They say that the best camera you own is the one you have with you. I don’t know who “they” are, but I definitely agree. However, I would add that the best camera you own is the one that’s with you and accessible.
5 Tips for Taking Winter Photos
As a photographer, and like many Minnesotans, I look forward to and enjoy winter. At least I think I do until the shortest, coldest days of the year roll though and I find myself hibernating indoors, looking at photos from the past summer wondering why I still live here.
Sometimes I just need some inspiration to get outside and photograph the beauty that Minnesota winters have to offer, especially close to home and in any of the Three Rivers parks.
Every time I do get out to shoot photos, whether it’s in sub-zero temperatures or snowing an inch an hour, I come away thinking it was totally worth it! And I hope to offer you some inspiration to get out there as well with a few helpful tips to make your next photo adventure successful, even if you’re just out on a short walk shooting with your phone as your camera.
During the Thanksgiving snowstorms we recently experienced, I decided to head out for a casual walk at Hyland Lake Park Reserve and was surprised with one of the most beautiful and unexpected photographic experiences I have had in a long time, which included snow-covered trees and two large white-tailed buck!
No matter where I go, I find that winter landscapes are always incredibly dynamic, with each outing different from the last.
As for favorite locations, any Three Rivers park is great in the winter, from the less-traveled Anderson Lakes to expansive Hyland Lake to Gale Woods Farm, where something interesting is always happening.
The most important thing is to just get out there!
When you do decide to venture out to take photos in the great white winter of the North, here are a few things that will help you come away with shots you love:
1. Take Advantage of the Golden Hour
If you’re not familiar with this term, it’s that magical time after sunrise and before sunset where the sun is low on the horizon and creates beautiful light.
In the summer, you might only get an hour or so of golden hour light, but in the winter, the sun never gets high overhead, so the golden hour light is available much longer, giving you more time to shoot!
In addition to the golden hour, I always recommend heading out to shoot before sunrise or staying out after sunset. These are the times when wildlife is most active, parks are less crowded, and the sky can surprise you with a pop of color.
2. Layer Up (Your Hands)
Keep your trigger finger (and all the others) warm! I like to use a thin pair of gloves, ideally with touchscreen-friendly fabric, layered with a thicker mitten.
This way, you can keep your layered mittens on when you’re hiking, then quickly remove the mitten layer when you want to shoot and need the extra dexterity.
Put something in the foreground
Yellowstone’s vast, open landscapes can be difficult to capture in a photograph. Composing your photograph with a person, animal, or natural feature in the frame will give your image a nice sense of scale.
Photo by Jenny Golding
Seek out color
While some winter days can be bright and sunny, it’s just as often that the light is dull and flat. Don’t let grey skies deter you! Look for color in the grasses and willows of the northern range, or in the deep hues of thermal features to brighten up your composition.
Try black and white
Winter pictures can often look the same – white landscape, green trees, grey sky. Mix it up by looking for contrast between light and dark. Most modern cameras—including your cellphone—have a black and white setting. If not, you can change it to black and white with a little post editing in your phone’s image editor or a program like Lightroom or Photoshop.
Photo by Jenny Golding
