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How to get the right Exposure for snow.

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Mark H U

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Hi Everyone.

It is a beautiful day today, I thought I would take some winter scenes. I had limited success as you can see.



My settings;
Nikon D50
Lens: 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 G
Focal Length: 35mm
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Metering Mode: Center-Weighted
1/250 sec - F/29
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Optimize Image: Normal
White Balance: Direct sunlight
AF Mode: AF-A
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Color Mode: Mode IIIa (sRGB)
Tone Comp.: Auto
Hue Adjustment: 0°
Saturation: Normal
Sharpening: Auto

I had tried various settings on the camera but can't get the right exposure.
Any tips would be appreicated.

Sure I can do some post processing, but I would rather get it right the 1st time. I'll try agin and play around with the ev settings, maybe that will help.
Thanks Mark
 
As far as I know the metering system is going to make 100% white into 18% grey..
So you have to compensate by +EV.. Couldn't tell you by how much though ;)
 
Mark H U said:
My settings;
Nikon D50
Lens: 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 G
Focal Length: 35mm
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Metering Mode: Center-Weighted
1/250 sec - F/29
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Optimize Image: Normal
White Balance: Direct sunlight
AF Mode: AF-A
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Color Mode: Mode IIIa (sRGB)
Tone Comp.: Auto
Hue Adjustment: 0°
Saturation: Normal
Sharpening: Auto

I had tried various settings on the camera but can't get the right
exposure.
Any tips would be appreicated.

Sure I can do some post processing, but I would rather get it right
the 1st time. I'll try agin and play around with the ev settings,
maybe that will help.
Thanks Mark
Click to expand...
Use matrix metering instead of center weighted. Often the matrix can "guess " that its a snow scen. You may have to compensate anyway somewhat, but in my experinece the matrix works well. If you use centerweighted you have to use 1-2 stops compensation.

--

http://www.pbase.com/interactive
http://tri-xstories.blogspot.com
 
Grey snow is an easy fix....just dial up your EV by +.3 (ish) to make snow whiter.

Simple as that. Your cameras meter wants to make snow grey so you have to "fool it" to get a white shade in snow.
 
That's right, adjust your settings. Shoot in Manual, Aperture, or Shutter Priority and use +0.3 or +0.7. That worked for me yesterday.
--
How about me not blaming you for everything...
How about me enjoying the moment for once...
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you...
How about grieving it all one at a time...

From 'Thank You' by Alanis Morissette



http://allmeans.smugmug.com/
 
Thanks everyone.
I changed the metering to multipattern and did Exposure Comp.: +1.3 EV
A bit too much. I'll have to play around in the snow a bit:)

Now I have to wait for another good day and the light is right.
Bye
Mark
 
This is from John Shaw's "Nature Photography Field Guide", Page 28; (highly recommended BTW)....

Photographing Snow....

"The solution is simple: All you need to do is meter the snow itself and place it as whatever tone you want it to appear. That sounds easy; snow is white, so you should meter it and open up two stops, right? Not necessarily. Here's a question to ask yourself: Exactly what tone is that snow, really? If it's pure white, meter that pure white area only (use an narrow-area metering pattern such a spot metering to do this) and open up 2 stops from the meter reading. But if there's a lot of detail in the snow - if it's sidelit, that is - then 2 stops will be too light. Sidelit snow, where you can see every crystalline detail of every surface flake, is not pure white. All those tiny shadows add up, so that in reality, textured snow is about 1-1/3 to 1-1/2 stops lighter than medium tone. Snow in the shadows on a sunny day can vary from a medium placement to 1 stop lighter, and snow on an overcast day has no detail in it at all."

--

Gary; Casual hobbyist - equipment listed in profile
 
There are many approaches to getting good exposure for snow quite accurately - the easiest is probably just to increase your exposure compensation until you start seeing some clipping in your brightness preview - assuming you can actually see you preview on the back of the camera when you are out in the blinding day light.

You can also use a gray card approach - are you familiar with that?

Cheers,
Peter
Mark H U said:
Hi Everyone.
It is a beautiful day today, I thought I would take some winter
scenes. I had limited success as you can see.



My settings;
Nikon D50
Lens: 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 G
Focal Length: 35mm
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Metering Mode: Center-Weighted
1/250 sec - F/29
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Optimize Image: Normal
White Balance: Direct sunlight
AF Mode: AF-A
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Color Mode: Mode IIIa (sRGB)
Tone Comp.: Auto
Hue Adjustment: 0°
Saturation: Normal
Sharpening: Auto

I had tried various settings on the camera but can't get the right
exposure.
Any tips would be appreicated.

Sure I can do some post processing, but I would rather get it right
the 1st time. I'll try agin and play around with the ev settings,
maybe that will help.
Thanks Mark
Click to expand...
--
Peter Waldvogel

Nikon D80
Nikon D70
Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX
Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS ED-IF VR
Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 D
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D
Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 (Kit Lens)
Nikon SB600
Sekonic L-508 Zoom Master
 
Hi Gary,

Good point, I will try what you suggest. And I forgot that I have a book from Shaw. I'll check it out. Thanks.
:)
Mark
 
Hi Peter,
I have heard of grey card but not familiar. I'll have to read up on it.

But your right, its hard to see the display on the camera. Plus my eyes squint a bit so I have to wear sunglasses. Its a real challenge eh!
Thanks, Mark
 
And if you don't have a gray card handy, meter your palm and opening up a stop works for most Caucasian folks. Best to test it...

OPT (Old Photographer's Trick)
 
I'm taking pictures in snow just about every day this time of year and have been doing so for several years.

I HAVE NOT found any pre-setting that solves my exposure/white balance problems.

Usually I spot meter on a subject, lock exposure and focus, and shoot. My camera is usually set at +.7 or +.3. I shoot RAW. Then in PP is usually have to boost the exposure by at least another .5. Next I struggle with white balance. Most of the original shots have a blue cast.

Here are a few shots I've taken over the past two or three days. I don't usually shoot snow for its own sake.







There are few more similar shots in this snow gallery that I just created for this purpose:

http://newfoundlander.smugmug.com/gallery/2515285#132091480

So, continue to struggle with your snow exposures. I don't bracket, but I think if I had a little more patience and took this a little more seriously, I certainly would.
--
Art
Newfoundland, Canada
http://www.artandcarol.ca

 
I am in the same boat learning good snow exposure. I am getting the hang of it though. I could not see your original pic, but all I can say is practice. With experience it'll get easier. Here is one from the 20 in of snow we just got here in WI this weekend. This snow drift is literally about 4.5 ft high & looks like a wave. This pic was outside my back door at my apartment so sorry for the distractions on the pic, but that comes with shooting a pic at an apartment. Do you all think this exposure is correct? Critique wanted for exposure.

specs:
overcast day
D70 w/ 18-70 kit
Manual mode
WB=shade 0
18MM
f/18
1/10 sec

 
For anything with snow, I've been trying manual exposure, spot meter the snow near the subject, add 1 1/3 to 1 2/3 stops, take a test shot, check for blinkies & histogram, adjust, try again.

Hard to not blow some of the snow on a sunny day.



 
Hi, these two last shots are excellent. Good advice; I too have snow metering challenges. I'll try your technique.
--
Jon

http://jules7.smugmug.com/
 
Those are very nice images. Lovely fine detail in the feathers. What lens please - and how far away were you?

I agree with you about checking for flashing highlights by the way.

David
 
.. says meter and then increase exposure by one or two stops.

I tried that on a recent skiing trip in France and found that it was a sure fire recipe for blown highlights in most landscapes if the sun was out. I found best results under these circumstances was to rely on matrix metering, perhaps trying a +.3EV, checking for blinking highlights then putting it back to 0 if there were any.

Sample, pano from the Grande Motte glacier:



David
 
Thx for the kind comments David & Jon. Although I may have gotten a little carried away with the USM.

300 f4 AFS with Kenko PRO DG TC14, 12ft away, hanging out a window.

RE
 
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