How to take the best winter snaps

Words by Colin Varndell

Daylight in mid-winter may be in short supply but this is more than compensated for when temperatures drop below freezing. Cold nights often produce frosty mornings where everything is decorated with crunchy white crystals of ice.

A hard, white frost can transform our gardens and hedgerows into winter wonderlands full of abundant, potential close-up images. Everything from grasses to leaf litter, seed heads and twigs, which we normally wouldn’t look at twice, are changed into glistening details.

You have to be up early though as unless we are plunged into a serious arctic spell, frost will only last until the sun gets to it. An early start is vital, so set your alarm to go off well before sunrise so you can be out when the frost is fresh at first light.

A really thick frost will occur when the air carries a lot of moisture, so a cold night following a wet day can often produce the most photogenic results. Watch the weather forecast and look at the sky at sunset. If it is clear there is a good chance that the temperature will drop low enough for the moisture in the air to condense and freeze. There are such places as frost pockets, low-lying areas where frost frequently occurs even when it is too warm elsewhere. Usually these low areas will be found near rivers or streams.

For a rare hoarfrost to occur there needs to be a spell of fine but very cold weather. High pressure, which gives us sunny days in winter, usually results in foggy nights as the contrast between day and night temperatures makes condensation. In such conditions, if the temperature dips low enough, the misty air freezes to twigs and branches like wafer-thin blades of white ice; it’s as if trees and bushes are sprouting pure white feathery foliage.

Reconnaissance and planning are the essential ingredients for success. Explore your local area to find low-lying, damp places with plenty of coarse vegetation, like seed heads, bramble or gorse bushes, which might become potential photogenic subjects when covered in frost crystals.

Make sure you have everything ready the night before. Prevent lens optics from fogging up by avoiding dramatic changes in temperature. If it’s safe to do so, store your gear in your car boot the night before or at least get it outdoors before you get yourself ready. But keep batteries in the warm for as long as possible to safeguard their charge.

It doesn’t have to be sunny to get great photos of frost; in fact, a foggy morning will give a soft diffused light, perfect for close-ups. If it is likely to be sunny, search for frost laden subjects before the sun reaches them. Then shoot in the sunlight to capture the sparkle of the sun’s first rays. Alternatively, in dull conditions a burst of flash can add a bit of sparkle.

Bracken is especially attractive when covered with frost. Search for fronds where the undersides have been exposed to frost for the most exquisite detail. Leaf litter can look impressive on a frosty morning as the colours of spent leaves contrast with their frosty fringes. Also, look closely at the leaf veins, as these too will be picked out by frost crystals.

Cobwebs, which were laden with dew earlier, can sometimes be found frozen at dawn. A frosted web can make an intriguing pattern of brittle ice crystals fused to paralysed gossamer.

Even in mid-winter there is still plenty of foliage around. Herb Robert and buttercup leaves for example will be fresh and vibrant and can be very effective when edged with frost. Teasel and thistle seed heads provide photogenic structures for frost and are striking when backlit at dawn.

You can even arrange your own frosty shots. Collect leaves with plenty of colour and scatter them on your lawn or on a tin tray for the perfect still life at first light. In really cold conditions of say -5°C or lower early in the morning, create your own icicles by spraying lukewarm water from a plant mist spray onto seed heads etc. The temperature of the water is crucial. Too warm and it won’t freeze quick enough; too cold and it’ll freeze in the nozzle.

In the field with icy subjects it is worth experimenting with different white-balance settings. The purpose of the white-balance settings is to preserve natural-looking colours in various lighting conditions, sunny, cloudy, flash, fluorescent etc. The incandescent setting is designed to balance the effect of light from traditional light bulbs and has a distinct blue hue. Use this setting to emphasise the cool colours of frost, especially in cloudy conditions. If you’re unfamiliar with white-balance check your camera manual and experiment.

KIT BAG

In addition to photo gear other useful accessories include tweezers and a small mirror. Tweezers are useful for moving frosty leaves into more pleasing arrangements (if you try to move leaves with your fingers the frost just melts), while a mirror is good for angling sunlight onto frosty subjects, which are in shade.

For ground level close-ups, knee pads come in handy as the frost will quickly thaw if you kneel on it. Keep a spare camera battery in a pocket close to your body as batteries have a habit of letting you down at the crucial moment in very cold conditions.

TECHNIQUE

Icicles usually only occur during prolonged spells of seriously cold weather when the temperature remains well below freezing all day. Icicles can be found in such arctic conditions wherever there is dripping water. This might be on a rock face or where a stream runs beneath vegetation with the water constantly splashing up.

Frozen waterfalls are symbolic of winter and can make spectacular images. Search for abstract sections of frozen water with a long lens. Try to include icicles and moving water in the same composition. Use a long exposure to soften the water, which will contrast with the rigid icicles. Frozen pond surfaces or even puddles can produce interesting effects, as the ice freezes the surface expands to form a uniform pattern of triangular, jagged stress shapes.

When composing pictures of ice patterns I like to fill the frame with ice so that it bleeds off every edge. With icicles
I try to ensure there is space all around them within the frame.

When shooting ice check your exposure by taking a test shot and looking at it on the LCD screen. Make sure that whites are not burnt out. If they are, set your exposure compensation dial to -1 stop, shoot again and check it. If your shot contains a lot of white frost or snow it may come out too dark. In this case set exposure compensation to +1.

I prefer to shoot in manual exposure mode and use either longer or shorter shutter speeds than my meter readings suggest to compensate. This method prevents compensation settings being accidentally left in place.

To see more of Colin’s work and to find out about his photo days and workshops, visit www.colinvarndell.co.uk

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