Let it snow: Winter photography tips for snowy scenes

Gearing up to shoot gorgeous snowy scenes this frosty season? Winter photography comes with its own set of challenges, but many photographers simply can’t resist the charm of winter scenes. Whether you’re still looking for inspiration or some new ideas to try, we have a bunch of tips for you to check out or revisit!

Tips for shooting in the snow

Freezing temperatures, highly reflective snow and gear mishaps are among the main challenges that come with shooting in this season. If you’re giving it a go for the first time or you’re looking for a way to make the shoot easier, we suggest starting out with our quick tips for shooting in the snow.

Planning to mostly photograph people in the snow? We also have that covered with tips that will make sure you have the best photos of your winter memories. Of course, this includes capturing some sledding fun!

Winter also provides some opportunities to get great architectural photos. If you’d like to take the opportunity to explore a different look to your snaps, give these winter architectural photography tips a go! These include shooting in low light and going for a more minimalist composition with everything being blanketed in white.

Creating snowy scenes

What if you missed the dramatic snowfall during your shoot and would like to recreate it in your shots? What if you’re in a location where it doesn’t snow but you’d like to stage a snowy scene anyway? Try our tips on creating realistic snow in Photoshop, which is actually easier than you think! You can even put together your own faux snow-covered set if you’re the crafty type, so there’s less work for you on Photoshop later on.

Finding the right place and time for snow snaps

Here’s something to add to your toolkit for shooting winter scenes this year and in the years to come: OpenSnow. This free iOs app provides snow forecast, snow reports, map overlays and even ski conditions. This should come in handy if you’d like to find new snowy locations to shoot and when to go there.

If that sounds like a useful addition to your winter photography toolkit, we have a brief overview of OpenSnow for you to check out.

Experimenting with colors in winter

Want to get experimental and go beyond the classic winter wonderland scenes? Why not try getting a hint of dreamy pastel for snowy landscape snaps? This would surely be an interesting and unique take on winter photography, and a creative exercise that would make you see beyond the usual blanket of white this season.

More winter photography resources

In case you haven’t yet, don’t forget to check out Photofocus on Flipboard to view our collection of winter photography resources so far. We update our storyboards regularly with more tips, tutorials, and inspiring photography projects, so make sure to follow as well!