Have you ever tried taking some landscape and winter scenery photographs just to have them all come out dark and gray or blue.
I know I have and I can tell you what causes that and better yet how to fix it.
So what exactly causes the photo above to be dark and gray. It is a mixture of a couple of things. The first is how the camera meters the lighting. Since the snow is bright white the camera is thinking this is a light source and then adjusts the camera to expose as if the snow is a huge light. Now that explains why it is under exposed and it can also explain why the color can be off by so much. In a lot of P&S cameras and base DSLR's there is a snow setting which compensates for the exposure as well as the white balance. I know most people think well the snow is white how hard should it be for the camera to tell that.
Well the camera sees things a little differently then we and our eyes do. One thing is our eyes and brain automatically WB correct. The next is a camera is always trying to balance to 18% gray. Now this is where we come up with either blue, gray, or some other off color pictures and it will vary from camera to camera and the settings you are trying to photograph. Some cameras will see things literally. So on a clear day the camera will see the blue reflecting off the snow. Thus allowing your photo to have a blue tint to it. Realistically taking pictures in snow can be some of the most challenging situations for a camera. The first thing to do if you realize by reviewing your photos that they are dark or if your camera has a histogram and it is bunched up to the left is to add exposure. Once again this will vary from camera to camera but it is not uncommon to have to add +1EV to get a proper exposure. As for WB this will depend on if the sky is clear or over cast or a mixture. However, a good rule of thumb is in between 5500k to 6500k that should be your daylight and shade or cloudy WB. So do not be afraid to take control of your photos and change things. Auto on the camera is not always right and some times it is just way wrong.
So it is always a good idea to slow down take your time and make sure you get as much right in camera vs trying to fix it later and losing so much of your quality and detail.
I hope you find this helpful and as always feel free to leave your comments and feedback
Thanks and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
Clang, Bang, Bounce coming from the bathroom. Sabrina And I jump up making a dash to the Bathroom as Sabrina rounds the corner laying eyes on the bathroom door she just starts rolling in laughter.
My mind goes from racing What in the world in fear to shear confusion. Then I see
my precious oldest daughter jumping in to mom's arms with her first self done make up job. While mom and dad had our backs turned Bella had gotten into the bathroom and gotten into mom's makeup to administer her first make over.
Enjoy and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
This photo was taken on the Iowa River of of HWY 63 on the south side of Tama Iowa.
This is one of those photos that is familiar to you if you look at many photos. Granted that is not what I usually want to go for in my photography. However, in this case it is a photo that I never tire of. I will do a little write up about photography in the snow here soon so I will cover this photograph and others like it.
Thanks for reading and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
As a kid I remember always having a fascination with icicles. Even after "growing up" I still have certain fascinations with winter and the beauty that comes with it.
Here in central Iowa (Tama / Toledo) We have some very cool winters. Giving the ability to find things like this ice flow outside your back door. This shot was taken
rite before sunset and the sky was just breath taking, so I had to incorporate that into the photograph. To do this I used the on camera flash to fill on the ice set the shutter speed at 250th and this allowed me to run an aperture of in between F10-F13 all at ISO 100.
Enjoy and God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
That is right this is my youngest daughter already 4 months old and growing like a weed in ever way. I took
This photo was taken while Jenna was playing in her exersaucer. I did use flash with an Omni style defuser and just bounced it. She is great to photograph with endless expressions and very happy.
Thanks for reading and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
