Camera settings for snow pictures?

[Bowhunter]

Is there anyone looking at this thread who has taken quality outside pictures of snow scenes? I was wondering what settings to use? I would also like to take aerial pictures of the snow as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[tonylong]

The key for understanding snow exposure is to realize that if your camera is metering the snow it will underexpose, typically by "maybe" 1 2/3 stops, depending on the available light.

If I have a scene with a lot of snow, especially snow that I want detail in but also a scene in which there is important "non-snow" detail, I'll meter the snow (using spot meter or a center-weighted mode) and then adjust the exposure to show that 1 2/3 EV compensation.

You can do fine if you have something to meter on that is right about "medium" as well, or in fact you can follow several approaches to end up with the same basic result: snow should be white without blowing out. So, be careful about exposing for an object in the foreground that is dark, say in the shade or just a dark tone, because the camera will lighten it up and blow out the snow. On the other hand, if you just point and shoot at a snowy scene, you may very well bring down the brightness of the snow and darkening everything else.

Give some thought to the scene and the lighting, and expose accordingly. Hey, on a sunny snowy day you can always resort to the "Sunny 16 Rule" as a starting point, but be sure to check your histogram and highlight warning!

[dustyporch]

If there is lots of snow in the photo, then you need to overexpose... +2/3 to +1 1/3 is what usually works for me. It keeps the snow from looking grey.

There are some snowshoeing shots on my flickr stream, which were shot in RAW at +2/3.

[Bowhunter]

Thank you very much for the advice! It's supposed to snow between 5-10 inches tonight...I'll try it out tomorrow.

[rodal126]

this is helpful because I don't see much snow in So Cal.

[TheHoff]

Go to manual. If you use EC, the camera might change settings on you depending on how much snow is in the frame. Get the exposure once by chimping the histogram so it bumps almost to the right, set it in M, and you're good to go without worrying.

[RileyLewis]

I have so much snow outside right now that needs shovelling :( But these tips will come in handy!