Capture the moments – all of them

Snow is rare, especially in Winchester, and the images you take will capture lasting memories of your family’s enjoyment of the snow.

Why not try dressing your children in bright colours? The contrast of the colour against the white backdrop will really make the image come alive and show your child as the focus of the image. Hats, scarves, gloves, wellies, snowsuits, coats, lets face it it’s all about staying warm, it’s not really a day for worrying about coordination!

It’s not just about capturing the action; it’s capturing the detail too. The creation of a snowball in their tiny hands, their footprint in the snow or a close up of their wellies covered in the white stuff. Rosy cheeks, smiles of delight, don’t be afraid to get right up close to the action. How about a collection of family snow footprints?

If the children are moving too quickly and you need a break with some static subjects, find the details in the landscape. Look for colour popping through the white wherever you can, in nature, wildlife, and architecture. Snow can make everything look fascinating so spend the time really looking and capturing what you see.

If you are venturing outside of your own garden, think about places you might be able to walk to safely which can show the vast expanse of white which surrounds you. A quiet street, rolling hills, fields and valleys, it really is a sight to be a behold if you can get it to. Why not take advantage of the space that surrounds a subject (known as negative space) by creating images with your brightly coloured children as subjects? Place your children in the centre of the image, they can be running away, playing, having fun, but bring the focus to them by surrounding them with a fabulous snow scape.

Children aren’t going to want to pose and pout while you try and fiddle with your camera settings. Neither are they going to want to run to and from you while you try and get them central in the image. Let them play, let them have fun, and work around them. Try not to have too many specific images in mind, I can guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. 

Moving too fast?

What do I do if my child is whizzing down the hill on a sledge and all my images come out blurry? What if I want to capture the pure delight of them throwing a snowball? In manual mode, using a fast shutter speed will help you capture those blur free images. Increasing the speed will decrease the blur!

Enhance your story

Ever heard of the rule of thirds in photography? Ever tried to apply it? As you look through the camera, imagine your image is split into thirds with two vertical lines. Try placing your subject in the first or third area of the grid which helps the viewer engage with the image and it can sometimes offer a sense of adventure or movement and gives a sense of action.

Get in the photographs!

I am the worst culprit for hiding behind the camera but let’s face it, how often do we have snow like this! I think I can remember maybe 2 or 3 times as a child seeing the snow and although this time it might not be a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ situation, you never know when (or if!) we might see it again. So pass the camera to someone else, or set up a tripod and get involved with the action. I promise you in years to come you will be pleased that you are a part of you family’s visual history, and so will your children.

Exposure

Something you might want to try is slightly over exposing you images. This little trick will ensure your snow looks bright white, and not grey. The brightness of the snow can sometimes be too overwhelming and your images may appear darker than you expect so if you are shooting in manual, adjust the exposure and try a range of different ones to see which gives you the desired effect. You can overexpose by slowing down your shutter speed or opening your aperature will help your snow to sparkle.

If using the manual setting is a bit mind-boggling, you can always shoot in auto and then edit the image and play with the exposure or brightness setting using an editing tool. Alternatively, see if your camera has a beach or snow shooting mode which automatically compensates for the intensity of your surroundings.

Wrap up warm

It’s freezing out there and more snow is on its way, along with a red weather warning so stay safe and keep warm. Layers are best (we managed to squeeze our feet into welly boots with 4 pairs of socks on!) and make sure little ones have appropriate clothing to keep them snuggly warm.

Snow isn’t for everyone and as much as you probably want your little one to love it, it may be a completely new experience for them and they might just be a bit overwhelmed by it. If they get upset and just aren’t enjoying themselves, abandon and try again another time.

Don’t stay out for too long, or go out if the conditions are too treacherous. The beauty of the snow sticking around is that you can keep nipping out and enjoying it when it is safe to! Make sure you come in from the cold and defrost with a hot chocolate and marshmallows as often as you can.