All winter photography tips you will ever need to know

Winter photography - do not not stay inside on cold winter days

Winter is a time of the year where photography is difficult because the average tone of a snow covered landscape is lighter than the camera exposure meter can handle correctly. The result is often underexposed and too dark images. On winter days with clear skies the images will have a strong shade of blue due to the reflections of the blue sky in the snow. On overcast winter days the images tends to be light gray and not very appealing.

Frozen ice crystals on branches

Winter photography is challenging, but by knowing the right tricks it can easily be coped with. The most important is to take control of your camera and use manual settings. As soon you know the tricks you will find the winter is an amazing time for photography and you will find a wealth of great photography objects.

I addition to the technical challenges, the winter weather is not the most pleasant with the cold and snow. Unfortunately a lot of great winter images are never shot due to these facts.

I have divided winter photography in three parts

Be prepared for a winter day

Proper clothing is very important

First and very important when you go out for winter photography is to use proper warm clothing. Wear appropriate winter shoes with good grip on snow and ice, because you do not want to fall. Good footwear not only keeps you warm, but you will also be able to climb difficult winter trail for better vantage points. You will also need a pair of warm gloves preferably a slim type because you will need to operate the cameras settings.

Know your camera

Another very important point especially in winter photography is to know your camera before you leave home. You don`t want to waste time fiddling with the camera settings out there in the cold.

Avoid condensation on your lens

Condense on the camera lens is a common problem when photographing outside in cold weather. Most important is to avoid warming and cooling your camera because this will cause condensation.

Sunset in winter landscape

If you bring the camera in and out of your car it is a good idea to keep the equipment in the camera bag while in the car and also to keep the car as cold as possible while driving. You still have your winter cloths on so why not.

In the case you get snow on your camera or lens, don’t try to blow the snow off with your breath as this will certainly cause condense. The condense will disappear with time so be patient and do not try to wipe it off.

Protect your equipment

Make sure that your camera is protected from snow and water. A Ziploc bag is one great way to protect the camera. Put the camera in a large Ziploc bag and cut a hole for the lens.

When you are back home be careful when taking your very cold equipment into the warm. I alway keep the camera in the camera bag for some time to warm it slowly to room temperature. You will probably want to download your newly shot winter images to the computer at once, so to avoid opening the camera bag it is a good idea to take the memory card out of the camera before you go inside.

A cold winter day with fog over the lake

Be careful when set up the tripod in deep snow as you easily can damage the legs. Keeping the legs as much as possible together when pushing the tripod into the snow help prevent damage. As you push the legs deeper you can slowly spread them. This way of positioning the tripod in snow also makes it more stable.

Unless you use a carbon tripod it is wise to insulate the legs with a suitable material. Tripod legs of aluminum gets very cold and can be uncomfortable to work with.

Cold is tough for the batteries

Most cameras will work fine in very cold temperatures. The big challenge is the batteries which is not as durable in cold conditions as in the warm. Differently from the camera and lenses, the battery should be kept as warm as possible at all times. You can do this by keeping them in the car if you have one or inside your warm clothes near to the body.

Keeping an extra battery is also a good advise when shooting in cold weather. Nothing is more frustrating than running out of batteries when you have the perfect object in sight.

Now you should be well prepared for some great tips on how to shoot and what to shoot in winter. Read more about the technical challenges in winter photography here.


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