How to take good-looking photos of snow scenes?

When shooting snow scenes during the day, ground reflection often affects the accuracy of camera metering. Generally speaking, if no adjustment is made, the exposure will be biased to darken the picture, and the original white snow will turn gray-black.

Correct metering and exposure are the key to success in taking snow photos.

You can refer to the following tips:

1. shoot with RAW file.

This method is safer and the photo quality will be better than that of ordinary JPG. Because the RAW file records more comprehensive picture information and retains more details of snow, post-production is easier. If the travel time is limited, it is the safest and time-saving method to shoot with RAW files and then adjust with home software. Moreover, shooting with RAW files is more flexible, and even overexposed or underexposed photos can be adjusted by software.

The disadvantage is that the file is relatively large and requires a larger memory card, so pay attention to whether the memory card is enough. In addition, it takes a long time to use software for post-production. At present, some cameras support RAW+JPG shooting, which can solve this problem. Because cameras store two file formats at the same time, opening the software when photos are not satisfactory can save the post-production time of each photo. Of course, this method requires more storage capacity, and the camera supports this function.

Use bracketing exposure

This method uses a camera to take 3-5 photos with different exposures at a time. The advantage of this "big encirclement" method is that it is faster. After the shooting is completed, the dissatisfied photos can be deleted from the camera, avoiding the trouble of post-processing. You can set the difference between each photo to 0.3 or 0.5 EV. It is recommended to take 3-5 photos at a time. First, set the camera to +0.5EV and set it to each photo.

Use CPL filter

On sunny days, snow reflects a lot, and sometimes it may be brighter than the scenery. Using CPL can reduce the contrast, weaken the brightness of snow, make the blue sky and white clouds more prominent and improve the color saturation.

4. Histogram

The camera's LCD is not credible, especially in the sun. The photos seen by the camera's LCD seem to be underexposed. It is recommended to refer to the histogram information. If the photos are overexposed or underexposed, they can be taken immediately. But remember that the histogram is not the data that every photo should follow, but just a reference. The most important thing is to decide whether the photo is suitable according to the feeling you need.

Avoid using flash.

When it snows, avoid using flash, because snowflakes will form light spots on the picture and affect the theme of the photo. In addition, it is suggested to shoot with a slow shutter when it snows, so that the snowflakes can form lines and have the feeling of falling snow.

When shooting snow scenes, the biggest problem is to master the problem of photometry. Taking good photos of snow scenes always depends on the actual environment. Especially about photometry, there are too many environmental variables, such as sunlight and backlight, and there are differences between sunny and cloudy days. Because snow is white, a large area of snow will make the camera's metering function inaccurate. At this time, it is necessary to adjust the exposure value in the fuselage to get the ideal light and shade. In general, +0.5- 1.0 EV has achieved satisfactory results.