How to photograph Snow Covered Landscapes

[@jollytime0811]

What really separates your videos from others in the same niche is that you show off your struggles, whereas others are often polished. By showing your struggles and showcasing your amazing captures illustrates how important that process is to whatever goal one wants to achieve.

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks for your kind words Miles. It does seem to be that way with some videos doesn't it ... I really do struggle in wooded environments and I bet 99.9% of others do as well, even though they might try to convince you otherwise ... so I try to show that we all have struggles ... My wife said not to keep those bits in but I really see the value in showing that we all have very similar struggles, and that if people see mine, they will be motivated to go out and shoot knowing that they are not alone. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@sue.Hoo123]

Some really good hints and tips 👍. Love the shot at 11.57 of sheep on little hill on track 👌

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks so much Sue, and thanks for watching 😁👍

[@danmar007]

When I started photography centuries ago, my favourite subjects were trees. I LOVE that photo of the tree interrupting the zigzag pattern of the fence.

[@mikesphotography]

That's great to hear Dan. That zigzig fence really jumped out at me, and you're right, the tree interrupting it makes it stand out even more than if it wasn't there. The great thing with photography is that you can revisit older photographs and look at them in an entirely new way ... and one thing I love about making videos here is that I get to see photos I've taken through other peoples eyes. Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated. 😁👍

[@tlareG]

tricky shooting , contrast is the struggle when snow is present

[@mikesphotography]

Especially when you shoot towards the sun. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@tlareG]

@@mikesphotography no problem :)

[@davidmeager9884]

Thanks Mike. Really enjoy the easy learning environment you create and promote. Great video production.

[@mikesphotography]

And thanks for watching David. Great to hear you're liking my teaching style, I don't see any need to make it anything other than that really ... and great to hear you like the production as well, this was very much an ad lib'd video build ... but just had to get out into the snow!! Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@TobSounds]

Nice Video 😊 and im happy to see lots of snow too! 😍 i like snowy scenes, specially taking videos and photo's of tractors plowing the snow 😅 i like the winter forest in your video here 4:00 to 6:00 the forest there reminds me a bit of the forest not so far away from where i live 😄 i hope you had a good week too! 🙂

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks so much! I bet you have some amazing forests up in Scandinavia!! As always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@TobSounds]

@@mikesphotography yeah, i saw lots of nice sceneries from Color Line today! if i may send them to you😄

[@rolybaker7770]

When I go out do I struggle to get good shot's? Yep every time😂 Lovely photo's mate.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha!! The struggle is real!! 😂 Thanks for watching RB 😁👍

[@stephenwoodburn2970]

Hey, Mike. Great video. It says a lot for your channel that you got a guy from South Alabama to watch 12 minutes of tips to take photos in the snow. I don’t think it has snowed here in over a decade. We are in the process of planning a trip to England and Wales for this fall. I hope to share a beer(s) with you when we come. Take care, brother.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! Thanks so much dude!! It'll be great to have you guys over here in the autumn!! Also ... Let me know what you think about this week's video ... I might have gotten a little carried away whilst editing it together!! 😆 As always thanks for watching dude. 😁👍

[@onikaimu]

Great video, Mike. I follow the rule that if I get one or two great photos a year then I am like Ansel Adams. If a photo trip came out wrong I take it as practice and learn from my mistakes. Stay safe and warm.

[@mikesphotography]

That's a great way to look at it ... its very much is a slow and steady process. Like you I try to get a handful of great shots through the year and they make it into my portfolio ... I hope all is good with you. 😁👍

[@michaelhale416]

I often struggle with finding a good composition. Lately I have been taking a macro lens as well, as there are always small scenes. Once the creative juices get going, the compositions start to appear. Here in Edmonton, Alberta, we get many months with snow to practice with. Light, shadows, and shapes become everything. There is rarely any colour to work with. Another excellent video, thanks.

[@mikesphotography]

It can be tricky sometimes can't it ... I think the key is to just keep going out and shooting, over time, your skills will develop. Thanks for watching Michael 😁👍

[@prancingkash]

It adds to the scene if there is a high contrast color element in the snowy landscape - like a subject with bright colored jacket or may be a yellow road sign on a winding road. Trying to capture these elements helps in making the shot more interesting. Another aspect which is easier to to look for in snowy landscape photography is "minimalism" - easier to do this in snowy landscape than on a summer day

[@grahamegannon9708]

I always struggle, especially in woodland scenes, it is not the equipment, it is the person behind the camera!!! I find shooting in snowy conditions is bit challenging at times and your tips from this video will help me in the future, especially the exposure compensation trick. Thanks for the video Mike.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! Most definitely!! It's all about how different people see things in nature. Great to hear my tips are helping. Thanks for watching Grahame 😁👍

[@luxdalet]

Fantastic video Mike! All shots are great! Specially the ones with the sheep. Love the high contrast look. Living in Florida unfortunately means I won't be using the tips I learned with this video any time soon XD

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks very much!! Haha! Yep, unless that film The Day After Tomorrow comes true, then you'll have to go on a snowy trip to use these tips. 😆 Thanks for watching anyway 😁👍

[@luxdalet]

@@mikesphotography True XD

[@Lightsmith_UK]

Thanks for this 👍🙂

[@mikesphotography]

No worries, thanks for watching Steve! 😁👍

[@ThepPixel]

Fantastic content mate

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks so much!! 😁👍

[@jennifersmith3538]

I prefer snow landscape photography in colour rather that shooting in black and white. I really like the way you can see little pops of colour in the hedgerows and trees, the blues or even pinks in the snow. They all add to the magic and sparkle of a snow landscape. To me shooting in black and white misses that.

[@mikesphotography]

That's a great point! Those little bits of colour really add to the frame like B&W can't. 😀

[@paulm8157]

Tons of practical bits and bobs on your channel, Mike! Snow can be a challenge, exposure and white balance (clear blue sky) wise. Dragging the shutter helpful to capture snow movement, but not sure what you meant by “depth” in this case. Depth of field would be reduced by blur of snow nearest you, no? Throughout vid, I kept thinking “zone system” exposure (with spot metering on snow), and “expose to the right” using histogram as a gauge. Might make for enlightening future vids (pun intended😊). I used spot/zone for film when shooting snow scenes. Low cost digital could make bracketing practical to nail snow scene exposure. At least “wing it” with a version of live view that shows scene changes as exposures change. Snow sheep; who knew?😊 Cheers!

[@mikesphotography]

This was very much an ad libbed video today ... I had a whole script written and ready, and a great location in mind ... and then the snow changed everything ... I literally stepped out the door in the morning and thought ... ohhh! 😆😆😆 and having a rear wheel drive Merc really doesn't help when there is any kind of snow ... I really should have included a bit about white balance in this one ... 🤔 By depth, I mean that 3D look in the photo ... so when you see the snow moving through the air with your eyes, it very much gives that sense of 3D depth, but in a photo, it is easy to freeze the moment and lose this. So in dragging the shutter, you give a small indication of the movement of snow through the frame, and this tricks the eye into seeing more layers. ... see, if I'd have had time to write the script, it would have made much more sense!! 😆 Next time we get snow, I'll definitely try the spot zone, I haven't used it for years now ... The histogram is such a valuable tool as well. As always thanks for watching Paul 😁👍

[@renoholland7090]

Thanks Mike, well done. A little over a year ago we had some light snow when we were on a trip and the pictures came out alright. However, were we live snow is a rarity. May be it's going to be time for another trip up north, as long as I don't have to dig through it. Years ago I lived in Canada close to lake Ontario and I had to clear snow for six straight months. Honestly that was enough for me for the rest of my life.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! I know what you mean, I always wanted sunny weather but after a few years in Dubai and Asia, I've had more than enough for a lifetime!! 😆😆😆 It's always good to have the extremes a short flight or drive away though, then you can experience them without having to live through them. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@Be.m13]

Thank you for this video!!

[@mikesphotography]

No worries, thanks for watching. 😁👍

[@barrynoon1812]

Great vlog Mike. I've certainly been enjoying the recent white stuff, unlike you I find it much easier to capture woodland scenes as the snow helps to identify compositions. I saw several opportunities within your vlog that you over looked. My advice, slow down, work a location before moving on. I still prefer shooting in manual mode on a tripod as it gives me more control, I have found that the new Tamron 400mm has been a godsend in these conditions of late, best regards Barry

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks Barry. It's amazing how we all see things differently ... when I take people on workshops, the participants sometimes spot some very different compositions to what I see, so I am not surprised that you spotted some good ones in the background ... you were probably shouting at the screen, "there's one right there!!"😆 Slowing down is definitely great advice which I do need to focus on more. I so nearly clicked buy on the 50-400mm the other day ... you know at some point, it'll just appear in one of my future videos ... and I'll say to my wife, what this lens, no, I've had this for years!! 😆😆 Thanks for watching!!

[@lindakantes873]

Thank you for another lesson-great vid... At last something I did know--up the exposure dial a bit. If I can avoid a grey dull sky I'm fine. Always the same problem for me with sky, snow or no snow --over exposed sky , under exposed foreground or the opposite ... tried everything ..

[@mikesphotography]

Hi Linda, That is the trickiest thing with photography, when the sky is really bright and the land is really dark. What camera do you have and what time do you normally go out and shoot? I have a video on this very subject planned soon. 😁👍

[@lindakantes873]

Hello Mike either rx10 iv or a7iii during the daytime bit stuck re-mobility. If im doing street photography in particular if i have to include sky. could well be the angle im trying to shoot at. I dont get on well with Zebras either still get the same result. Maybe just high contrast????. I've learned a lot from your landscape/woodland videos --used to be of the opinion you had to include sky, now i know different .

[@Keyloggs1]

Great video! Shows me that i am not the only one struggling with snowy weather. I live in the city and to get snowy pictures, i need to go to our nearest „mountain“ which is more like a hill. The problem for me is: how do i shoot good landscapes around here, if everything else is flat? The hill is covered by a forest, which makes it hard to find a good shot, because everything is looking the same. So i am happy to take any tips n tricks to do better in that case! What i can share and works almost everytime: use a puddle to create nice, snowy reflections! Thanks for the wonderful video! I really enjoy watching your vids lately! (Did before too, but i feel like want to do more landscape at the moment) Very good job!

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks so much for your kind words! It is tricky when you live in a big city ... up until about six months ago, I lived in Bangkok and it was a real struggle getting out to any place that wasn't city or covered in trees, so I know exactly how you feel. It sounds like you need to plan a photography trip to somewhere cool...🤔 That's a great tip with finding puddles!! As always thanks for watching dude 😁👍

[@TheT2tracer]

I guess being a beginner in shooting in snowy conditions. And trying not to step outside the rule of shutter speed vs focal length. I wouldn't have shot that low of a shutter speed with that focal length (2:51). But it looked amazing. I would have stuck with shutter speed vs focal length rule. And came home with a disappointing shot. This video has really helped me out. I can't wait to get back out there and try it. Thanks again for yet another great educational video. Your the best.

[@mikesphotography]

Hi Tracy, So in the video on your comment that I just replied to and recommended this one ... if you combine the two techniques, then you would be able to go lower with your shutter speed. Basically just put it in drive mode and take 5-10 photos, then you will get one or two that are sharp at those slower shutter speeds. I've been using this technique for a while and am surprised at how low I can take it. and if you are worried about wear on your shutter, try shooting in silent mode. The other options are to boost your ISO ... or once you have found a good composition, break out your tripod if you have one. Great to hear my tips are helping, this really motivates me to keep making these videos on my channel!! 😀😀 And as always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@findermanimages]

My Fuji camera has the external compensation dial yet I can honestly say I've never used it. I mostly shoot fully manual so it doesn't really apply, I'm led to believe (for a long time I didn't even understand what it did! 🤣). B&W is my favourite, whether it's snowy or not. And you are right, high contrast subjects tend to make good B&W photos. Also, anything with good/varied textures or where there is too much colour which can sometime be a little distracting. Looked like you had a cracking day for it. Great vid as always 👍💪

[@mikesphotography]

This was yesterday, and driving up to Dolgellau was slippery to say the least ... Really should have chosen anything but a rear wheel drive car ... DOH! 🤦🏻‍♂️😆 Cheers dude, that was a challenging one to film ... And way too windy for the drone!! 😆

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always, I noticed you are using slow shutter speeds, it's like some one pass by with a bicycle it creates an awesome effect 👍🤗

[@mikesphotography]

Thanks so much for your kind words Miguel! Haha! I'd be interested to see someone pass by on a bicycle in this snow!! 😆🙈 You're right though, it is fun slowing the shutter down when photographing people moving past you, either on a bike, in a car or with any kind of movement. As always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@CluelessYoutuber]

Now that I am back in Hong Kong, I kinda miss the snow already 😂 just magical but wont be seeing it anytime soon. Wish you’d posted this before I went to Norway, definitely helpful! Hahaha In terms of struggling, I always do 😅 especially woodland. I just can’t find interesting shapes and patterns that frame a strong subject. So I appreciate seeing your difficulties too. Shot at 5:42 was a great composition. Interesting approach to blur the falling snow. Didn’t think of that back then 😮

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! It's amazing how quickly time goes by when you're on holiday ... it seems to go by in an instant! Woodland photography is such a hard genre to conquer ... I'm pretty sure some of the better woodland photographers just take a lot of time in finding their compositions ... that's what I'm putting it down to anyway!! 😆 As always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@sharvo6]

Just found your channel; enjoying a Mini binge. It's January in Canada so appreciating this video. I notice you're shooting Sony ... I've got an a7iv and tamron lenses, but I've got that newbie phobia of going into the snow or mist. Since I'm a hobbyist, I can't just write off a lens ruined from the wet ... in your experience just how adventuresome can I be going into moist weather with that equipment???

[@electriccatvisualarts2397]

Thanks Mike. Plenty of snow in the Great Lakes region USA! - I've struggled with navigating the contrast in Winter scenes; do you use any polarization or other filtration to help you out? Also, to your point about B&W - gradations in Winter look great in B&W IMO. Great video as always!

[@mikesphotography]

I didn't use any filters today, but sometimes I will break out the polariser, especially when the sky is completely clear. It just darkens the blues in the skies. ... and you're completely right about the gradations in winter looking images and B&W. 👍 Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@petemellows]

Another great video where I don’t feel like I’m a naughty school student. Thanks Mike. I always seem to forget about the exposure compensation being counter-intuitive. My standard review screen has the rgb histogram so I don’t walk away with a complete dud though.

[@mikesphotography]

Haha!! Sounds like that would have been the standard back in school ... I know that feeling!! 😆😆 Once you know how to use it, the histograms are a great tool to use to control your exposures, great to hear you're in that camp. As always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@hangerbird]

Good info. Do you use any filters on the lens, like ND or CPL?

[@mikesphotography]

I sometimes do, but for this one, I didn't. I use a CPL sometimes, but not all the time. I also have ND filters but these are for when I want to accentuate the movement of something through the frame, like clouds or water. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@andysuzierawlins5462]

We don't really get snow in Southampton, but it is tricky to know how to shoot in snow on the very rare occasions when we get it, lol

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! I know what you mean, I used to live in Bournemouth and I think over a 5 year period, we only got snow once ... for a morning. It was absolute chaos and someone crashed into me ... 😆🙈 It's amazing now we're living in mid Wales, how much more it rains up here!! As always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@alvinmorris5404]

Maybe I missed it but I don't remember the sunny 16 rule being mentioned? aperture set at 16 iso at 100 shutter at 1/100th for a start

[@mikesphotography]

Ah yes, the sunny 16 rule. I haven't heard of that one for a while. I used to use that all the time when I used to shoot with film. Like you said, it is a good place to start from though. Thanks for watching Alvin 😁👍

[@alvinmorris5404]

@Mike Smith yes it's stuck in my head along with several other things I learned from Bryan Peterson he's a great teacher and I've found that you're an equally talented teacher, I think 🤔 the key is that both are willing to admit to making mistakes and even showing them and that makes it real...an much easier to learn 👍thank you 😊 I wanted to ask if you have ever been a professional mountain biker, that name boxhead Mike sounds familiar 🤔

[@MarkSweeting_]

I was talking to a guy in a camera shop earlier talking about zoom and shutter speed. He says whatever the zoom mm is then double it for shutter speed for a clear shot to help image stabilization. Is that a general good rule of thumb? I noticed you didn't do it this vid (I knew however why you had slower speed with the snow though) Will watch your vids for shutter speed Vs zoom mm.

[@mikesphotography]

Hi Mark, It all depends on what you shoot with. If you use the APS-C system, like the A6000 series of cameras, or the Canon m50, or the Nikon Z50, then this is correct. To get a decent shot handheld, you double your focal length number to get your minimum shutter speed. However, if you shoot full frame, like the Nikon Z7, The Canon R5 or the Sony A7 series, then you match that number. SO if I was shooting at 200mm, I'd need to be at 1/200 second to get a decent single shot handheld. ... now there is a little bit of a caveat to how I shoot ... On this shoot and in a few others, I put it in drive mode and take 5-10 shots. One of these will then be taken where the camera is perfectly still, and I'll be able to get a sharp image with a much lower shutter speed. I did a video on it not so long ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3awf2ita9F9icU where I talk about the drive mode as a tool to get sharp images with relatively slow shutter speeds. I might have asked this before, but what camera do you shoot with?

[@MarkSweeting_]

@@mikesphotography Hiya. Sony RX10 M3 mainly and I also have a RX100m4 which I don't use much anymore

[@chryseass.5143]

Mike, do you enable zebras to show where highlights are being blown? Do you find trying to photograph snow has any similarities to photographing sand dunes or is it a question that the light is completely different? Do you change your white balance setting at all or do you leave it in Auto? I was trying to photograph a small pile of snow the other day ( for documentary reasons - not aesthetic!) and really struggled to find the right settings to make it stand out against the white background of the snow covered road directly behind it. I really cranked up the contrast and played around with other sliders in post processing to get some separation from the background. We do have plenty of opportunity to capture snow here in Canada and it can look spectacular as long as you don't have to shovel (or drive) in it!

[@mikesphotography]

Haha! I bet you have some great opportunities in Canada!! I have zebras on all the time, but this is more to control the exposure of the sky, so when I see them, I know I'll have to do something about that part of the frame, if it is important to what I am shooting. I pretty much have my white balance set to daylight and keep it there. Because of the WB latitude in RAW, I then mess around with the WB slider when editing ... and I see it as more of a creative tool, unless I'm having to shoot realistic colours for a client ... then I'll take a grey card with me to the shoot and photograph that in the light that I will be shooting in. When photographing something like that pile of snow, the best bet is to find a contrasting background, I'd try to get down to the same level as the pile, and try to put some dark trees or something that is a different colour behind it. And maybe out of focus background as well, this will then make it stand out. The problem is that if there are two things in the frame of the same colour, then it is hard to differentiate between the two ... a bit like that tree by the frozen lake in this video, blending in with the trees behind it ( at 9:05). They were both the same colour so it was almost impossible to make the closer tree stand out from the woods in the background. I hope that makes sense. As always thanks for watching 😁👍

[@HawaiiBeach]

Best time of day? Golden hours, dawn, dusk as best for snow?

[@apb3251]

What white balance advice would you have for these types of scenes

[@mikesphotography]

That's a good question. I shoot in RAW with the daylight preset and then play around with the colour balance when editing. This is the only real way to get it exactly how you want it as you have so much more control in the editing suit. Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@apb3251]

@@mikesphotography thank you for the tip and for the content you create.

[@davidletz9123]

Thanks for the tips, although it rarely snows where I live. ☹️

[@mikesphotography]

Ah man, I know what you mean ... I've lived in Asia for the past two years and it never really dropped below 30 degrees C where we were, so I'm really enjoying it at the moment. Although give it a few more months and I'll be ready for some warm weather again ... Sounds like it's time to go on a trip to somewhere that has lots of snow!! Thanks for watching 😁👍

[@hangerbird]

Another question... an issue I have when shooting during the snowing, fog, rain, etc. how do you address the issue of the snow or fog, etc. resting on the lens? In this video, I don't see you using a lens hood of any sort. I live by the ocean and when I try to shoot a scene in the fog, well, the lens gets condensation on it. All I can do is wipe it down; but I see you in this video shooting away, during the falling snow, with not concerns about the snow landing on your lens.

[@mikesphotography]

Good question. Fogging on the lens normally happens when there is a big temperature difference between the inside of the lens and the ambient temp. When I used to live in the middle east, if I had my camera gear inside in the AC, the lens would fog up when I went outside until the temp in the lens got to the same level as the ambient temperature. So I would often put my camera bag somewhere safe where there was no AC, so it would all be ready to go and all at the same temp. In situations like this with falling snow and rain, I have a lens cloth with me and I try to keep the camera facing down, until I want to take a shot. The camera I filmed with did get a little more foggy because of the snowflakes hitting it, so I was wiping that one a lot more. I hope that makes sense.

[@hangerbird]

@@mikesphotography Yeah, you were doing (off screen) what I have to do.

[@asduoalt]

4 fucking pictures