~ Effects of Shutter Speed on Streaking Snow
In the early part of November, I found this nice, mid-sized bull Moose along the Gros Ventre River. I have lots of shots of Moose images without snow. This snow squall was exactly what I had hoped to capture that day. More importantly, this moose stood essentially still for about 10 minutes during the storm.
Moose in Snow: As I usually do, I checked the settings on my camera before leaving my vehicle. 1/200th of a second at F/8 on a dark day would give me a good starting point that morning. The actual settings were: Manual Mode, with Auto ISO as the variable. I left the van with a Nikon D810 and a Tamron 150-600mm lens attached to my tripod. Who knew what I might actually find? It was overcast and the skies had a feeling of a pending storm. After a good half mile hike, I found this mid-sized Bull Moose along the Gros Ventre River. It had begun to snow as I entered the area. I found a good spot with limited background distractions and planted the tripod at about 40 yards distance, then snapped off a few quick shots. He had his head up and looking straight at me. Click, click, click! I typically get a few quick shots “in the can” (on the card), and then check my settings. He could look away or turn away at any second—so getting some shots always seems like a good idea. At 1/200th second at F/8, the resulting ISO was 3600.
A Nikon D810 can handle an ISO 3600 shot fairly well, but I prefer to be lower if possible. 1/200th of a second will also freeze most snow flakes. The first few shots were perfectly fine, and depending on my mood back at the computer, might be THE shots. Luckily for me, this alert and curious moose stayed put and gave me lots of chances to try additional settings.
Moose in Snow: This image was captured at 1/40th of a second at -F/5.6. The resulting (AutoISO) ISO was 400. At that point, I knew I had plenty of elbow room for additional changes. While the images on this page show the moose more or less centered in the frame, I did a lot of additional captures with it off to the side, or in one of the four optimum “designer” locations in the scene. Sometimes, the camera’s auto focus will grab flakes much closer to the lens and put the subject out of focus. If you are using “back button focus”, I’d suggest refocusing regularly. You don’t want to get home and discover you captured 200 images focused 5 feet in front of the subject!
Moose in Snow: 1/25th of a second at F/5.6, Auto ISO 220. At F/5.6, only the flakes close to the focal plane of the Moose’s eyes would be in focus. There are lots of long streaks at a slow shutter speed.
Moose in Snow: 1/100th of a second at F/8, Auto ISO 1600. I think this is a fairly nice balance in the settings.The shutter speed allowed for some streaking, the aperture gave me a variety of sharp and blurred flakes, and I can easily live with ISO 1600 on an image like this.
By experimenting, and being able to review my captures in Lightroom, I am able to dial in the settings for future similar occasions when I might only get one or two captures. If I walked up on a similar scene in the future, I’d probably set the Shutter speed to 1/80th Second to 1/100th of a second (assuming the animal is not moving), set the Aperture to around F/8 (which is where I started), and try to keep the ISO at 2000 or less.
Nikon D810 100th of a Second at F/6.3, Auto ISO 560
Empirical Notes about Shooting in the Snow:
Living here in the mountains, I get quite a few chances to take photos of animals during a snow storm. Not all snow storms are the same! The four images of the Moose at the top of the page were taken during a relatively consistent storm, with relatively light flakes. However, even within a few seconds of time, flakes can be thicker and larger, and wind gusts can pick or slow down, creating a matrix of variables. This is a time to SHOOT A LOT! I have no control over flakes covering the eyes of the animals, so having a large number of captures gives me better chances of getting a few keepers. I like to get “the most bang for my buck”—so to speak. I change the settings, then click two or three shots, zoom in closer, click another two or three, and keep zooming in steps until fully zoomed. I pull back on the zoom lens, make a few settings changes, and go through the routine again and again until the situation changes.
Some snow is light and fluffy, while others are wet and chunky. 1/640 of a second at F/8, Auto ISO 320.
There is a “wall of snow” between the camera and the animal. A long exposure means there will be much more snow passing in front over the lens, and that will directly affect the overall sharpness. It’s the same for distance to the subject! Besides the issue of sharpness, those two variables also increase the chances snow will be covering the subject’s eyes. Large, chunky flakes multiply the issues. Dark areas, or a dark background, helps accentuate the flakes and the drama of the storm.
Aperture Priority 1/40th Second, F/7.1, ISO 400, Nikon D300 and Nikon 70-200mm (cropped image). Also note, you’ll need to be shooting from a tripod for long exposure shots like most of the images on this page. Almost ANY movement, like simply rotating the head will result in some sort of motion blur at these speeds.
I’d prefer to be out in a snow storm than a rain storm—but both can be hard on equipment. Especially during periods of heavy winds, snow can land and accumulate on the front of the lens. The flakes or drops can eventually distort or ruin images, so I check it regularly. I usually carry a clean, dry chamois in my pocket to clear and dry the face of the lens.
Remember, very few other photographers will be out during a snow storm. If willing to pay the “price of admission”, the shots are often unique and memorable. Use information on this page as a starting point. Go out…give it a try and review your own captures. There’s a lot of valuable information stored in the shooting data that can help on your next shoots. If you are shooting always in Auto ISO, Auto White Balance, Auto Exposure, and Auto Focus, you’ll be at the mercy of the settings the camera applies. The results are often “pretty good”, but you certainly can take over some creative control! Also remember, you can pre-visualize or anticipate what you might find, then set your camera in advance. If you actually find the subject, you’ll be ready. The Moose at the top of the page gave me plenty of time to adjust from from my original settings—but I find that to be the “exception to the rule” and not “the rule”.
Please, if you like this post, or you know someone that might use the information, Share it with them! MJ