Magnificent mountain ranges, vast landscapes and exceptional lighting conditions in the snow – that’s what makes photographing snow-covered mountains so challenging and unique. Memories of your last skiing holiday can be wonderfully captured in atmospheric images. You don’t necessarily need a high-quality SLR camera to capture these motifs at their best. You can also achieve unimaginably beautiful results with a smartphone or action cam. SnowTrex has 10 tips on how winter sports enthusiasts can become experts in snow photography.
1. Choose an appealing motif
Taking photos in the mountains is great fun. But here, too, it’s all about choosing the right subject. Every picture has a message. You should realise what you want the picture to convey to the viewer. What is in the foreground, what is in the background? If the background is too prominent, for example, it distracts from the actual desired focus in the foreground. The subject should therefore be chosen carefully. In mountain photography, this is of course the impressive peaks in the high mountains.
2. Pay attention to image composition
It is not only important what can be seen in the picture, but also where it is placed in the picture. A harmonious motif follows certain rules. One very helpful rule is the “golden ratio”. In very simplified terms, this is a division ratio that makes up the ideal image composition in the visual arts. This principle also applies to photography. The image is divided into two halves, with the division running through the image at a ratio of approximately 1:3. The concrete formula is: A distance A is related to B as A is to the total length of A B. This allows the ideal, “golden” division of an image to be calculated in concrete terms.
Amateur photographers usually follow this rule intuitively and photograph objects that lie approximately on this line, i.e. are positioned slightly to the side of the centre of the image. This has the pleasant effect that, although they are in the foreground as a subject, there is still enough space next to them to look into the picture or, in the case of landscape shots, into the distance.
3. Choose the right perspective
Objects can look very different depending on whether they are viewed from above or below. If you want to show the imposing nature of a rock massif, it’s best to shoot vertically upwards with a lot of depth of field. To emphasise the incline of a steep slope, hold the camera at an exaggerated angle and then point it at the standing position of a person. The viewer of this motif then becomes downright dizzy. Close-ups can also emphasise exciting motifs in the snow, especially ice crystals, icicles or fine details such as snow-covered plants or objects. The macro setting is suitable for this.
4. Use daylight
In the mountains, white, black and all shades of grey dominate the colour palette. If the sky is also grey, it can quickly look dreary. That’s why it’s always an advantage for mountain photography to shoot in sunshine. The steel-blue sky and the snow glistening in the light reveal unexpected facets, which is why experts recommend always using an ISO value of 100. At dawn and dusk, additional colour nuances are added, which favour multi-coloured shots.
5. Tricking light reflections
If you want to photograph snow, you need to choose the right settings and be aware that it reflects the sun very strongly. This makes the subject bright and the camera’s automatic exposure selects an exposure time that is too short. The result is an image that is too dark or lacks contrast. It helps to set a longer exposure time on the camera, select a manual programme or screw a polarising filter onto the lens, which enhances the colour of the blue sky and ensures rich contrasts. Some cameras have a snow mode that is preset for high-contrast shots of light-coloured surfaces.
It is also advisable not to rely completely on the white balance in the snow, which can be switched on manually on some cameras. This can cause the light-coloured background to appear bluish in the photo. For this reason, professionals recommend always having a grey card with you in winter. This should be photographed once at each new photo spot so that the camera captures the colour tones perfectly.
The following video provides some simple but helpful tips from experts on taking photos in the snow:
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One problem can be that people photographed in bright light squint their eyes or their faces are darkened by cast shadows. In this case, it makes sense to use a flash for outdoor shots and to avert the face from looking directly into the snow. Sunglasses are recommended to conceal closed eyes, as UV protection is essential in ski resorts anyway. With glasses, the person in the photo looks casual and gives the scene an additional holiday atmosphere.
6. Try out backlighting
Contrary to popular belief that mountains should not be photographed against the light, this offers a special opportunity. You can play wonderfully with the natural incidence of light. For example, a shot taken when the sun is low over a mountain slope makes the snow glisten beautifully and emphasises the structure of the surface. If objects are placed in front of the sun, their contours are emphasised like a silhouette. This can look fantastic on people, but also on treetops or mountain peaks.
7. Creating depth of field
To reveal the full splendour of a panorama, it should be photographed with sufficient depth of field (colloquially: depth of field). Objects close by will then be just as sharp as mountain peaks further back. For landscape photography, a wide-angle lens with a short focal length of 15 to 20 mm is the lens of choice. This also requires relatively small apertures, which can be set on most cameras using the automatic TV aperture. If, on the other hand, the object in the foreground is in focus and the depth of field is reduced, the background becomes blurred. This makes mountain ridges, for example, appear even further away. To give the viewer a sense of the depth of space, objects in the foreground, especially small details at the edge of the picture or even people, also help.
8. Integrate people
In mountain panoramas in the Alps, the snow-covered peaks are actually the protagonists. But after the tenth mountain photograph, the motif becomes monotonous at some other point. An object in the picture, on the other hand, breaks up the scenery and gives the panorama more visual depth. People standing individually or in groups in front of the panorama are ideal. Movement also looks good when everyone raises their arms or even runs down a slope. However, this adds to the difficulty of the movement.
9. Optimise sports shots
Pressing the shutter release at the right moment when shooting moving objects is not easy. Especially if the camera’s shutter release is also somewhat slow or delayed. Some cameras offer a sports programme or continuous shooting. These help, but do not always lead to optimal results. It is best to switch off the autofocus and set everything manually. A very short exposure time and the use of a tripod are tried and tested methods. Sometimes it is also worth following the movement with the camera. The still background then becomes blurred, while the moving object remains relatively sharp. This creates a nice dynamic that tends to be missing in “frozen” sports shots.
Another trick for visualising movement is the combination of a longer exposure time and camera zoom. Example: A skier is skiing down the piste. He should stand in the centre of the picture and move away from the camera. After pressing the shutter release, the skier is zoomed in. The longer exposure time creates a blur around the centre of the image, which creates a deep impression.
10. Warming the battery
It is naturally cold in winter, and this is usually not good for the camera’s batteries. At low temperatures, they lose energy more quickly and, in the worst case, fail completely. This is particularly annoying when you have a great subject in front of you and can’t take a photo of it. The immediate solution: remove the battery, warm it in your hand for a few minutes and put it back in. Even better is the cold protection prophylaxis: carry the camera close to your warm body, expose it as little as possible to the cold air and certainly don’t put it in the snow. After a day on the piste, it is also advisable to remove the battery from the camera and leave the compartment open for a while to prevent condensation from collecting in the housing.
FAQ on snow photography
How to photograph snow correctly?
In order to photograph snow correctly, the right settings must be selected on the camera. For example, it helps to set a longer exposure time, select a manual programme or screw a polarising filter onto the lens. Some camera models also have a snow mode for high-contrast shots. In addition, you should not rely entirely on the white balance in the snow, as the light background can sometimes appear bluish in the photo. A grey card, which is photographed to fill the image, can help here so that the camera gets the colour tones perfect.
What ISO value should the camera be set to in the snow?
In bright sunshine and snow-white ground, i.e. in perfect winter conditions, experts always recommend an ISO value of 100. This setting is best suited to this weather and the natural exposure.
Do you need a filter for photos in the snow?
The answer here is rather “no”. If you take photos in the snow, you don’t actually need a filter to produce beautiful images with your own camera. However, amateur photographers and especially professionals can also use a polarising filter. This is screwed onto the front of the lens and ensures that the snow photo shines with a rich blue sky and enhanced contrasts.
What white balance is needed when photographing in the snow?
Winter sports enthusiasts who want to take great photos in the snow and want perfect image quality should not rely on their camera’s automatic white balance. This is because the strong brightness of the snow and sun quickly gives the photos a blue tint. That’s why it helps to have a grey card with you and to photograph it first for each new photo spot so that the camera gets the colour tones perfect.
What focal length is needed for photos in the mountains?
Mountain panoramas and shots in ski resorts fall into the “landscape photography” category. A wide-angle lens with a short focal length of 15 to 20 mm is required here to make the spatial effect of the scenery in the picture more impressive.
