As a lifelong Michigander, I’ve taken my fair share of snowy photographs. But the one trick that I use to make snow pop in all my photos is actually the easiest one to do, whether you are using a 100MP mirrorless camera or a smartphone: Find a dark colored background.
I find falling snow nothing short of magic – enough so that I’ve intentionally scheduled portrait shoots for when snow is expected to be falling. I use a number of different techniques to get the snowflakes to really pop in my photos, from a wide aperture to turn snow into bokeh to even dragging out off-camera lights for extra pop.
But the hack that makes the biggest difference in capturing falling snow is one that anyone can do, even if you don’t own a flash or have no idea what the word aperture even means: Find a background with dark colors.
Take a look at this photo and all the out-of-focus snow that turns to lovely white bokeh.
Now, take a look at this photo that I took in the same snowstorm, less than three minutes after the first image.
Notice the difference? In the second photo, you can’t see the snow falling. You can see the snowflakes caught in her hair, but otherwise the second photo doesn’t look like it was taken during snow fall at all.
That’s because the second photo has a completely white background. There’s no contrast, so you can’t see the white snow falling from the sky.
In the second photo, I took the photo from a higher angle, and while the result is a lovely pose where you can see a single snowflake on her cheek, the snow blanketing the ground creates a light-colored background. I still love the second photograph, but it doesn’t show the magic of the falling snow.
If you want falling snow to really pop in a photograph, adjust where you are standing so that the background is dark colored. The contrast will help those falling snowflakes to pop. Consider both what’s behind your subject and whether or not getting shorter or taller will bring the background with darker parts of the scene or not.
Finding a dark colored background can be a challenge if the snow is sticking to not just the ground but the trees. Take a look around your location and see if there are any darker colored objects that can make up the background, from trees to the side of a building.
No, carefully considering the background isn’t the only trick that I use to make snowfall pop, but it’s the simplest trick, and it makes a dramatic difference.
More tricks for taking photos while it’s snowing
- Use a telephoto lens or a longer focal length. The background compression that a telephoto lens has will exaggerate how much snow is falling from the sky. Using a smartphone? Try the longest lens your phone has, if there's more than one.
- Play with aperture. A wide aperture will make snowflakes appear larger, turning them into beautiful bokeh balls. Narrow apertures will make snowflakes look smaller, but keep more detail and texture in the snowflakes – so try a narrower aperture if you want to identify individual flakes falling from the sky.
- Comfortable with off-camera flash? Try backlighting the snow. Just like with rain, a bit of backlight can help snowflakes pop.
- Make sure your gear is protected. Shooting in the snow is just like shooting in the rain, only with an added layer of cold. If you are not using a weather-sealed camera and lens both, use a rain cover while out in the snow to avoid moisture ruining your gear.
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