Nature Photography How To

Winter storms are raging across the country today and that’s bad news for motorists. But once the weather clears up, all the new snow covering the ground provides great opportunities for intrepid landscape photographers.

In the tutorial below you’ll learn five quick tips for shooting epic winter photos, from one of our favorite outdoor photographers. Everything you’ll learn is easy to accomplish and appropriate for photographers of all skills levels.

Romanian pro Toma Bonciu specializes in landscape, travel and adventure photography. He spends much of his time in the mountains where winter-like conditions prevail much of the year, so he knows of which he speaks. And he presents his helpful advice in barely four minutes.

In this behind-the-scenes episode you’ll follow Bonciu as he makes the most of the snowy conditions near where he lives. His first tip is important for those unfamiliar with shooting in the snow; namely, the importance of using EV compensation to overexpose by at least one stop.

This may seem counter intuitive to the uninitiated because snow is already really bright. But the meter in your camera is calibrated to give a “correct” exposure for “average” subjects—namely those with a value of middle gray. So without upping exposure, bright snow will appear dark and dingy.

He also preaches the necessity of always using a tripod—even on bright days—for reasons that he explains. His third tip has to do with editing, and he says, “Make sure when you post-process your images you choose the proper white balance.”

That’s because snow tends to have a bluish tint in the shade or on cloudy days, and it’s easy to compensate if you follow Bonciu’s advice. If you do this wrong, however, the beautiful white snow in your scene may appear blue, yellow, or even orange.

Bonciu’s remaining two tips are equally helpful in your pursuit of epic winter photographs, so take a look, dress warmly, grab your gear, and capture the splendor of winter. If it’s too dangerous to drive, you can practice in your yard or at a nearby park to get the hang of it.

If outdoor photography is your thing, be sure to visit Bonciu’s instructional YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn. And check out the tutorial we posted from another pro, who says, “don’t use f/16 for landscape photos.”