I keep trying to photograph snow, and I keep getting mixed results.
It’s because it takes some finesse to make a camera expose snow properly. Cameras with built-in meters tend to overcompensate, leading to gray snow. Even when the exposure is right, vast expanses of white tend to look washed out.
One snowy afternoon I took my Nikon F3 out briefly while I shoveled my driveway. As you can see in this shot of my resting shovel, the meter exposed for the non-white elements in the frame, which led to the snow washing right out.
Sometimes a camera does all right with it. The photo below came from my Olympus Trip 35 several years ago. The exposure is just right for the house, the trees, and the sky, yet the snowy yard is washed out only right in the middle.
But I’ve had a few moments of good luck that have taught me a thing or two. First: look for textures in the snow, and photograph them. Here I shot my Canon PowerShot S95. This was actually after an ice storm; this snow was rock solid and supported my weight!
While shooting my Kodak 35 earlier this year, I hoped it would pick up the delightful shadows this tree’s branches cast in the late-afternoon sun. I hoped to use the snow as a canvas. To bring the shadows out I needed to play with contrast and brightness a little bit in Photoshop.
But I think the best thing is to use snow as an element of a shot, rather than shoot it for its own sake. Here, the snow adds interest to this old Cadillac’s front end. Believe it or not, I shot this with my Palm Pre.
And here, the snow provides a clean backdrop for my late friend Gracie, and creates abstract shapes where it rests on that bush. I think this is another S95 shot.
As you can see, despite learning a few things, I still haven’t entirely figured out how to photograph snow. And now that spring is arriving, snow is but a memory until next winter. I’ll have more opportunities to practice then. A big part of the fun of photography for me is figuring things like this out.
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