The winter makes for a great time to Go Out and Play. The outdoors are quiet and the snow makes for some picturesque landscapes. Below I’ve listed my top 5 tips that I’ve learned for winter outdoor photography over the years.

Composition - Consider the rules of thirds - it’s the most basic form of composition. Keep your subject matter on one of the lines and you’ll end up with a nicely composed image. Some other things to consider too, are symmetry and leading lines - using these to your advantage will set your images apart if done in the right way.

Exposure - Automatic cameras calibrate to 55% grey. By increasing your exposure by a few stops you can insure nicer white tones. I often do this in post-processing however so I can maintain the image data. Over-exposed images will record fewer data points than under-exposed images. 

White = no data

Light - Make sure your subject isn't backlit. Overcast days make for great portraits of your friends - the sky is essentially a massive softbox at this point. The shade under a tree will work the same. Contrast is your friend here. Look for spaces where the sun is poking through the trees. Place your subject here and you’ll be amazed at what the results will be.

Batteries. - They get cold in the winter and lithium-ion batteries lose their charge in the cold. Keep them in a chest pocket close to your body heat for longer days out.

Learn how to use the clone tool. - Winter landscapes often look the best untouched. Created a duplicate layer in photoshop and use the clone tool to get rid of any footprints.

Depth - Try including something in the foreground of your photo to add layers of depth.

Faces - Faces always look better than someone back.

Black and white - If you edit your photos, consider using black and white. It offers deeper contrast than a colour image. This can give you whiter whites and blacker blacks. plus, there's not a lot to look at in the winter compared to the green leaves on the trees. 

Now you have an idea, lets see it get put to use! Go out this weekend and take a few photos on your hike, be sure to use #wildrockptbo so we can see your awesome pictures.

All images by @justinross71