One of my favorite times of the year to get out and do photography is winter. The crowds are thinner outdoors since fewer people want to brave the elements, and I get to shoot snowy or icy scenes that don’t exist any other time of year. Today I want to give you some ideas for how to change your shooting habits to make the most of winter photography conditions.
Go places where other people won’t.
I believe the main reason people don’t get out and shoot in the winter as often is because it’s uncomfortable and inconvenient. So by getting outside with your camera in the first place, you’re already sharing the space with a lot fewer photographers than you would be in the summer. That said, if you want to elevate your winter photography to a new level, put on your warm clothes and get off the beaten path. In January 2022, I hiked a short but somewhat treacherous trail to a popular waterfall. It was cold and I had to be careful not to slip on the terrain, but I had the trail and the destination all to myself for the entire duration of the outing. I’ve been to this waterfall plenty of times, and it is a completely different world when it’s frozen.
Below is a photo was taken a quarter mile up a steep mountain face in Provo Canyon - not even on a trail. I had to trudge through snow up to my knees and a steep incline to get here, but I think I can confidently say nobody else ever photographed this untouched stand of scrub oak against the opposing canyon wall.
Don’t look for color, look for shapes, textures, and tones.
Color doesn’t factor as heavily into the landscape when all the leaves are dried up or gone from the trees, all the water is frozen and often covered in snow, and there are no flowers to be found. To me, this makes mountainous landscapes all the more imposing and dramatic. Focus in on elements of nature beyond color when deciding how to compose your photo. As an ancillary point here, most winter landscapes will look better in an intentional black & white than they do in muted shades of dead tan, muddy brown, and bluish gray. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to break out the black & white film (or just shoot RAW with the intention of converting to monochrome in post), this is me giving you that excuse. Black & white photos can get away with emphasized contrast between light and dark parts of the scene more easily than color photos without looking overbaked.
The other cool part about taking your focus off of finding color is that tones, textures, and shapes often look their best in overcast light. I love going out on a cloudy winter afternoon and enjoying the freedom that comes from not being tied to the “golden hours” near sunrise and sunset.
If you do find color, use it.
Perhaps somewhat in opposition to the last point, when color is present, it often pops out from the more dreary background a lot more than it otherwise would. These photos have as their primary subject a splash of warm color juxtaposed against the cool, grayish, unsaturated tones more commonly found in winter.
Stay warm.
This one seems obvious, and I do include it not just from the perspective of staying safe in an unforgiving environment, but also because nothing stops the creative juices from flowing more quickly than freezing them. Even with a high tolerance for cold, if I’m uncomfortable, I’m far less likely to want to wander around and experiment with different lenses or angles. It gets way easier to just snap some shots so I can say I did, and then pack up so I can head back to the warm car sooner. Proper preparation as far as winter clothing will make a noticeable difference in the quality of your photos when you’re out in sub-freezing temperatures.
If you haven’t ventured into the great outdoors much during the winter, I encourage you to load up your camera bag and give it a try. You’ll find beautiful things you don’t get to photograph any other time of year.