I love taking photos in the snow! It lets me see everyday locations with a new perspective.
Snow provides technical challenges and unique visual possibilities. Let’s talk about those before you head out in the cold with your camera.
Here are 8 tips for snow photography. They cover content, composition, and technical considerations when photographing outdoors in the winter.
I’m a documentary & commercial photographer with 20 years of experience. All photos in this post are candid. Nothing is staged, posed, or directed. If that’s what you’re interested in creating, then this post is for you!
1. Embrace the Contrast
There’s an extreme contrast between black & white with snow photography. Think of how you can use that to fill the camera frame.
Use the shapes of trees or patterns on the pavement to fill in the stark white spaces that can start to feel empty (lacking of any visual interest).
The image above is a study in light and shadow. My kids were throwing snow over the edge of the bridge. I knew that the strong sunlight and shade of the bridge would make for some nice contrast and highlight the powder in the air.
The contrast of the white ice and black water below lead to some great minimalist images. There are all sorts of natural abstracts that are unique to winter and snow photography.
2. Use the Snow’s Reflections
Snow reflects a lot of light up from the ground. This just doesn’t happen in any other season. A benefit of this is that it makes nice light on people’s faces.
Get in close when photographing your kids playing or make a portrait of a friend. The light is great for these types of photos.
3. Consider Your Background
Whether it’s snowing or not, you’re always considering what’s in the background of your photos, but the snow adds a different element to this.
If you get a higher angle looking downwards, leaving the horizon completely out of your photo, you’ll have a photo where the background is primarily snow. This can simplify the image and make subjects or objects in the photo stand out from the background.
I love the angles and geometry of this high-angle photo. It has great lines that draw your eyes across the frame.
If it’s a sunny day, you might want to get a lower angle to show more of the sky. Having a nice blue sky set against the snow can give some nice color in an otherwise monochromatic scene.
4. Compensate For Your Light Meter
When using auto exposure settings, your camera is trying to find midtones to set the exposure. So using automatic or program mode to meter can cause your snow to come out a bit underexposed and gray.
You can compensate when you’re editing/processing images, but it’s always helpful to get the exposure as good as possible in the moment.
Most cameras have an exposure compensation dial or setting. You can set this to +1/3 or +2/3 to keep the snow looking bright white.
5. Shoot In RAW Format
The snow means there will be plenty of highlights in your photos. As you’re trying out different exposure settings, it can be easy to get a less-than-ideal exposure. RAW format files will help make sure you don’t lose the highlights or that the shadows don’t get too muddy/grainy.
6. Get Close
The best way to give viewers a sense of being in the middle of things is for you to get physically close to your subjects when photographing. Ideally with a lens in the 24mm-35mm range. 50mm can work too.
Wearing proper snow gear means if you’re photographing your kids sledding, you can get on the ground and close up. Photos of people are better when you can see their eyes. So get down low so you can see people’s eyes when they’re sledding down a hill, rolling a giant snowman, or having a snowball fight.
I love this candid portrait of my daughter. My kids are used to me getting up in their faces while we’re out doing stuff. They never seem to mind, but I try not to stay too close for long because everyone deserves their personal space.
In my opinion, taking photos of kids at play really shows them at their most free. Add a snowy environment and it makes for something unique because it gives a great sense of time and place
7. Photograph Snow While It’s Falling
Where I live, it usually only snows a few times in a year. And when it comes down, it’s typically only for an hour or so at a time. That means there’s not a chance to get actual snowfall very often. So it’s a rare opportunity to get out when big flakes are falling. Take advantage of those beautiful scenes when you can!
Most cameras have some sort of weather sealing, so you don’t really need to worry about snow affecting your gear. If you’re not sure of your camera’s ability to be in wet weather, just give it a quick google now to see what the manufacturer says about water resistance.
8. Batteries & Cold Weather Don’t Mix
It’s important to remember that cold weather drains batteries a lot faster. So if you’re going to be out for a while, have plenty of batteries! Also, try to keep them where they’ll be warmer, like an inner pocket, instead of in your bag.
More Snow Photography: Related Posts
It’s a veritable winter wonderland around here, so I have multiple snow posts to share. There’s also some great photo tips on my YouTube channel about snow.
