A few tips for taking portrait pictures in the snow.

Snow is a brilliant reflector of light and is perfect for photographing portraits outside as it gives a really soft and even light source.  But there are a few things to watch out for.

When shooting in manual the snow will give you a meter reading that is usually about one stop under exposed and hence your snowy environment will look somewhat grey and un appealing. So do a test shot first to make sure you are getting good whites without blowing out too much detail.  However some blow outs are ideal in portraiture, especially in the background.

Average meter reading

Compensated meter reading

  

Bethan in the back garden this morning coerced once again into modelling for my demonstration.

Now snow is an excellent reflector of light, but it can also make the colour temperature feel a little cold.  Using a  gold reflector is a great way of adding warmth into the face as well as that little bit of extra light into the eyes.

 Straight shot with one stop compensation

With gold reflector

Now think very carefully about what your model is wearing as this will have a big impact on the final result.  In this instance I wanted to show the warmth of the rug and the hat against the bare shoulders.  

Add a touch of cropping and this is the result

And here is the black and white version.

Now I have a sudden urge to watch Dr Zhivago