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!

On black:

And on beige:

Again, I like both shots. The one on black is dramatic, detailed, striking, and bold. The one on the beige works surprisingly well, too: softer, quieter, gentler. It all depends on your mood, and how each one speaks to you.

I know what they’re saying to me: Hang in there. Spring is on its way.

It’s been a long — very long — winter, and I’m eager for warmer weather.  On the other hand, the recent snows have turned my attention to the indoor flowers I enjoy.  This paperwhite lilly was given to me as bulbs when I did holiday portraits shots at Designs by Lee in Stamford, CT.  They have the most amazing fragrance!  I don’t know much about flowers, but I call these the “smelly lillies.”  Each time I walk by, the scent gives me a promise of spring.

Often, when I create a photograph, I try out different approaches or styles.  Usually I have one look in mind, or find that I recognize immediately the style that I like best for that image.  But sometimes I find that I like several different approaches and can’t decide which is the definitive look for that image.  This is one case where I like various versions of the image.

Here’s one variation, done in spepia:

Here it is in black and white:

And here’s one last approach, a softer version:

For all the fun I had playing with this image, it almost didn’t get created.  I had been planning to work with this flower in my studio set-up, with controlled lighting and a black background.  (See next post for the result of that.)  I was reaching for the lilly, where it sat on my kitchen counter in front of the window.  I paused, and noticed how I loved the juxtiposition of the flower against the snowy background.  I considered taking a photo, but I thought the lack of contrast –white flower against an almost-all white background — would make for a poor image.

Just for kicks, I took a quick photo, not really setting it up much.  Well… I did use a tripod, and play with different angles… alright, I worked on it some, but not excessively.  And, you know what?  In some ways, I like this image better than the studio shot that follows.  It has context; it has a story to tell.  The snowy background adds something to the image, and makes it more than just a photo of a flower.  To me, this image epitomizes the feeling of late-winter.  It really named itself:  Waiting for Spring.