10 winter photography tips from the 500px co-founder

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How to take good pictures in low temperatures without freezing anything.

1. Increase exposure compensation

When shooting sunny winter landscapes or trying to capture the whiteness of snow, increase the exposure compensation on the camera by 0.3 or 0.7 stops. The device does not recognize that you are photographing snow. Therefore, you yourself must "tell" him that you are shooting something bright. Otherwise, most of the final image will not be white, but gray.

2. Keep batteries warm

At low temperatures, the battery runs out much faster than usual. While it is possible to take several hundred photographs in the warmth for one charge, in the cold this number decreases by 50–70%. Therefore, stock up on batteries and keep them in your inner pocket, close to your body.

3. Don't let the lens fog up

When shooting in the cold, it is tempting to drop by the nearest café to warm up a little. But if you just walk into a warm room with a camera around your neck, the lens will immediately fog up. You have to wait until the glass becomes transparent again and you risk missing out on a great shot. To avoid this, put on the lens cap, put the camera in your bag, and only then enter the building.

4. Buy special gloves

You can't take pictures with bare hands in the cold. But in ordinary thick gloves, it is extremely inconvenient to use buttons and switches.

Many photo shops sell special gloves with heat-resistant fabric at the fingertips. Often they have a special fabric around the palms so that the camera does not slip out of the hands.

5. Beware of red noses

Beautiful portraits can be taken in winter, but their noses often come out red, which is not very good. Fortunately, this can be fixed in a photo editor like Adobe Lightroom. Just slide the saturation sliders for red and orange to the left. This will help get rid of the redness.

6. Learn to shoot snowfall

For the most effective snowfall photo, use a lens with a focal length of 70mm or higher - the more the better. Do not close the aperture, its value should be equal to ƒ / 4, 5–6, 3. Set the shutter speed to at least 1/400 of a second.

Your goal is to make the snowflakes in front of the lens and behind the focus point appear larger than they actually are. Then the picture will turn out to be especially magical.

7. Take pictures of landscapes at sunrise and sunset

In winter, sunrise and sunset can look more dramatic, especially just before or after a snowstorm. In addition, it is much easier to shoot landscapes at this time of the year than, for example, in the summer.

The fact is that in winter the sun rises later and sets earlier. Therefore, you do not need to get up at four in the morning to shoot the sunrise. You can sleep well and then go hunting for great pictures.

8. Protect your camera from snow

If you are photographing during a snowstorm, buy a protective case for your camera. This will minimize the likelihood of liquid reaching the objective lenses and electronic components of the device.

9. Do not forget to dry the camera

If the camera gets even a little wet, wrap it in a dry towel as soon as you get home. Let her sit for a few hours. If you try to wipe the device, you can force liquid into the cracks and wet the electronics.

10. Dress warmly

Shooting in the cold is not an easy task, so it is very important to prepare your body. It is better to dress thoroughly, and then unbutton, than to freeze, experiencing constant discomfort and risk of getting sick. Warm boots, gloves, a hat are a must.