Tips on snow scene photography

Tips on snow scene photography. Part 2. I took more snow-covered landscapes just 6 days ago, incredible, considering the sunny days we’re had this weekend. Last week I looked at the technical side of the correct colour and the correct amount of light. This week I’ll look at the composition or the overall aesthetics of the photograph.

The snow covering Richmond was breathtaking and people really seemed boosted and really happy to be out in. I thought of doing portrait photography outside but didn’t think my clients would be too keen! The next time we have a white coat covering our neighbourhood, I will try and do that though. The sun was out and the high cloud cover meant the light was even. This of course gave me a lot of light (or technically, the exposure) which I had to adjust the camera for.

This photograph is of the terrace above Richmond Hill. I loved the shapes that the branches made and the contrast of the snow and trunks. This light, flaky snow clung to the top of branches and highlighted the dark wood of this avenue of trees. I like the ironwork of the railings and I introduced interest in the foreground but also showed a good proportion of the path.

 

I brought the bench in to the immediate foreground here but kept the focus on the far distance. Having something this close in the foreground adds interest and frames the picture. I could have focused on the bench itself and blurred the distance. This would have been more of a photographic study of shapes and contrast.

Many artists including Turner have made this scene famous and I wanted to introduce some human interest. I set up the photograph and waited for people to walk in to the scene. The two people walking away from the camera bring a story to the scene and also demonstrates scale. Photographing people doesn’t have to be just a portrait, it can make enhance most landscapes.

 

For my portrait page, see http://www.davidstubbs.co.uk/gallery/portraits/

Back to news index