7 minute read
Winter Photography tips
CAMPING
Keep your camera close to your heart this winter
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By Allen Macartney
WINTER. Many people find it a frustrating season to take photographs. Often the glittering snow covering a fir tree turns out a dull, disappointing grey. What happened, you wonder, to the scene that made your heart race with excitement?
In other photos, your human subjects appear as dark as shadows against a brilliant background. Occasionally, just after you press down on the shutter, the camera mirror flips up and your lens goes black. Your batteries are frozen. Dead.
Winter puts extra stress on cameras, film and photographers. You might expect frozen batteries if the temperature plunges, and film can crack if you don’t handle it carefully on cold days. Here are some tips to make this season a great time to capture that perfect image.
The first rule of winter photography has nothing to do with your camera. It involves planning to stay warm. Dress for the occasion. Don a heavy parka if it’s really cold, gloves or mitts, and a warm toque.
No matter how good your equipment is, if you’re freezing inside, few of your photos will reflect the wonder and dynamic colours you’re trying to express on film.
Dress in layers—always a basic rule for enjoying cold weather activities. Each layer will act as an insulating air pocket, trapping warmth and keeping you comfortable. (Read more about how to dress for winter in “Don’t Get Freeze Dried This Winter” on page 20.)
• Avoid those middle-grey blues
There’s nothing worse than getting your film back from the developer and seeing that all your cherished, postcard-perfect snow scenes look muddy grey. What happened?
Your camera’s light meter exposes film for “middle grey”—a compromise that usually results in perfectly balanced colours. But problems creep in with bright winter snow scenes. Your camera chooses an exposure that will render the white as middle grey. Don’t panic. It is easy enough to compensate once you
know what’s going on. Just overexpose the film by one or two stops. On a bright winter day, overexpose your film by two stops. For example, if the light meter says the incredible scene in your viewfinder should be shot at 1/500 of a second and f/11, shoot your first shot at 1/125 and f/11. On a cloudy day, overexpose your snowy winter scenes by one stop.
Even on a dark winter day, snow can reflect so much light that it will throw off the best light meter. Most experienced winter photographers bracket their shots in tricky lighting conditions, especially when they encounter really special subjects. Here’s how. Shoot your first picture at the exposure you think will produce white snow, then shoot the next frame underexposed by one stop and another one overexposed by one stop.
Do people in your photographs appear as little more than silhouettes against a bright snow background? Once more, it’s a question of exposure. Your light meter is so dazzled by the snow around the snowshoer or skier, that it exposes the film for the glistening white. To compensate, overexpose the shot by one or two stops, and bracket. You could also use a flash to brighten people’s smiling faces.
• Frozen batteries and fogged lens
The colder the day, the more likely you’ll experience camera difficulties. Batteries will freeze, lenses will fog, and in some cases, film will actually break in your camera.
On cold days always carry your camera inside your jacket. Here, body heat will provide all the warmth it needs, even if you open and close the zipper to take it out for a shot. Bring your camera out only to compose and take a picture.
Cold temperatures will drain an already low battery very quickly. A camera’s battery might hold a full charge in warm (indoor) conditions, but outside at –20C degrees, it will fail at the least opportune time. Plan for batteries to fail; simply carry extra ones inside your jacket.
When you reach the end of a roll of film, look for a warm place to rewind it (e.g. inside your jacket) and, if possible, do it slowly. Rewinding too quickly can break cold, brittle film. It can also cause lightning-like flashes to appear on prints from static electricity in the cold camera.
When finished taking pictures for the day, don’t bring your camera into a warm room immediately. Your lens will fog, and cause a build-up of moisture in the mechanism. Leave it in your jacket pocket so it can warm up slowly.
• Favourite winter photography spots
Here’s a brief list of outstanding places around Ottawa to visit with your camera this winter. All offer a variety of scenes that will take your breath away: • Hog’s Back Falls • Rideau Canal ice skaters • Gatineau Park snowshoers and skiers • Islands around the Champlain Bridge (frost crystals cling to trees on very cold days) • Rideau Falls ice patterns
Photo by National Capital Commission
• Backyard bird feeders • Experimental farm • Ottawa River fishing shacks.
Rise early in the morning before sun-up, dress warmly, go to where you want to take pictures, and start walking towards the sun. Watch for mist rising off open water. As the sun’s rays hit the water vapour hanging in the air, the colour will turn a soft yellow— absolutely stunning.
• Special photographic treats
Winter offers special photographic opportunities. The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) can provide a beautiful display, easily captured on film. You’ll need a tripod, a shutter release cable, and ASA 200 or 400 film. Set your wide angle lens to infinity at the widest aperture (f2.8 is good). If using ASA 200 film, expose the film for 40 seconds aiming your lens at the Northern Lights. Then bracket around this setting: shooting once for 20 seconds, another for 70 seconds, and another for 120 seconds.
Frost patterns on car windows offer endless challenge and delight. You’ll need a macro lens, or at least an inexpensive, screw-on, close-up lens. What happens when you place the sun behind the frost pattern? Experiment with different angles.
Try getting down on your hands and knees, and looking for the sun sparkling off ice crystals. Look for a fall leaf captured in the ice. Place the sun behind it, backlighting the shape, and take an exposure. Remember that the camera will try to render the image a middle-grey. Can you see any delicate rainbow colours in the snow?
Avoid taking pictures in the middle of the day when the winter sun is directly overhead. It will produce stark, twodimensional photos that tend toward the blue end of the spectrum. Early morning (before 10 a.m.) and later in the afternoon (after 2:30 p.m.) provides the best lighting—a soft, warm, yellow light.
Don’t pack your camera away just because it’s winter. Winter requires special attention to exposure, but some of the pictures you take will be unforgettable. —Allen Macartney’s photography has appeared in books, posters, magazines, catalogues and calendars.
ADVENTURETRAVEL Cycle through Central Cuba
Get away from the cold this winter and take a cycling tour of central cuba. The folks at Outland Adventures, are leading a cycling tour through a land where time seems to have slowed—and where a bright dream was born. From the memories of history to the reality of the present, the road you’ll be travelling will begin at Santa Clara, and then take you onward to Trinidad. The route is filled with mountains, green valleys and tropical sea coas t. Here’s more info: Dates include:
Jan 24-31 or Feb 7-14
www.OutlandAdventures.ca 1960 Scott Street, Ottawa 613-729-3034 trips@OutlandAdventures.ca
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