First-timer tip for shooting snow

[JohnT]

Just a quick, simple tip for the first-timers shooting snow. If you want the snow to appear white, make your exposure at +0.5EV or so in order to render the snow white instead of gray (your camera will meter it as gray so you will need to compensate for that). Sure, you can "fix" gray snow in post, but why not get it right in camera?

Have fun!

[CaptainTom]

If you know how to do a custom white balance it's easy. Just fill the frame with the snow.

[toverman]

Depending on what else is in the scene, you can also slightly overexpose to get the white. But that can mess with other objects. Plus, our mommas told us not to be overexposed in the cold.

[ChristopherCoy]

Well great! Now you tell me...

[BEphoto]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

Well great! Now you tell me...

yep, one of the odd sounding tips for photogs.

Overexpose in bright scenes (like snow, beaches, etc) and underexpose for dark subjects.

All the snow tricks your camera meter into thinking there is more light than there really is, therefor underexposing the shot. You have to pump in, as john said, a +.05 exposure, or more as i did today. I think mine were all at +1.

And if you are shooting something dark, like a buffalo or something like that (dont ask where i got the buffalo... just came to mind) the camera will see that a large portion of the scene is dark and then try to overexpose it, so you have to drop the exposure just a tad.

It seems backward at first, but eventually you just start to "get it".

[JohnT]

I ended up bumping the exposure in post even after shooting at +2/3EV. If I'd shot at +1.00EV, it would have been right on target.

[wwong]

This is all because the light meter always give us reading for middle grey.

Point the meter at black, it thinks "Humm it is dark, I need more light to make the shot looks grey." Hence, the need to dial in -EV to compansate and make black - black.

Similiar token, point the meter at white, meter think less light to make it grey. Hence, the need to dial in +EV to compansate and make white - white.

There is really no fix rule on snow should be +2EV or +0.5EV. It all depends on the scene and how the photog wants to present it as.

For example, snow with overhead sun will be flat and just 'white', so +2.5 EV probably (white with no detail). OTOH, side lid snow may contain a lot of very tiny shadows (texture!) which could very well be middle grey (1/2 Black + 1/2 White = Grey) and should shoot as is with no compensation.

Remember photo class teacher told me the rule of: "If you want white with details, +2EV. -2EV for black"... I did not truely understand it untill I came across a "Zone System" book in a recent estate sale. And excellent explanation in John Shawn's "Nature Photography Field Guide". Highly recommended (forewarn, it was written for film but techniques still apply)

[CaptainTom]

These are all good rules for exposure in the snow.
Proper exposure will go a long way towards getting a good white, but the OP
referred to getting a good white balance. Perhaps he meant exposure ??

[wwong]

Thought 'grey' snow is an exposure problem... WB too?

Sorry most of my outdoor WB is AUTO ( Technology!) so never notice... Remember in film days high altitude scene may turns out blue and needs UV filter... (did I remember it right!? It's been too long)