Assuming that you and your photo equipment are comfortable outdoors in cold conditions (using the tips provided at Make Winter Photography Enjoyable), it's time to think about a few technical aspects. While picture taking in snowy scenes is not difficult, you can often get better photos with the right techniques. Try the following to make nice, bright photos with pleasing overall colour.

• Expose with care: Whenever a scene includes a great expanse of white, there's a risk that your images will be underexposed: too dark. After taking a photo, check it on the LCD monitor. If the snow is grey instead of white, set a +1 exposure compensation using the camera's [+/-] button and take the shot again. If the photo is still a bit too dark, set +1.3 or +1.5 compensation and take the shot again.
• Avoid overexposure: The suggestions as to the amount of compensation are merely starting points; in some cases they'll produce overexposure. It's important to retain texture in snow so use as little exposure compensation as is necessary. Sometimes you'll find that a +0.5 or a +2/3 level will be all that's required for a pleasing exposure that retains texture in the snow. You can solve any minor underexposure with imaging software later.
• Use flash for people: For subjects posing against a white background, use flash to ensure that they're nice and bright. To force your flash to fire outdoors, set the camera to the P mode instead of AUTO and set the flash mode to Always On. (The flash mode is usually selected with a button labelled with a lightning bolt icon.) With some cameras you'll also need to pop the flash up with a button or lever.
• Aim for a "warm" effect: Except in the early morning and late afternoon on sunny days, the light tends to be "cool" (bluish) in winter. If you find that Auto White Balance (AWB) produces an effect that's not very pleasing, try setting Cloudy Day WB for a "warmer" (slightly amber) rendition and take the shot again. For an even richer overall colour balance, take the next photo using taking the Overcast Day WB option.
• Get punchier photos: If your lens accepts filters, buy a circular polarizer. This accessory can enrich colours (including a blue sky) and reduce glare from snow, so the texture will be more visible. A polarizer provides the greatest effect when the sun is at your side, so try to position yourself accordingly. Rotate the filter within its mount and watch the effect changing through a DSLR's viewfinder on in live view on the LCD monitor. When the effect is just right, take the photo.

After a warm breakfast this weekend, drive to your favourite waterfalls, river or landscape. Look too for a few red berries capped by snow, a wind sculpted snowdrift displaying nature's artistic hand, or branches coated with hoar frost. Take advantage of the technical tips, add a bit of creativity to your compositions and you should come home with many beautiful winter photos.

Caption: In order to avoid flat, dull, underexposed photos with a bluish tint in snow-covered scenes, take advantage of some or all of the techniques discussed here. The photo at the top of this story was taken with the camera's default auto settings. The photo directly above was made using +1 exposure compensation, Cloudy Day White Balance and with a Circular Polarizing filter for a better overall effect. (c) 2010 Peter K. Burian

Article Tags:  photo, tip, Burian, exposure, compensation, winter, snow, polarizer, WB, white balance, flash