Taking Photos of Snow with a Compact Camera
Digital Photos
February 28, 2010
Have you noticed that your photos of snow look dull and gray? There's an explanation for this.
Every time you take a photo, your camera determines the correct white balance for any type of lighting; that is, the camera decides what objects in the scene should look white in the photo and removes any color cast from the photo. However, the camera can be fooled by bright white snow - it tries to make the snow a neutral gray color.
| Before | After |
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Here's a few things you can do with your compact camera to ensure that your bright white snow stays bright:
- If your camera has a setting or scene mode for Snow, use it. It's designed specifically for snowy scenes. If your photos come out looking snow white, no other settings may be necessary.
- To catch snowflakes falling, use a fast shutter speed mode. On one of my compact cameras, the fast mode is called the Sports mode and the icon is a a little running man. On another camera, the fast mode is called Kids and Pets mode because kids and pets are always moving around. If your camera has a Shutter Priority mode (often Tv or S), you can use that mode and set a fast speed, 1/2000 seconds for example.
- If you are using any scene mode other than Snow, increasing the Exposure will help to brighten those whites. Take one photo with no Exposure compensation, then increase the Exposure in steps until you see the brightness level you want. Most cameras allow you to increase or decrease the Exposure in a range of -2 to +2 steps in increments of 1/3 steps. Check your camera's manual to discover how to increase or decrease the Exposure - it may be a button on your camera or buried in a menu.
The following images were taken using a Canon PowerShot S40 compact camera. I used Sports mode and increased the Exposure to brighten the snow.
| Sports mode, Exposure Compensation 0 | Sports mode, Exposure Compensation +2/3 |
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Updated on August 4, 2011