AAA Photo Session: Winter Photography

Arctic temperatures and snow push many people inside their homes for the winter season. Not photographers though! Many squeal in delight at the sight of a fresh snowfall or a frozen waterfall. While winter photography presents some unique obstacles, they can easily be overcome if you know what you are doing.

Six Tips for Winter Photography

Follow these winter photography tips, then use the form below to share your best shot with the Your AAA community! Next month, we’ll update this post with all the pictures we receive and feature our favorites on our social media channels. Your photo may also be featured in an upcoming print issue of Your AAA.

Check Your Exposure

The brightness of snow can sometimes throw your camera’s meter off. You can end up with an image that is too bright or too gray depending on the light that day. Always check the back of your camera to make sure you have the correct exposure. Use your exposure compensation button to increase or decrease the light.

Fresh Is Best

Snow is best captured after a fresh snowfall. Look for snow that hasn’t been trampled by feet or vehicles. This may mean waking up before the rest of the world to capture it in its pristine beauty.

Freeze Motion

If it is snowing outside and you want to capture the snowfall in action make sure you have a fast shutter speed. Anything over 1/300^th of a second will freeze the motion. Use a telephoto lens and set it to your largest aperture value (ie: f/2.8 – f/4), then zoom in on your subject. Doing so will cause compression in your image which will bring the snowfall in the back and front of your image to be closer to the subject resulting in an image that shows more snowfall action.

Learn more about aperture, shutter speed and other camera settings.

Show Motion

Waterfalls are really fun to photograph in the winter especially if you catch them before they completely freeze over or when they have started to melt. To show motion in the water you will need two things a slow shutter speed and a tripod to keep your camera steady. I recommend a shutter speed of 1/6^th  of a second or slower.

Heat It Up

Camera and phone batteries drain fast in cold temperatures. I recommend keeping your spare batteries and phone in an inner pocket of your coat.

Inside Out

Those who are not huge fans of the cold will argue that the ideal winter scene is the warm and cozy confines of their home. If it’s too freezing for you to venture outside, find inspiration around you. Try photographing your winter lifestyle indoors. Take pictures of the view from outside your window or capture the intricate details of frost as it forms on your window.

These days, whether you want to or not, we’ve all had to spend a lot of time indoors. The silver lining is that it’s a great time to begin a photography hobby. Look into getting a new camera, stock up on equipment or play around with taking photos with your phone. We have a bunch of photography tips right here on Your AAA to get you started.

Photo Release Form

Thank you for participating in this Your AAA Photo Session!

But first, please sign our photo release form. We can’t share your photo without your permission.

Submit Your Photo

One submission per person. Deadline 1/28/2021.

Check out past AAA Photo Sessions.

Beth Mancuso is a professional landscape and travel photographer. All photos are hers. Follow Beth @intothewild.wego.