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Photo Masterclass part 13: Cold weather
To improve your photography in cold weather, download the pdf at the bottom of the page.
Frost, ice and snow not only change the appearance of the world around us, but also the way animals behave. This offers great possibilities for taking unusual, beautifully lit photographs. One of the biggest challenges is staying warm!
Many of the best wildlife photographs are taken when the going gets really tough. Whether it’s dark and moody or crisp and sunny, winter photographic opportunities are limitless.
Snow-covered fields, frosted plants, mist hanging gently over a calm lake, icicles suspended from a branch and leaves trapped in an icy pond are just some of the fantastic possibilities.
Then there are the animals themselves. The trick is to look for details that really say ‘cold’ – a bird hunkered down in its feathers, a fox with its frosty breath hanging in the air or the ice on a walrus’s moustache.
Winter light is cause for celebration, too. It can be gorgeous – even in the middle of the day. The sun stays relatively low in the sky from dawn until dusk, providing extended opportunities for low contrast, side-lit shooting.
And, of course, there’s the added bonus that shorter days offer more congenial working hours (unless of course you’re like this month’s expert photographer, Staffan Widstrand, who shoots through the night).
There is no reason why your camera should not stand up to the cold and function in extreme conditions. The one piece of equipment that doesn’t like freezing temperatures is the battery, but we’ll be explaining how to slow down the power drain that is the bane of cold weather photographers. And we’ll be sorting out the inevitable exposure problems caused by bright snow and ice.
So this month, we’ll be wrapping up, braving the elements and taking some of the best pictures of the year.
MEET THE EXPERT: Staffan Widstrand, Sweden
Stockholm-based photographer Staffan Widstrand loves the cold. “Chilly temperatures mean more beautiful colours, clearer air and special light,” he enthuses. “Temperature is so fundamental to Arctic photography that I can look at a picture and tell how cold it was when it was taken.”
“The main challenge is keeping warm,” he says. “If you get too cold, you develop a negative attitude and quickly lose your creativity.” Another challenge is finding the wildlife. “Arctic animals are wonderful to photograph,” he says, “but they are few and far between. I spend as much time searching for subjects as I do photographing them.”
Staffan likes to set himself long-term goals. He has just spent four years on his Wild Sweden project, which includes pictures of wildlife, wilderness and people.
He is an ardent conservationist and the project, which involves everything from kayaking to reindeer trekking, emphasises the enjoyment of nature. “I don’t just shoot commercial images,” he says. “I shoot because I get fired up about the natural world and want to show people what we are doing to it.”
Staffan describes himself as a ‘picture-aholic’. “I can’t resist studying pictures of all kinds,” he says, “and I am always sketching ideas. I love wishing for things to happen, because sometimes wishes come true.”
Top of his wishlist is the snowy owl. “Despite all my years in the Arctic, I’ve only seen it once – and that was from miles away,” he laughs. “But I don’t give up easily.”
Staffan Widstrand’s top cold weather photography tips
- Keep your batteries warm
Modern cameras work amazingly well in sub-zero temperatures, but their batteries are highly susceptible to cold. Lithium batteries are best, but even they should always be well protected from the elements, hidden away in a pocket or bag. Just remember not to put them right next to your body or they will collect condensation.
- Make the most of the light
The mistake many photographers make is to get up too late and go to bed too early. You should be out taking pictures long before first light and then long after the sun has disappeared below the horizon. This picture was taken during a mid-winter day in Svalbard, with an exposure of half an hour.
YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: Mark Carwardine shows you how to apply the theory to get the perfect picture.
Take control of exposure
- Don’t rely on your camera to expose snow and ice correctly. The built-in metering system is likely to underexpose and, unless you take matters into your own hands, will turn prize-winning pure white into miserable mid-tone grey.
- Switch your camera to manual and open up your aperture by one or two stops. It’s worth experimenting to get that pure white colour.
- Get your exposure exactly right by first pointing your camera at a neutral tone – such as an 18 per cent grey card, available from most camera shops – rather than immediately at bright snow.
Work with shadows
- Use fill-flash to reduce deep shadows. A little flash (set between minus two-thirds and minus two stops to keep things looking natural) helps eliminate dark areas, especially in eyes of predators.
- Experiment with a reflector (available from camera shops – or make your own with white paper or aluminium foil wrapped around a sheet of cardboard) to soften harsh shadows.
- Make the most of shadows formed by the low winter sun and use the longest and most dramatic to create moody landscapes. Be careful to ensure that your own shadow stays out of the picture.
Experiment with snow
- Try using snow as a reflector as it throws light into shaded areas and brings out colour without creating excessive contrast.
- Look for the impact of low sun as it rakes across the snow – it will show more detail and texture the nearer it is to the horizon.
- Use a split neutral-density filter. This square or rectangular filter is half clear and half dark – simply position the dark half over the brightest part of the image to balance the exposure. Used upside-down, it will help to darken and retain detail in snowy areas positioned low in the composition.
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