10 Tips to Take Winter Travel Photos

Did you know that the coldest time of the year is from mid January to mid February? While some choose to stay at home and edit photos, winter provides plenty creative photo opportunities, from snow covered-landscapes, arctic wildlife to winter sports, they are all favored among photographers. The only drawback is getting out of your warm and cozy home or car. So, here are some tips we have collected to help you brave the cold and get the most of your winter travel photos.

1. Avoid Moisture Condensation on Your Camera

Keeping your camera cold avoids fogging the lenses and viewfinder because moisture does not condense on your camera when you move from warm cozy rooms or cars to cold outdoor air. The problem is when you go back indoors. So, once your camera is in open air, you don’t have to keep it in your jacket.

When you head back indoors, put your camera in a plastic bag or cover it with a towel. Moisture condensation will settle on the outside of the bag or towel instead of on the camera. Place your camera in a cool location away from the heater for a couple of hours until it rises up to room temperature. This way you can protect the electronic parts of your camera.
 
2. Keep the Batteries Warm

Cold weather drains battery power. Make sure you carry extra batteries in your pocket and keep them close to your body. A good practice is to swap batteries. If you notice the battery in your camera is waning out, replace it with the warm battery in your pocket. The power will return when you warm the cold battery in your pocket.

3. Get the Right Exposure

Taking photos of snow can be tricky. Some cameras can not capture the white correctly. If you find snow look grayish in your photos, increase the exposure compensation by +0.3 to +0.7, you will be able to capture the pure whiteness of snow. There are times I like to keep a bluish cold look for the snow, against a warm colors of the trees, houses or even a person.

4. Winter Minimalist Photographs

Winter is the best time of the year for outdoor minimalist photography. The landscape is covered with snow and the sky is a solid grey, any subject you photograph will stand out. It’s amazing how the art of less can create powerful images.

5. Create high-key photographs

A foggy, miserable winter day can give you the best opportunity to create up-lifting high-key images. Snow-covered lands are nature’s backdrop for high-key portrait, wild-life or landscape photography.

6. Capture Winter Activities

In the winter time, light intensity is limited. In order to freeze action with winter sports, you'll need to dial up your ISO (depending on the weather or light condition) or use lenses with a large aperture at least 2.8 or wider.

7. Shoot at dawn or dusk

The golden hours are the best time for winter landscape photography. The warm light of the skies combined with the cold blue tones of snow create magical visuals.

8. Embrace Abstracts

Look for shapes, shadows, patterns, colors and contrasts. They make interesting abstracts or subjects to tell a winter tale.

9. Keep Yourself Warm

Be prepared to face the wind and cold. Dress in layers, invest in good hats, boots and gloves, especially if you are venturing out in the wild. Speaking of gloves, I always carry at least 2 pairs, a thin one for dexterity and the thick pair for insulation when it gets really cold.

10. Edit Your Photos

Never delete your photos on site. It’s hard to tell from the tiny preview panel on the camera. Instead bring a lot of memory cards and after you get home preview your photos using the workflow software, PhotoDirector. Its organizing features let you pick and categorize photos in a very efficient manner.

You can also use PhotoDirector to fix white balance, improve overcast skies, remove blue hues, bring out colors, reduce noise, and most common problems in winter photography.

New to PhotoDirector? Click here to learn more.

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