Capture Winter's Beauty

By Suzanne Vandegrift

Whether you've rented a cabin for a winter vacation in Montana or you're traveling through Oregon in June and see the snow is still beautiful on Mt. Hood, the photographic opportunities can be both breathtaking and bountiful. Or, maybe you live in an area of our country that provides winter wonderland scenes right outside your backdoor. Whichever the case may be, seize the moment. Get on film the snow fort the neighborhood children built and are defending with volumes of rapidly made snowballs before the heat of the sun turns it into slush. Or take your camera bag to the local pond that has just frozen over and take some great action shots of people ice skating.

There's so much beauty in the winter that can be turned into impressive photographs. Depending on your location, you may find frozen lakes; ice encrusted trees and bushes; glistening, snow-drifted fields; forests of evergreens, heavily laden with fresh snow; icy-banked rivers, where deer come to drink; and snow-capped mountains aglow with the beauty of an evening sunset. The availability for winter picture taking is almost everywhere.

Winter photography does, however, require some special preparation. Since the best time for lighting is early in the morning or later in the evening, before the sun sets, staying warm is important. It's best to dress in layers, so that as the temperature increases or decreases, you can add or subtract an article of clothing and continue your photographic shoot in comfort. Then, take your camera backpack, that could hold all your equipment, and head out in search of some winter beauty.

Equally as important is the safety of your equipment. If you're photographing in freezing conditions, you must protect your camera. It's not so much what type of camera you're using, as it is the batteries. Extremely cold temperatures tend to kill the batteries, until they're warmed up again. Many experts feel lithium batteries perform better in cold environments than other batteries. Whichever type of batteries you choose to use, always pack extra ones in your camera bag and keep that camera bag in a warm place, such as your car. You can also warm up your batteries by holding them in your hand or keeping them close to your body, in a pocket, for warmth. Then, when you need to change your low batteries out, you'll have fresh, warm batteries ready to continue photographing.

As far as warming the camera is concerned, it's best not to while you're taking your pictures. Going in and out from a warm environment to a cold environment will cause condensation to develop on the sensor and lens. When you're finished for the day, place your equipment snugly in a plastic bag, remove all the air and seal tightly. Place the plastic bag in your camera case and take the equipment inside and let it warm up gradually. This process will avoid the risk of spots developing on your equipment.

To get the best images of bright snow, compensate for the brightness by opening up one or two stops or over-expose, to let in more light. Take a couple shots using different settings, to produce the best results. By taking different exposures of each of the day's shots, you can then review all the photographs you took when you're back in the comfort of your nice warm home. There you can delete the ones that didn't work and keep the successes, repack your camera bag and get ready for the next day in search of more incredible winter scenery.

Suzanne VanDeGrift of has developed this article for M-ROCK.com, manufacturer of exceptional quality backpacks.