How to improve your winter landscape photography skills!

Would you like to learn more about winter landscape photography?

In this article I would like to share some useful winter landscape photography tips with you.

1. Look for a color contrast.
When the snow is falling, the landscape changes drastically.  So much of the landscape becomes white that it can be quite challenging to find a focal element, as nothing really stands out.

When you are selecting your main focus, or focal point of your photo, search for a color contrast in the landscape. During days like this, you can search for elements of color that stand out in the otherwise white landscape.

Windmills in snow storm at Zaanse Schans. Here I have used the color contrast from the green windmill as the main focal point.

2. Use the natural light during sunrise and sunset. 
During winter time, the sunrise and sunset can be very dramatic, especially right before or after snow storms. Keep in mind that during winter, the sun rises later in the day and sets much earlier.

An extra tip is that the light after sunset can be extraordinary. Elements of for example blue, pink or yellow can contribute to creating a photo with a special color light.

Unexpected colors appeared during this sunrise in the small town of Vigeland, Norway.

3. Increase the exposure setting on your camera for sunny and bright photo conditions.
When you are shooting during sunny and bright winter conditions, or trying to capture the pure whiteness of the fresh snow, adjust your exposure compensation by +0.3 or +0.7. Cameras don’t know that you are shooting snow, so you have to tell the camera that you are shooting something bright and adjust your exposure. This way you get the desired snow colors.

Sunny winter day in the small town of Evje, Norway. By increasing the exposure slightly I was able to capture more details of this landscape.

4. Take good care of your camera and the batteries in the cold.
Consider a weather protection cover for your camera when you are out in the snow or rain. Batteries lose their power when exposed to low temperatures. You can easily cheat the cold by keeping your spare batteries warm. Just keep the extra batteries in your inner pocket, and close to your body heat. Another very useful tip is to wait ten minutes before turning your camera on after coming in from the cold.  Electronic equipment in general need some time to adjust to sudden temperature changes.

5. Make use of natures special effects.
Is it snowing or did someone mention fog? This is your chance to go and get some unique photos. These weather conditions can create awesome effects in your winter landscape photos. When this landscape unfolded during a road trip in Norway, we just had to stop and get some photos.

Winter landscape photo of Audnadalen in Norway. The fog is floating on the mountain side and the river is frozen.

6. Try to shoot during blue hour.
Take a walk after sunset during winter and experience first hand the special blue light that can add that magical atmosphere to your photos.

Good luck and stay warm!

Photo taken during blue hour of a frozen lake in Norway. The broken ice in front of the rock makes a great foreground.

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