The Challenge of Icy Snow at Sunset

[selig1656]

I struggled getting the correct exposure and with the B/W contrast so any C&C is welcome in this challenging small series.


[IMG]http://i61.tinypic.com/2qbb095.jpg[/IMG




yep I gather they need a lot of work, but I couldn't resist shootingi a situation that I know I have difficulties yet . so please let it rip.

[Texas Dave]

I think you did a fine job of capturing the subtleties of the light here. Subject wise, meh, just not that intriguing to me but you obviously have your exposure down pat!

[Rebel]

Agree with David, theres not much to look at and draw the eye in.

[selig1656]

I shot this more as an exercise in exposure and PP, Thanks for the compliment

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured the dangerous sheen of the ice.

[Manfred M]

Raymond - worry about composing a good picture first and then look at the (icy) snow as a secondary issue.

Snow shots, especially at sunset have a number of issues that the photographer has to deal with. Number one, with any snow shot is that snow is a giant reflector that picks up the tones in the sky. On a bright clear day (as this one appears to be), you get the blue from the sky; and this is accentuated, especially in shadow areas that contrast the warm oranges from the setting sun A typical mixed light scenario that you have to deal with.

The second issue is the specular highlights from the light being reflected by the ice. Again, there is nothing you can do about it, so incorporate this into your composition in a manner that suits your compositional needs.

The third factor is that these scenes will tend to fool your camera's light meter, as the setting cannot be rendered down to a neutral gray. I set exposure compensation to +1 to start and then bracket and use my histogram to tweak the exposure. Any minor issues can be fixed in post, especially if one shoots RAW.

Fourth is of course the issue of shooting into the sun. Subjects will be backlit, so as you have discovered, shadow detail is easily lost. The snow actually acts as a reflector and drives a surprising amount of light back and you can certainly recover some of this in post using the shadow sliders.

You can see some of these issues in this snowy sunset shot:

[Wavelength]

Your camera is as good as my eyes, because i feel the place, looking at your images

[selig1656]

An additional shot with some background that I didn't care for but there is more there to draw the eye.

[IzzieK]

Raymond, different people, different way of looking at things. I like your shot the way it is because it is minimalist and you did very well capturing what you saw. Congratulations!

[Mike Buckley]

Raymond,

You had potential for a very nice composition in your second and third photos. You could have photographed just the base of the tree and the pattern of bright light being reflected around it. The base of the tree would have anchored that pattern very nicely.

[selig1656]

last update on PP

[IzzieK]

I like the original better, Raymond...because this edit makes it too tight and the light seems to be a little bit too bright. The original is more correct. Both originals are good. I like them the way they are and the way you saw them originally.

[chauncey]

A personal rule with my white stuff is...keep the RGB numbers at 245/245/245 at the maximum.