How to find shooting scenes in winter photography?

The natural scenery in winter may be really beautiful, and although modern digital photographic equipment doesn't like low temperature, it can easily take photos even in cold winter. In this article, we will list the most common scenes taken in winter, which can take unique photos for photographers.

In winter, the sun rarely rises to 20 degrees above the horizon, and the days are short. In this regard, photographers must carefully plan their time and search for the most interesting subjects in advance.

You must decide what to shoot and when to shoot at once. Of course, winter scenes can't meet all kinds of needs, but you can always find many shooting opportunities. The most popular stories in winter include:

Winter scenery

In the winter of a year, nature does not bring us so many colors as summer or autumn. However, in winter, it is always easy to get the contrast between sparkling white snow and various dark objects. What is particularly beautiful is the scenery photos of the snow scene and the sunlight reflected on the dazzling snow. The sunshine in winter is scattered by fog, and the resulting long shadows help to better reveal the texture of objects and simulate the landscape. It's interesting to shoot the scenery in winter, the snowflakes floating on the branches, or the cold lake.

Winter, evening and morning are most suitable for shooting scenery, when the solar spectrum is dominated by light pink and orange tones. Shooting at sunrise or sunset can convey the natural beauty of winter with unforgettable magical colors. In the picture, you can use the gray winter sky to show all the gray shadows.

When shooting scenery, you must pay attention to all kinds of water bodies-the ice surface of a lake or river in the picture may look interesting. When shooting scenery in the snow, you can get excellent photos. Yes, you must try the shutter carefully here. With a short shutter speed, the falling snowflakes in the photo can be "frozen" from the picture.

When shooting winter scenery, it is recommended to use various filters. In particular, gradient filters will help reduce the contrast between the earth's surface and the sky, while polarizers will eliminate glare on ice and compensate for the reflection of snow. Color filters can make the landscape beautiful and ensure the creation of truly unusual artistic effects. You can try to shoot black and white winter scenery.

Shoot plants and animals

For some photographers, winter photography seems unacceptable, and because of its color matching, the saturation in winter is much lower, so it is very boring. However, this is not a reason to refuse to take pictures, because you can not only take pictures of the snow scene, but also take pictures of all kinds of bright objects in the snow. Winter is also a good time to photograph many forest "residents", such as beautiful red-bellied finches, tits, woodpeckers and squirrels. They are easier to find in the forest in winter than at any time of the year.

Besides, in winter, many animals and birds are in urgent need of food, which makes them less shy. You can get closer to them and take valuable shots. However, it is best to use a telephoto zoom lens to shoot birds in the forest in winter.

Portrait shooting

Taking portraits in winter is a good opportunity to take excellent photos. People are most interested in female portraits on snow-white background and charming family or children photos in nature. From busy streets and parks to quiet forests in the suburbs, almost all situations are suitable for shooting winter portraits.

The plot of winter portraits is probably the most diverse. For example, the classic works of winter photography are the lovely and beautiful images of girls in Russian folk stories. As a photo accessory, you can use a bright shawl with folk decoration, a warm coat or a tea stove. Taking portraits while walking in winter may also be an interesting story. You can film how children make snowmen or ride roller coasters, how people walk in the winter forest or how to ski downhill quickly.

Shooting at night in winter

It is very interesting and unusual to shoot at night in winter and light lanterns on the streets of the city. The newly fallen snow reflects the night lights of the city, which can give off a truly magical light. You need a tripod, a quick lens and a good external flash to shoot the background of the city on a snowy night.

scenery close by

The natural beauty of winter can be reflected not only in landscape photos, but also in close-up photos. Snowflakes, frost and icicles photographed with a macro lens can provide you with many unique abstract pictures. The ice and frost formed on the edge of plants and leaves in winter only repeat the pattern of thin leaf film, which represents the most interesting theme.

When shooting on a cold January day, no matter what way you take, the main problem you have to face is insufficient light, and vice versa. In weak light, when the sun is completely hidden behind the gray clouds, the winter photos will fade and have no expression. Here, you must use an open aperture to create a shallow depth of field. In this weather, it is best to take portraits or interesting monochrome photos.

On sunny days, the snow in the picture gets extra brightness. On the contrary, all kinds of objects become real shadows, which also brings some difficulties. Scenes illuminated by bright sunshine in winter have a range of tones. In order to solve the problem of high contrast of the scene, it is only helpful to choose the correct exposure.

In difficult situations, it is suggested to start spot metering, and then you need to aim the camera at the subject to make it in the center of the picture. In this mode, the automation of the camera will independently determine and set the exposure value of the central object, regardless of the background brightness. Then press and hold the shutter button, you can experiment with the composition of the picture, and then press the button to the end, you can get the finished photo.

When shooting various scenes in winter, please don't forget to protect photographic equipment from low temperature and condensation. It is enough to follow the simple rules for operating photographic equipment.