It’s almost snowy season in the Drakensberg! And if you’ve never experienced the ice-cold fluff, chances are you’ll want to get a few snaps or two of the wintery goodness. Some photography in the snow 101…

Winter at Oaklands

When winter sets in at Oaklands, the countryside is transformed into a white wonderland with stunning photo opportunities. And it’ll be hard to resist pulling out the old camera with a snow-capped Drakensberg in all its picturesque glory as your backdrop! But photography in snowy areas can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here are a few photography tips so you get decent pics instead of glare…

Winter Photography Like a Pro

The Drakensberg is a prime destination for photographers at any time of the year, especially with its white cap on in winter. On bright days, the best time to take photographs is at sunrise or sunset. This is the time of day that the white surroundings reflect colours beautifully! If it’s snowing, slow your shutter speed so that you can snap the flakes as they fall to the ground.

Overcast? Overexpose…

Winter weather can wreak havoc with your camera’s colour settings. What we see as white the camera sees as too bright, so it ends up trying to adjust the light itself. To avoid ending up with grey snow, overexpose your image slightly by +0.3 to +1.

Snapping Selfies in the Snow

Winter is a lovely time to photograph people. And who better snap than yourself (makes perfect proof of your snow expedition)?! Set a shallow depth of field to blur the background and add pops of colour to make your subject stand out. Achieve the latter by throwing on a bright beanie or scarf…

Temperatures Down? Power Up!

Batteries lose their power faster in low temperatures, so keep a spare battery in your pocket close to your body heat. Also, cold weather can be nasty, so dress warmly and take a flask of hot tea along with you!
Looking to experience your first encounter with snow? Head to the Drakensberg – there’ll be plenty of photo ops, we promise!