Action Photographs in the Snow

by Denise Gormish (Jan 26, 2007)

Although it is beautiful, snow poses many photographic challenges. Add active participants or sports to the scene and it becomes an even greater challenge. Here are some tips for photographing action in the snow:

Camera.

Although all cameras will take photographs, Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras provide more options for dealing with lighting issues. If an SLR is available, use its special features such as white balance and light meters.

Use the highest shutter speed possible. A high shutter speed will capture the action of sports or snow play without blurring the photograph. In my sledding photograph, I set the camera for a shutter speed of 1/1250 to capture the action.

Use a telephoto lens or zoom feature if the action is positioned farther away from you. A lens that brings the action closer to you allows you to capture the action better.
To ensure a good photograph, use a motor drive or the continuous mode on your camera. A motor drive or continuous mode allows the photographer to take pictures quickly while pressing down on the shutter release.

Lighting.

Avoid shooting in the middle of the day when the bright sun may overexpose parts of your photograph.
Use the shade as much as possible to keep from overexposing the white subjects in your photograph.
For SLR users, use a white card or the custom white balance feature within your camera to get the proper white balance for the snow. Before taking photographs, use the snow as an indicator for the proper white balance setting. Find out more about your camera's specific white balance settings in your camera's instruction manual. A custom setting is the most helpful for snow photographs.
Use an in-camera or external light meter. Take a reading of your subject, lock in that meter reading and shot with those settings. This guarantees that your subject is not overexposed.
Consider the background of the photograph. Bright light in one section may overexpose part of the photograph. Try to keep the background in a similar lighting situation.

Taking the Photograph.

Experiment with different camera angles. When composing a photograph of my daughter sledding, I chose to emphasis that she was going downhill. I positioned myself and the camera to capture the action with an extreme downward angle.

Anticipate the action. As with all action photographs, anticipate when the fast action will happen, position yourself accordingly and be ready.
Consider your angle. The closer you are to the action, the faster your shutter speed needs to be. When you are farther away, the size and the speed of the action is reduced so you can use a slower shutter speed.
Take advantage of the peaks in the action. Peaks are those seconds when in the middle of the action, it stops momentarily. While throwing snowballs, the peak appears after the hand is cocked back and about to throw forward. The easiest time to capture the photograph would be during that peak moment.