I have a love-hate relationship with winter. I’m not a big fan of the cold, but when it comes to photography, winter is a different story. There’s nothing like a fresh blanket of snow to transform a landscape scene. While the basics of landscape photography apply year-round, my approach and preparation change when winter arrives. Improving your winter photo compositions can elevate your winter photography skills. Here are some tips to help you improve your winter compositions.
Use the Winter Light: Light is the essence of photography. In winter, the golden hour lasts longer, giving you more time to capture the perfect shot. The sun’s lower angle creates longer shadows and dramatic lighting, making it an ideal time for landscape photography. The winter sun is lower in the sky, providing soft and diffused light. The early morning and late afternoon create beautiful long shadows and vibrant contrasts.
Highlight the distinctive qualities of winter: For photography, winter offers a unique and captivating set of features that can make your images truly stand out. Winter has distinct features that set it apart from other seasons, primarily ice and snow. Make these elements the focal point of your compositions to highlight their unique beauty.
Focus on Color Contrasts: Winter landscapes often have a neutral color palette. Look for contrasts, like dark trees against a white snowy background, to create visual interest. Winter brings its own serene beauty, but don’t forget to seek out any splash of color amid the icy landscapes. Whether it’s a vibrant scarf, a cardinal in the snow, or the glow of a sunset reflecting off the frost, these bursts of color can add depth and contrast to your winter compositions.
Simplify the Scene: Winter landscapes can be minimalist. Emphasize simple compositions, such as lone trees or figures in the snow, to tell a more focused story without distractions. Consider these composition techniques to enhance your winter photos: Use snow as negative space to isolate your subject, allowing it to stand out against the vast, open backdrop. Look for natural leading lines formed by snow drifts or ice patterns to guide the viewer’s eye through the scene. Incorporate elements like houses, people, trees, rocks, or mountain peaks as focal points to anchor your composition and add interest.
Embrace the Night: Nighttime snow scenes can be enchanting, especially in the city or countryside. Fresh snow on the ground reflects the soft glow from streetlights, creating a bright, almost ethereal atmosphere that makes it easier to capture vibrant winter photos after dark. Look for subjects of interest to include in the foreground.
Capture Motion and Texture: Snowflakes, gusts of wind, or animal tracks can add dynamic elements. Show texture in snow and ice to bring the scene to life, emphasizing fine details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Protect your equipment: Winter scenery is stunning, but shooting outdoors in freezing temperatures for long periods can take a toll on your gear. Camera batteries deplete faster in cold weather, which can limit the number of shots you get. To combat this, keep a spare battery warm in an inner pocket of your winter coat, where your body heat will help preserve its charge. (give Hahnel Extreme batteries a try) A rain cover is also essential to keep your camera and lens dry in snowy conditions.
Include People for Scale: There are several reasons why I choose to include people in my photos: They help to tell a story; they provide a sense of scale and they provide a point of interest. Including a person in the frame can make the vastness of winter landscapes more relatable.
Control the White Balance: Auto White Balance (AWB) automatically detects and adjusts a scene’s color tint to capture the most accurate image. However, snowy landscapes against bright blue skies can sometimes appear overly blue in photos. If your snow shots look too blue, try changing the White Balance from AWB to Shade or Cloudy. This adjustment adds warmer tones to counteract the blue tint. For a well-balanced, natural look, aim for a subtle blue hue with neutral highlights.
The Finishing Touch
For this “Winter” collection, I decided to use the Hahnemühle FineArt Hemp paper. I was always intrigued by this paper, so I had to give it a go. This Hemp paper uses one of the oldest and most diverse natural fibres in the world and is made of 60% hemp fibre and 40% cotton. It has a weight of 290 gsm and features a bright white natural tone, achieved without the use of optical brighteners. Its lightly textured matte surface provides a pleasant, silky feel, making it versatile for various printing applications. The paper is acid- and lignin-free, meeting the highest standards for age resistance and longevity, so it was perfect for this “Winter” collection. Why not give it a try?
Happy Shooting & Printing!
Peter Dulis