Winter Photography

Winter Photography - Well, it is just a few days until Christmas and the Winter has really just hit Weymouth with a bitter chill...I feel so far away from my old home in the sun!

I was used to popping on a pair of shorts, practically any day of the year, and setting off for a day's comfortable shooting with fantastic light.

The cold is one thing that puts me off winter photography...my equipment (camera equipment please!) and hands get so cold it is hard to concentrate let alone be creative but I decided to brave the cold winds of the Jurassic Coast for a bit to see what I could find.

Something that struck me about the UK in winter is that there is a constant golden light when the sun is out. It is so low for much of the day that if you position yourself right, you can make the most of this wonderfully natural light.

But what if the rain is coming down and it really isn't good outside for any sort of winter photography? Simple, shoot indoors!

The first image here is of the Fleet Air Museum in Somerset. Whenever I can, I try to incorporate my photography with a day out for the kids plus something interesting that we can all enjoy as a family.

I was really impressed how the Canon EOS 1D Mark III faired in such low, artificial light. These two images were taken hand held at 60th/sec using an aperture of F4. The ISO was set to 1600 and the noise is barely noticeable! They have also had very little in the way of post processing and I was particularly impressed with the depth of field from the Canon EF 24-70 at 24mm.

The next shot is near Lulworth Cove in Dorset...part of the historical Jurassic Coast of England. It was bl**dy freezing but this chunk of England is mighty impressive and I can see myself spending a lot of time here. A couple of Kubota Image Tool Photoshop Actions used here.

Then we have a shot of a sensible man waiting for the pub to open (well, that's how I saw it anyway). The whole of Dorset has some amazing architecture and cobbled streets dating back centuries and is exactly what I was looking forward to about returning to Blighty after so long away. We have had some great country pub lunches already...

This next shot is a crop from a shot I took as I crossed a bridge near a busy port. The boat was an incredibly bright yellow and the sun had popped out for a bit. The contrast really stood out so I fired a few off...I love digital photography!

This shot of Portland lighthouse took all of 5 seconds to take. We were on our way home when we noticed that the kids had fallen asleep in the car. To give them a break we drove to Portland, near Weymouth just to kill some time and as we got to the lighthouse the sun started to beam in all directions.

This part of the coast sticks right out and gets some serious wind creating impressive waves but it is also freezing! As soon as I got out of the car I had to catch my breath so I ran over, took a few pics as I darted about and then jumped back in the car. Took ages to warm up again...

Lastly, and to give some warm winter wishes to all who read All Things Photography, a boat with a happy greeting. I was shooting long exposures of 2-3 seconds or more and it took a few blurry shots for me to realise that the boat was slightly moving which stopped me from "freezing" the festive writing.

Must be the cold! I upped the ISO, opened the aperture and was able to get a sharp shot in the end.

I think winter photography has a lot to offer and if I get some nice thick socks and jumpers for Christmas (my entire wardrobe is practically summer based) I may brave the elements once again.

Some ideas for shooting over Christmas and through the winter:

• If you can handle it, get up early to catch those early morning mists and frost on bright, sunny days
• Try and capture the essence of winter and what it means to your part of the world...makes for better stock photography!
• Capture the true expressions of family during the holiday period. Happy faces opening presents or pulling Christmas crackers...or singing carols, playing in the snow...whatever, but have your camera at the ready.
• If shooting snow scenes, remember to either bracket your images or overexpose them anywhere between +1 and +3 stops. Your cameras meter will try to "damp down" the brightness of the snow so you need to compensate.
• Keep your camera safe and warm, batteries don't like the cold so take some spares. Remember that if you are off trekking in the snow or mountains for that elusive shot, tell someone where you are going and take a mobile phone just in case.
• Me? I am staying in watching all the old films where it is nice and warm!

For good, reliable outdoor winter photography you need:

• To wrap up warm - You soon lose interest if you are uncomfortable...wear 3 or 4 layers.
• A good, sturdy tripod to combat the wind - I you don't have a heavy, sturdy tripod, try hanging a carrier bag with rocks in it to the center frame to keep it still in those chilly winds.
• Get used to shooting high ISO's and if you are shooting stock, get yourself a good noise reduction software program like Neat Image to deal with the noise in post production.
• To just get out there amongst it all and enjoy what delights the winter has to offer. Beats watching TV ; )