Debunking Snow Photography.

Today I might complain a little about snow. But in fact I’m going to talk about making ultra great images in the snow. Put on your coats and let’s get our there! But watch this short video first.

So yes snow is that simple. My only real problem with snow is that it’s cold on wet. But it’s great to photograph.  That does not mean a great image is simple however and when you know the workings of light you get to focus on the artistry of the image and that’s when things really open up and challenge us. Exposure should be easy and you should check out the EXposed workshop if you’ve not seen it for the most complete and simple study on mastering it.

One important foundation here is that your meter always uses 15%, or middle grey as the baseline. Most photographers don’t understand that. With in camera meters it’s the same, but most cameras use multi matrix metering by default. This is code for a computer is guessing what your exposure should be. If you want to really know the exposure, switch to the spot metering mode and go to work.

Stars of Coldest Night - Snoqualmie WA, 2010.

When your meters line is centered, that is Zone 5. From there you can move up it down, placing the subject in whatever Zone you want. Jut go try it. The lights will come on and we deal with this and every other exposure foundation in depth in the EXposed videos. They will change your life. Let me know how this works for you and what else you’d like us to talk about. — Seim

 

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About the Author

Glad you're here.

I'm from WA State USA and started studying photography in 97. I started work as a pro (using that word loosely because I sucked) using film at age 16. I learned fast but was not as easy to find training then. Sometimes I beat my head against the wall until I figured stuff out.

As digital dawned I went all in and got to study with masters like Ken Whitmire. In 09 I founded the Pro Photo Show podcast. I started promoting tone-focused editing. When Lightroom arrived, I started developing tools to make editing and workflow better.

20 years of study and photography around the country earned me a Master of Photography (M.Photog) from PPA. I got to see my workshops and tools featured in publications across the industry. Once I even won the prestigious HotOne award for my "EXposed" light and tone workshop.

Wanting something calmer, I moved to Mexico in 2017. It's a land of magical light. I'm here now exploring light and trying to master my weak areas. I make videos of that for my Youtube channel, sharing what I learn. I hope you'll stick around and be part of Light Hunters Tribe... Gavin

Gavin Seim

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