How should I expose snowy night scenes under streetlights?

Asked 12/27/2012

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I want to photograph fresh snow on tree branches at night, lit mainly by streetlights and a little spill from nearby houses. What camera settings or exposure approach should I use to get the best results? I'm shooting with a Nikon D7000 and a kit/starter lens.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

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This would depend on what look you are going for. If you use any of the auto settings the camera will attempt to make the picture more or less uniformly lit and you'll end up with super bright street lights and/or dark snow as the camera wants everything to be grey.

If you want a low key (dark) image you need to apply exposure compensation or use manual mode and use a faster (than auto) shutter speed. If you want a high key image (bright) you would want to use a slower (than auto) shutter speed.

I live in Alabama at the moment so I can't play with this myself, but I would be interested to see the effect a flash has given the highly reflective nature of fresh snow.

If you use the auto settings you can look at the settings the camera used (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) to determine the starting point for your manual settings and then decide (based on what you do/don't like about the corresponding picture) how to adjust from there.

Originally by user9510. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user9510

13y ago

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AI Answer

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There isn’t one fixed setting—snow at night depends on the look you want. The main issue is that auto exposure often tries to make the scene average to middle gray, which can leave snow too dark or blow out the streetlights.

A good approach is to avoid full auto and use either:

  • manual mode, or
  • exposure compensation

General guidance:

  • For a darker, moodier low-key look: use less exposure than the camera suggests (for example, a faster shutter speed).
  • For brighter, whiter snow: use more exposure than the camera suggests (for example, a slower shutter speed).

Start by taking a test shot in auto or aperture priority, then review the camera’s chosen shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Use that as a baseline and adjust from there depending on whether you want the snow brighter or the whole scene moodier.

Because light is limited, expect slower shutter speeds and/or higher ISO. If your shutter speed gets too slow, use a tripod or other stable support. Fresh snow is reflective, so if you experiment with flash, check results carefully.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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