Light and colour
The days may well be shorter during the winter months, but with the sun lower in the sky at this time of year, the light is often better, casting long, lingering shadows all day long
1 TIME TO REFLECT
Between the storms, winter provides plenty of calm, tranquil weather, too. When the wind speed is low, get close to the water’s edge and shoot reflections. Lakes, canals, lochs and other large water bodies will reflect the surrounding landscape, producing mirrorlike conditions. Crisp winter light will add to the mood, and a dusting of snow or frosted rocks and reeds along the shoreline will create magical conditions. Placing the horizon centrally works well when shooting reflections, as this will produce attractive symmetrical-looking results.
2 WINTER LIGHT
While there won’t always be snowy or icy conditions to shoot, one thing that is guaranteed at this time of year is beautiful light. Due to the sun’s lower position in the sky, the light can be magical throughout the day – not just during the golden hours. Winter light has its very own colour signature and can be crisp and warm, even during the middle of the day. Try attaching a polarizer to boost colour saturation further.
3 SHADOWS
With the sun low in the sky, this is the perfect time of year to photograph long, raking shadows. Shadows of buildings, people, animals, landmarks and trees can create striking foreground interest – potentially creating an effective lead-in line – so consider shooting toward the sun’s direction. The interaction between light and shade plays a significant role in photography. Long, inky shadows will help bring a sense of drama to your shots, and if there is snow on the ground, shadows will likely boast an attractive cool, blue hue. High levels of contrast can create the right conditions for a black-and-white conversion.
4 FEELING BLUE
The blue hour is the period of twilight in the morning and evening when the ambient light adopts a natural and attractive blue hue. These cool tones can add a truly atmospheric and mysterious vibe to your shots. Cityscapes are a popular blue hour subject, but wintry scenes work well too, as snow and ice suit the coolness of twilight colour. To capture the best of the conditions, be on location and setup an hour before sunrise, or remain on location 30-60 minutes after sunset. Use an app, like Photopills, which gives you the exact timings for the blue hour depending on your whereabouts and the time of year. When capturing low-light images like this, a tripod is essential. To aid focusing, shine a torch on your point of focus, and avoid using your Auto White Balance setting, which will neutralize all those lovely natural blue tones. Instead, select your Nikon’s Daylight or Cloudy white balance preset. Floodlit buildings or landmarks work particularly well in the blue hour.
Cityscapes are a popular blue hour subject but wintry scenes work well too, as snow and ice suit the coolness of twilight
5 GO AURORA HUNTING
Winter provides the darkest skies and longer evenings for star gazing and aurora hunting. Scotland and Northern England can provide good views of the Northern Lights, but better still plan a trip to somewhere such as Iceland or Norway, which enjoy incredible displays throughout wintertime – depending on activity and cloud cover. Use a good aurora app to help you plan your shoot and to predict activity. Select a location away from towns and light pollution. Use a tripod and set a wide focal length in the region of 14-28mm. Select a large aperture – ideally f/2.8 or f/4 – and focus on infinity. Be prepared to use a high ISO speed and a shutter length of one to 15 seconds – depending on the activity and brightness. Review exposure and sharpness,raedgjulsatrinlyg, aydojursstientugpyoaus nr esecteuspsairfyn.eeded.