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It's Still Cold in the "High Country" |
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By: James H. Egbert - In the Eye of the Beholder
© 2000: James Egbert
(Editor's Note: Don't miss James' portfolio of images in our Members Gallery at Field and Forest.)
The old Ground Hog came out and said spring was upon us, and the calendar on
the wall states that spring has officially arrived, but here in Colorado (USA) all
that seems like a fairy tale or funny joke.
Colorado for that matter tends to
change seasons in it's own sweet time. So to say it's time to get out and
shoot winter scenes in April may seem a bit odd to the out-of-towner, but
those of us who have endured a few "Colorado" seasons, laugh when the extended
forecasts tell us it's spring in March and April. For nature photographers
everywhere this is also true.
The thought of going out to shoot winter scenes
in January seems a bit too rugged for me personally. I would rather be at home
next to a warm fire sipping hot cocoa watching the weather channel showing the
warm weather in Tahiti. I wait until mid March and early April to get out my
snow shoes. When all those "spring-breakers" are leaving for Ft. Lauderdale or
Miami, I am gearing up for the high country.
Two hours west of Colorado Springs you'll find some of the most beautiful winter
scenes ever seen and probably more yet to be
discovered. Just outside Buena Vista is the San Isabelle National Park,
Sawatch Range, Sangre De Cristo Range and Pike National Forest. Up there you
can see the most photogenic mountains over 14,000 feet. Elk and Mule Deer are
venturing into the lower valleys looking for food and the air is clean and
crisp. Some of the very few glaciers in Colorado are beginning to melt and small
run off are offering pretty cascades to the small creeks and rivers. Most of
the time the skies are clear and the snow glistens like millions of diamonds
on a carpet of white.
The one thing you need to be aware of is the potential
for avalanches. As the warm spring sun starts to heat up the snow it tends to
create conditions that are more prone to these serious possibilities. So
learn the signs of a potential avalanche area be aware of your routes and
use extreme caution when trekking away from the main trails. Always be prepared with
extra water and some supplies you might need should you get stranded. I always recommend that you leave a travel plan and a map
detailing your routes and destinations. Also give people an idea when you plan to return and a time to start a search if you don't report back.
There are many techniques for shooting winter scenes, but here are six basic rules I follow:
Get up early and get to where you want to shoot before
the sun comes up. Just as in all of nature and outdoor photography, the best time
of day for most scenes is early morning and late afternoon when the sun is
burning through more of the earth's atmosphere casting hues of red, yellow and
white on your scene. It tends to add a mystic feel to the image and conveys
a feeling and personality that is original.
Keep in mind that you want to close your aperture to a low
setting of f/22 or f/32 to increase your depth of field in the photo. Most good nature photos have a balance of foreground elements leading to the main
subject all the way past it to the supporting background for a complete
composition. Just watch for distracting elements in your view finder that
would detract from your subject. Be very picky. Following this guide will
hopefully enhance the image to the point where you feel like you can actually
step into your printed image. Most importantly keep things simple. Don't try to overload your image with too much. Keep the
subject fairly clear and the image uncluttered.
I suggest that if you have a newer camera that is equipped
with zone or "matrix" metering system you should consider setting your camera on aperture
priority and let the camera figure out the best exposure time to balance the light
with your f stop setting. Film speed is also important. I use a slow speed
slide film (ISO 64-100) to provide a finer grain image that will be more pleasing when it
is enlarged for viewing whether framed or on display in a slide show.
Particular professional grade films enrich color and provide the best
saturation to create vivid images that almost "pop" off the paper.
Remember when you're out shooting any scene you
will most likely be shooting with color film. So please have something
colorful in your image. A good example in early spring are red willow bushes,
clear blue skies or golden dried grass. Set against snow these subjects tend
to stand out better.
While clear blue skies can add a crisp
cool feeling to your image, sometimes it is more effective to have a little
bad weather to help make a good image. In fact, dreary days can sometimes out number the perfect days we hope for. Actually no
matter what your subject is, look for fog, snow or other inclement weather to add
depth and contrast to your images. These situations will most likely
produce dramatic images that convey the real feeling of winter. A typical exposure may require opening up by one-half to one full stop (aperture), which will help define details from any haze in the
scene.
No matter what time of day, your position in relation
to the sun is important. The sun's position can drastically change a landscape
in a matter of minutes especially at sunrise and sunset. Follow the sun
through a scene and watch for changes as they occur. Many times it takes
several different exposure settings to capture the right balance of light, color and contrast in a
scene, particularly when using slide film. Also keep in mind the direction of your lens and the surrounding area
when shooting bright sunlight in a snow scene. Usually less details will show in your final image when
you are shooting in the direction of the sun and green pine trees will appear black or gray. White snow will also turn gray depending on your metering. Metering
is the most important element in all of these situations. Be sure you are
versed in your camera's metering system and can compensate for the subtle
changes that can happen in a five-minute span. If you don't want to wait for
the light to naturally change or to yield the optimum levels, you will want to
be able to adjust your metering to compensate for the extreme white of the
snow in sunshine. Follow your camera's system book to see how your system
meters bright light or objects that are bright in contrast to dark objects.
Shooting snow scenes is a challenge for any photographer regardless of your
experience level, but persistence will pay off if you study your camera's
capabilities, your knowledge of composition, light, film and color and your
desire to be creative in your photography. So get
out there, be safe and be a part of winter photography in your part of the world.
James Egbert is a Professional Photographer and Nature Photography Workshop
Instructor in Colorado Springs. For more information contact him @ (719)
277-7474 / 476-6842 or visit him at www.beholderphotography.com
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