It is officially Snow Day Season, people! :) While you are all snuggled up at home, there is plenty of free time to whip out that camera (or camera phone! :)) and get some shots to capture it all. Today, I thought I would share some practical advice on shooting in snow, as it can be a bit different than the flat (usually) unreflective ground we are used to! Enjoy, and as always, feel free to ask questions in the comments, I am happy to attempt an answer! :)

Have fun and stay warm!! xo

Get in on the Action

Get out in that falling snow!! Sure, it is gorgeous to take pictures of the sun shining across a newly dropped blanket of white (see below), but capturing those big fat snowflakes falling can be just as fun. Get in on the action and the moment. Note: I am very aware and cautious about shooting with my equipment in dense precipitation. For this shot, we saw the snowflakes starting to fall, threw on our coats and boots (over jammies and all!), and walked about the deck for a minute or two. It doesn’t take hours to capture a special moment…your equipment (and wallet!) will thank you.

Find the Beauty

You may not have kids or a pet to photograph in the snow. No worries! It is so naturally beautiful, just fine the loveliness in what is already there!!

Use Color

White is lovely, but it can also get bland rather quickly (especially if it is cloudy outside). Fine a source of color and highlight that against the clean slate that is a blanket of snow! This little one wouldn’t stand out nearly as well on a yard full of brown grass, eh? Look for color and get creative in incorporating it into your images. A little bit is all you need.

Get Up Close

It is so tempting (at least for me!) to get caught up in capturing the grandeur of a scene filled with snow and wanting to get it all in the picture. Remind yourself that those little details are just as important!

Backlight and Overexpose

Now this one is a good one. :) Snow can appear to have a gray-ish tint (especially when the sun isn’t shining) in some pictures. To combat this, overexpose your image a stop or two. This brightens it allll up for some wintry magic. Also, as I talked about in this post on using sunlight, if you have the option, shoot during golden hour (the first and last hours of daylight), and into that setting sun.