snow and exposure

[kevikens]

We just had a lot of snow here in the Northeast and I was wondering about exposure compensation and snow. Just what is the recommended compensation for pictures with the sun shining on frsly fallen snow ?

[MikeF]

It varies depending on the scene, so the best way to get the proper exposure is to use a metering method that will not be thrown off by the snow. These include spot-metering a neutral object in the scene (such as dry pavement), spot-metering off an 18 percent gray card if you have one handy, or using an incident light meter aimed directly at the sun.

However, when those options aren't available or I don't have enough time, I usually bump the exposure up about one and one-half or two stops, depending on how much white is in the scene. If it's very bright you might have to go further than that.

[MEC407]

My current camera doesn't have spot metering or matrix metering or any of that fancy stuff. When I'm shooting print film in the snow, I usually take three shots -- one normal, one at +1 and one at +2, and pick whichever one looks the best. With print film you don't need too much accuracy anyway. With transparency film it gets a little bit trickier... I usually try +1/3, +2/3, +1, +1 1/3, +1 2/3, and +2.