Snow photos: the 4 secrets to make them special

4 tools and tips to make your snow shots unique

They say it will be a historic winter across Europe.
So instead of panicking, many photographers are already getting ready to shoot this climatically challenging winter in which, they say, it will snow even at latitudes that are usually milder.

Let's look together at 4 tricks to make your snow photos distinctive and intense, aiming to bring out all the elements that draw the most attention in the winter landscape.

But first of all, let's get one thing straight: what are these elements worth enhancing that make snow photos more beautiful?

The things that attract the most attention in this specific type of shot, which we can call seasonal landscape photography, are:

• the specific colors that characterize each season (white in the case of winter)
• the contrasts
• the landscape
• the human figure within the landscape (depending on how the photographer places it, you can create a sense of estrangement and dichotomy or, on the contrary, a reassuring feeling of everyday life)

There are specific techniques to bring out all of these elements:

1 - Colors and contrast

To photograph a snowy landscape it is important to bring out the brightness of the white by increasing the exposure time and moving the exposure compensation value towards +1 or +2. Why?
Because, unlike your eye, the camera perceives snow and a snowy sky as shades of gray, so even a slightly underexposed photo will give you an image that tends towards gray.

2 - Image steadiness

Remember that shooting in the snow is not easy for your body either, let alone for the camera. The recommended overexposure and the cold you feel, especially when standing still, can lead to blurred images. That is why we suggest you use a monopod or, better, a telescopic pole with a remote control (of course, if you wear gloves, prefer fingerless ones).

The Telescopic Pole, together with the remote control, will also let you develop new ideas and expressive possibilities, such as a shot from 5 meters up, allowing you to place the lens and camera body among the branches of a bare, snow-covered tree, at the height of a small open window, or above the bars of a gate or fence.
All it takes is a bit of imagination, and the handling of a fiberglass pole will open up an incredible expressive world.

A telescopic pole like our MagicPole can be a really nice gift under the tree for a friend or family member who loves landscape photography.

3 - People as part of the landscape

The seasonal landscape is not made only of snowy valleys and little huts. Try using a model who can further enhance the essence of snow, as ordinary as it is surreal.
In this case we give you two suggestions for opposite effects:
a. Contrast: dress your model in brightly colored clothes, such as canary yellow or fire red. The effect of a spot of color in the white will be very interesting.
b. High key: dress the person in a white that is as close as possible to that of the snow, which can then act as a natural panel for a typical high key effect.

4 - Foreground detail

Again with the help of a Telescopic Pole you can focus on snowflakes as they fall. It is not easy and requires patience and long waiting times until you get the desired result, namely one or more flakes in the foreground with the landscape in the background gradually turning whiter.
But for those who are not yet at that level of skill (and patience), the foreground element can be something else, such as a dry leaf left alone at the tip of a branch, or a small flower you will find (or place) on the snow, etc.

Do you have other ideas to suggest for a 'picture-perfect' snow photo?