point of blowing it out, it is a fine line.
markmullen said:
With snow the key is to expose it correctly, which, on the whole you look to be doing, the camera's meter will want to expose it as 18% grey which will give you a mushy grey, you need to add in a load of exposure compensation (often more than a stop) to ensure the snow is white, but of course you need to make sure you've not overexposed it to the point of blowing it out, it is a fine line.
Firstly, Mark I have seen some of your pictures on this site and am in awe - they are almost all beautiful in my eyes.Secondly, I know what you have said means (just about) but am slightly confused as to how to go about this - am I right in thinking I want to increase the 'F' number slightly higher than the camera suggests?
White balance on #3 is too blue, otherwise OK.
If using manual exposure, you can either increase aperture or decrease shutter speed (we'll omit ISO for now). Learn to judge and adjust exposure accurately in the field using the histogram.
Rufus said:
Secondly, I know what you have said means (just about) but am slightly confused as to how to go about this - am I right in thinking I want to increase the 'F' number slightly higher than the camera suggests?
Depends what exposure mode you're in. If you're using any kind of auto the camera will compensate for what you do - ie continue to get it wrong. If so find the 'EV' button and add exposure that way - which is what I do for a quick overall increase or reduction when the actual aperture or shutter speed are not critical.If using manual exposure, you can either increase aperture or decrease shutter speed (we'll omit ISO for now). Learn to judge and adjust exposure accurately in the field using the histogram.
Thanks, very kind.
I'd change the shutter speed rather than the aperture. In scenes where the depth of field is more critical than the shutter speed (eg a static landscape) I always keep the aperture where I want it and vary the shutter speed.
Essentially if the camera tells you it wants 1/125th of a second try it on 1/60th. You'll need to find some way of propping the camera if you're without tripod at the moment, try using a car bonnet (engine off of course) or a sandbag or beanbag. Make sure you've got exposure warnings switched on in the menu (the bits that blink at you when an area is overexposed) as you don't want to completely blow out the snow.
I'd change the shutter speed rather than the aperture. In scenes where the depth of field is more critical than the shutter speed (eg a static landscape) I always keep the aperture where I want it and vary the shutter speed.
Essentially if the camera tells you it wants 1/125th of a second try it on 1/60th. You'll need to find some way of propping the camera if you're without tripod at the moment, try using a car bonnet (engine off of course) or a sandbag or beanbag. Make sure you've got exposure warnings switched on in the menu (the bits that blink at you when an area is overexposed) as you don't want to completely blow out the snow.
Rufus said:
I am currently without tripod as my idiot son ran it over with a Land Rover last time he used it.
Rufus said:
Best not to get me started on the son....
I presume this was a recent incident or are you the sort that harbours deep-seated disappointment for years on end?
A nice new carbon fibre one should make up for his idiocy, eh?
PJ S said:
Rufus said:
I am currently without tripod as my idiot son ran it over with a Land Rover last time he used it.
Rufus said:
Best not to get me started on the son....
I presume this was a recent incident or are you the sort that harbours deep-seated disappointment for years on end?
A nice new carbon fibre one should make up for his idiocy, eh?
Here's this afternoon's efforts after reading some of this and attempting (with some difficulty due to it all being quite complex) to put it into practice:
DibblyDobbler said:
Nikons can do this I presume ?
Cheek!!!!
Rufus. Best way to get your head around what the camera is doing is find a really bright snowy scene and do just this: bracket, say 5 shots to start with -2,-1,0,+1,+2. The see what has happened to the histogram through your series of shots! (RTFM if you're not sure how your body does this, I'm not familiar with where it is on a D60)
Then you can set the bracketing to overexpose some other scenes by 0,+1,+2,+3,+4. Then you can start to get a feel for what you need to do for a particular scene (rather than worry too much about theory!)
Also: there's no extra cost in running off a bracketing series as a matter of routine in the snow and then get back to the computer later and choose the best exposures.
Rufus said:
Three sons; eldest I get on very well with - lucky as he is going to inherit! Middle is like all middle children really, relatively quiet, hard working and almost boringly sensible. Youngest, well, lets just say he definitely uses what life has given him to the full!!
These are excellent!But... what's this about middle children being boring?! I'm the middle of three and I'll have you know I'm the biggest arse of the lot by some margin! So there
DibblyDobbler said:
These are excellent!
But... what's this about middle children being boring?! I'm the middle of three and I'll have you know I'm the biggest arse of the lot by some margin! So there
My mother was the middle of three daughters and very much just the least wild of the three, my great aunts were similar.But... what's this about middle children being boring?! I'm the middle of three and I'll have you know I'm the biggest arse of the lot by some margin! So there
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff