Authentic smiles are a cinch while playing in snow

Here in the Northeast, the temperature has been up, the temperature has been down, but the snow just keeps coming and coming! Snow scenes make great photos, if a bit challenging at times.

Many cameras have a “snow” mode setting. That’s a good place to start. If not, you may have to change the white balance from auto to manual. Choose a white patch of snow to let the camera find true white. Otherwise, you may end up with blue-tinted snow. Also, you need to watch your exposure. Snow is very reflective, so you may need to underexpose by a stop.

Take care when bringing your camera back inside, too. Going directly from the cold outside to the warm inside will make the lenses fog up. The best way to avoid this is to allow the camera to adjust gradually to the change in temperature. If you have a camera bag, put your camera in it while you are still outside, then bring it in and leave it in the bag for long enough to allow the temperature to equalize slowly. A zip-lock bag can work, too. Any condensation will form on the bag, not on your camera.

But don’t pass up this time to capture great images! Get out there and have fun!

Is this a happy dog or what?

Playing in the snow = great photos!

Dog loving the deep snow

...just make sure the photog doesn't get into a snowball fight!