Professional Action Sports Photographer Olly Bowm Offers 12 Keys To Getting The Perfect Picture In The Snow
If you are one of those who like to climb the mountain and take out your mobile to capture with your camera the snowy peaks or the descents of the skiers, the professional action sports photographer and Huawei ambassador Olly Bowman , offers twelve tips to make sure you not miss a single jump or a moment of fun in your ski sessions.
Use Artificial Intelligence effects
Before heading down a steep slope, it's worth getting familiar with your smartphone's camera, it may have features that help you take a great photo quickly and easily. From the intelligent recognition of scenes and the selection of modes that apply the best settings for each situation, to aperture effects that blur the landscape and allow you to highlight the elements you want. Dare to experiment.
The rule of thirds
The mountains of Europe are characterized by offering some of the most impressive landscapes in the world . When you look at any of its impressive views, think about how to immortalize that moment through your mobile camera. Including your ski buddies in some shots will create a landscape contrast between your bright ski pants and jackets and the backdrop of the white mountains, reflecting the incredible blue sky.
The rule of thirds can help you compose your photos. Imagine horizontal and vertical lines dividing the image in three different directions. Where the lines intersect will be the aesthetically appropriate place to center the focal point of your image. Some phones offer margins that you can place on the screen to guide you and create the layout more easily.
Before pressing the button, make sure nothing is blocking the background. The least you need is a person making weird faces or an electrical tower poking out over someone's head.
Use guide lines
When taking a photo, the eye automatically draws lines that guide our gaze. For this reason, we must not miss the occasion, as the ski resorts present great opportunities to take impressive photos. The cables and even the trails that are drawn in the snow present as new opportunities for photographers. Think about it, is there anything more worthwhile than photographing a couple of lines blurred in the snow by a skier?
Don't miss out on those moments in the morning, when you come across the sparkling white snow powder and perfectly pristine. When you're ready to shoot, get your teammates to slide by pushing on their heels (without leaning too far back) to kick up more snow spots. The result will be an enviable photo shoot.
Take into account the position of the sun
Have you ever seen a better light than that of the mountains on an open sky day? The sun should be your source of natural light for sessions in the snow and you should use it to your advantage in a number of ways. If the sun is behind you , it means that the person or object you are going to photograph will be well lit and the image will have a characteristic brightness. However, don't try to portray an image with the sun behind it, because you don't want to see the result. The great snow-capped mountains are incredible with the sun peeking out from behind, as do skiers and snowboarders if you manage to portray their silhouette right in front of the sun.
Be careful with the shadows ...
On a sunny day in the mountains there are too many shadows. It is very easy for an unwanted shadow to sneak into your plane. Always check that your shadow does not appear in the photo. Keep an eye on yours and also, if necessary, that of the subject you are portraying.
Try interesting angles… Get down on the ground!
Instead of using the camera in the traditional way with portrait or landscape mode, try putting it at different angles. You often get great shots this way, and if the subject is a rare figure, it may fill the frame better.
Personally, I like to crouch in the snow to take pictures when people are in action. It makes for an interesting point of view and also, if the subject splashes the plane with the snow from their skis, you can add a bit.
Move closer
Many of the cameras of mobile phones have a wide angle lens and that makes you have to get close to the person or thing you want to portray to fill the frame. It is very easy if you are taking a photo of something that is still and it is surprising how closely mobile phones can come to focus. The tricky part comes when your subject is moving fast in the snow . In that case, you have to do your best and trust the skier to pass by. If you combine this with lying on the floor, you will get very good results.
Burst mode is your best friend
If your camera has burst mode , use it for action shots. This mode takes photos quickly, one after another, ensuring that you don't miss any interesting movement. Warning: it may take a second or two for the camera to snap photos in this mode so make sure you press the button before the action begins.
Experiment with filters
Who doesn't love filters? Raise your hand… There is no reason not to use them in your ski shots. There are easy-to-use filters on most of our smartphone cameras that can be used to bring more life to our photos. Plus, there are numerous free apps that will do the job for you. Some of my favorites are: snapseed , fotor, and VSCO. Try them when editing your photos and you will get a great result.
Play around with brightness, contrast and saturation and make your photos unforgettable - the whiter the white is and the more blue the blue is, the better your ski photos will look.
Shoot raw
To really take your photos to the next level you must shoot raw or in pro mode. The files in brut or are much larger, which means they have more brightness and color on the saved file. When it comes time to edit the photos you will see that you can get a lot of extra detail in the shadows and if there was overexposure somewhere, you can lower it in the brightness sections.
Don't miss "the golden hour"
You don't need to be a professional skier or snowboarder to enjoy the mountains. Some of the best pictures you can take in the snow are in "golden hour", a short period of time before sunset when the light is lower in the sky, softer and "golden." In those days, the wide lenses of our mobile cameras take in an incredible amount of light to make sure they can capture a quality image even though the light has started to fade.
Less is more
Lastly, take as many photos as you can . Digital photography is free and storage is getting cheaper and cheaper. You can always remove the ones you don't like but you never know when you'll have the chance to recapture an incredible shot.
