High Country Life

Winter conditions present photographers with unique landscape photography opportunities, so it is crucial that they are prepared with appropriate equipment for weather and environment conditions.

Snow can play havoc with your camera’s exposure meter and cause photos to be underexposed, leading to underexposure of images. One way of compensating is setting it into manual mode and overexposing by one stop.

Aspen Grove

Winter in Aspen Grove can bring out a different side of this popular town. Snow and ice create an ethereal landscape that’s both peaceful and dramatic; snow acts as a negative space that draws focus towards your subject matter, providing more light onto the image as a whole. Plus it adds visual interest with patterns, shapes, textures, etc.

Snow can lend your images a unique blue cast that conveys wintery coldness while simultaneously overshadowing their natural beauty. Finding the correct white balance in camera is key to successful winter photography; experience with snow will help guide this process but trial-and-error may still be necessary. A digital spectrophotometer can also be useful in post processing to find that ideal white balance.

Consistent snowfall and low temperatures create the ideal conditions for freezing waterfalls, lakes and rivers, making them great photographic subjects. Water often reflects its surroundings to give beautiful color and texture as reflections. Icy boulders and peaks are another sight common to Rockies winter scenes.

Yosemite Mariposa County offers breathtaking winter photo opps with its icy waterfalls and iconic rocks embraced by clouds. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, often described by John Muir as one of Nature’s rarest mountain temples, makes an idyllic setting to capture snow-capped mountain vistas or ranch land dotted with free-range livestock in all-season highway travel with less visitors and all-season highway access.

Keep in mind that while classic roadside photo locations may be easy to reach during summertime, accessing backcountry locations during winter requires greater effort and risk. Therefore, having a plan B should weather prevent access to desired spots. Hypothermia poses the biggest threat when photographing backcountry locations; having extra layers or warm beverages on hand could save your life!

Elk Tracks

Chanced upon an animal trail in the snow? What an amazing chance! You could use it as an opportunity for stunning photographs – tracks in snow are easier to identify than on dirt paths and will remain preserved over time.

Elk are among the most frequently seen animals in the Uintas, and their distinct tracks make identifying their presence easy. Elk belong to the deer family but have larger hooves and longer strides compared to deer; additionally they produce larger scat pellets than deer and leave signs such as antler rubs higher up trees that help identify them as well.

Search for straight line tracks where the rear foot is close to the front; these are called ambler tracks. Other animals such as porcupines, weasels and mink walk with their back feet alternating between front and rear pairs – another clue. Elk tracks can be distinguished from cattle or moose tracks by having more rounded edges with wider gaps between toes than cattle and moose do.

Thin snow layers make tracks easier to discern than deep, wet ones; these will sink less in comparison. Elk tracks have an obvious elongated appearance when running or walking and the dewclaw impression will likely be more obvious than for cattle or moose.

Elk enjoy grazing in open parks and sunny clearings in the timber, where they can scan their surroundings for predators. At night they retreat back into the dense cover to search for food within dense foliage – so if you spot a herd grazing outdoors be mindful of their movements back into cover as night falls – and watch out for signs of rutting such as antler rubs higher up trees!

Don’t forget that winter scenes tend to be monochromatic with white snow and dark tree trunks or mountains; therefore it is wiser to shoot RAW format to take advantage of its higher dynamic range and allow you to either remove color entirely, or enhance blacks and whites accordingly in post processing.

Snow Covered Trees

Snow can serve as an excellent way to frame and highlight scenes with its white reflective surface, adding depth and contrast to an image. Furthermore, snow acts as a wonderful negative space that gives the subject more breathing room.

Snow can also serve as an effective medium for creating sculptural compositions, thanks to its ability to catch light, cast shadows, and be molded by wind currents into visually striking forms and textures.

Winter scenes should be photographed between early morning and afternoon hours when the sun is lower in the sky, providing optimal side lighting conditions as well as opportunities for backlighting.

Winter photography offers another advantage over summer: peace and solitude on the trails are much easier to come by, allowing photographers to fully focus on their craft while finding time to capture images of wildlife and wildflowers.

Always bear in mind when shooting in winter that weather conditions may quickly and suddenly change unexpectedly, which can impact road conditions as well as personal safety. Be sure to always consult local forecasts prior to traveling out into high country destinations and bring extra equipment such as waterproof camera bags, extra batteries and a spare tripod as well as headlamps just in case!

Shooting winter scenes in RAW format can give you more digital information to use in post production, giving more freedom if your camera overexposes snow scenes. Also, with white snow’s tendency towards the blue side of the spectrum and creating cold images, using custom white balance in camera or post can help counteract this effect.

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is an enjoyable and accessible winter activity perfect for beginners or anyone seeking some physical exercise in the snow. Additionally, snowshoeing offers stunning mountainous landscapes to admire during this unique activity.

Snowshoeing involves hiking with special shoes designed to give extra flotation so that you can walk on top of the snow instead of sinking beneath it, making the experience far simpler and more enjoyable than usual boots. Snowshoes also come equipped with metal spikes which help them grip snow more securely for easier turning and turning maneuvers.

Start snowshoeing right by visiting your local ski area or park dedicated to winter sports, where there will be numerous trails that have been clearly marked and are in good condition. Additionally, most outdoor equipment shops sell or rent snowshoes and you may even rent or buy one there as well.

For beginners or those wanting to explore something different, a guide is highly recommended. They will transport you directly to the trailhead, provide snowshoes and poles needed, know their way around, know special quieter places with stunning views or fresh snow, as well as introduce wildlife into their travels – they could even teach some basic snowshoe techniques along the way!

Skiing requires several essential pieces of gear: snowshoes, warm clothing (such as an insulated jacket and waterproof trousers), gloves and extra layers of clothing in case the weather changes quickly and leaves you out for longer than planned.

An essential for winter photography is an insulated water bottle to stay hydrated on snowy trails, along with sunglasses to shield your eyes from snowfall and sun’s glare. Also remember a headlamp or flashlight should you get lost or need to stay out late into the night.

Photographers need to be especially wary when shooting images during winter weather, as snow can alter color balance significantly and create images with unnatural hues that don’t convey cold temperatures properly. White balance must remain neutral if your images look natural; otherwise they could end up looking washed out or too blue-toned.