The snow has caused havoc, but now the sun has come out. Quick, grab your camera and get shooting. The snow makes for some great photo opportunities, but also some tricky shooting experiences.

Here are five tips to help you take some great pictures whether you're just capturing the moment or trying to grab that perfect picture for your Christmas cards.

Exposure
Chances are your camera is going to get confused by the snow no end - you can use "snow" settings if your camera has one, else just notch up the exposure of the camera to compensate. +1 should do it. The result will be that you are overexposing the scene by one stop, admitting twice as much light into the photo and stopping everything from looking grey.

Contrast
Shooting a snow storm doesn't look that pretty because there is no contrasting colours - everything looks grey or white. Wait till the sky clears and now you've got a crystal blue sky to shoot against. If the sun is refusing to come out make sure your subjects are brightly dressed. Scarves are a great way of adding a dash of bright red or green into the picture.

Point of View
This goes for all pictures you take but think about getting down to the level of your subject. Shooting a snowman by lying on the floor will give you a sense that he is far bigger than he is. Likewise when it comes to shooting a snowball fight if you're photographing kids - get low. If you're feeling brave get them to throw snowballs at you just as you take the picture.

Light
All that reflective snow around means there will be plenty of light. Make sure you don't shoot into the sun. Keep the sun at right angles to your shot during morning and evening hours and at an acute angle from behind you when it's high in the sky for improved scene exposure. The best shots will also mostly be snapped either late in the day or first thing. The great thing about shooting early is that you'll get plenty of untouched natural shots if you've had a fresh bout of snow overnight.

Kit
If you're venturing out into the woods or city it sounds silly but wrap up warm. Take a blanket (for lying on) and make sure you've got a full charge in your battery. Batteries don't last as long when they are cold so you're likely to not get as many shoots out as you can on a baking hot, sunny day. The great thing about snow is that you can always build a tripod so at least that's one less thing to pack.

Photo: Steve Dye

Article originally published on 3 February 2009

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