I’ve been getting plenty of ski days in with the new snow of late, so I decided it was time to put the skis away for a couple of days and do my best to capture winter along the Wasatch Front (and Back). There is something about shooting winter scenics that is strangely more satisfying than other times of the year. Perhaps it’s the frosty temps, or maybe the difficulty posed in getting to and fro. Whatever it is, I have missed it.
A fiery winter sunrise on the Middle Provo River
I have ventured out to the Heber Valley the past couple of mornings to shoot sunrises that haven’t failed to impress. This morning was a long haul on snowshoes, but well worth it. As the sun rose, the peaks glowed pink and I clicked away. I was frustrated by mist that seemed to grow strongest when the light was best. It seems that at times, what can go wrong, will. It’s in these cicrumstances that you must be resourceful as a photographer and quickly find a plan B. Frustrated that I couldn’t shoot what I had hoped to, I began looking around and was immediately drawn to an entirely different image. This BW image of snow pillows and treetops in the mist is the resulting image. To think, I never would have bothered to look over my shoulder if I hadn’t been forced to.
Snow Pillows and Mist on the Middle Provo River, UT
Below are a couple of tips for shooting winter landscapes. Some of these seem pretty fundamental, but it never hurts to clear out the summer cobwebs in the brain.
1. Start early–real early. It takes longer to get places in the snow. Whether you’re driving, hiking, skiing or otherwise, give yourself more time than you think you’ll need. Believe me, you’ll need it.
2. If you’re hiking, take two pair of gloves. A thicker pair for the hike, and a thinner, windproof pair (which won’t be soaked with sweat) to shoot in. It’s much easier to hold filters and handle your equipment without the bulk of a burly glove.
3. Layer up. Dress in non-cotton layers so you can adapt to fluctuating temperatures. I always strip off the heavy, insulated jackets when I’m hiking to avoid overheating. When I stop to setup for a sunrise shoot, the down jacket goes on.
4. Wear a beanie. Lots of body heat escapes through your noggin.
5. Have everything as dialed as possible before shooting. This means laying out clothing the night before, placing everything neatly in your pack, etc. When it gets cold, our brains tend to get a bit cluttered. The easier you make it on yourself, the more likely you are to come home with some keepers.
6. Use your histogram to make sure your are properly exposing snow. Typically, you will have to overexpose 1/2 to 1 1/2 stops to accurately expose snow.
7. Don’t forget to hydrate. Just cause it’s cold doesn’t mean you don’t need to drink water.
8. Perhaps the most important one of all–be there for the magic light. There is somewhat of a dearth of quality winter scenic shots, due largely in part to the fact that many people just can’t make themselves get up and out the door when it’s dark and cold. Commit to capturing the good light, and you’ll catch the fever.
Good luck!
Magic light over the Wasatch Mountains and Middle Provo River, UT
Thanks for the tips. I found you website through the Singh-Ray blog.
I like your ‘Snow pillows’ very much, with the three big ones drawing attention and forming a triangle. The first one has some wonderful light and good composition on the foreground.
Best regards, Jeroen
Thanks for visiting my blog Jeroen, and for the kind words regarding my work. Cheers.
Great blog and great images Adam! I love it!
I found your blog through the Catch Magazine. I love those winter river shots! Well done! Middle Provo is very special place, your images say it all! Keep up with those great works! Mark
Adam, great photos. It looks like you’ve had a great time. Living in Kamas, UT I recognize some of the surroundings as they aren’t too far from home.
I’m rather new at photography, but I’m a hobbiest who enjoys it quite a bit. What do you do to prevent condensation in your gear when moving back inside after a cold shoot? For lack of understanding, I’m pretty scared to go out with my gear during these cold days.
Yuhina–
Thanks for checking out my site and for the kind words.
Jer–
It’s pretty tough to avoid condensation with such drastic temperature changes. In all honesty, your gear can handle it just fine. I typically just open my camera bag and let the temperature equalize. Yes, you do get some condensation buildup, but it dries quickly. If you’re super concerned about it, you can always put your gear in zip-lock bags to help with the condensation problem. Regardless, understand that a little bit of moisture won’t really hurt your gear. Best of luck!
Thanks for the reply.
So you basically the idea is just to live with it and it dries eventually. Sounds good. I’ll give it a shot.
Hi Adam. I am trying to dial in my exposure for snow conditions this winter, and am struggling with choosing the correct metering mode (spot, etc..). You mentioned setting up the camera to over-expose the image slightly, do you have any other tricks for a correct metering mode. My subject is always really underexposed unless I use the center spot metering on my camera. I can’t seem to get a nice balance, I’m pretty new to everything… and wasn’t sure if a lot of the imagery was being post edited to compensate for an underexposed subject.
I’m excited about our upcoming ski season. My husband is getting the itch and I want to get some great pics of him skiing the back-country. Thanks from up here in Alaska.
Hi Marilyn–
Your best friend in this situation (and really for any shooting situation with regards to exposure) is your histogram. If you’re not familiar with it, get familiar with it. IMO, it is the most valuable tool we have in digital photography. I do meter my images, but it serves more as a general starting point for a test shot. Then, I look at my histogram and adjust accordingly (if necessary). Good luck!