Education
Winter Photography Tips from Szabo Ervin-Edward
By Guest Author - 6 min read
The pursuit of photography during the winter can be challenging. We spoke to Szabo Ervin-Edward about what he has learned about photographing natural beauty even during the winter season.
Whether it be lakes, mountains or woodlands, Szabo’s breathtaking portfolio captures the essence of winter through his skillful use of light and color. Here are his key tips and tricks for extraordinary winter photography.
How To Capture Stunning Natural Landscapes in Winter Conditions
What does the winter season mean to you?
For me, the winter season is always an exciting season. As the winter arrives everything changes around us, and a new and purified landscape presents itself. Anything can influence your photography, and the winter season is no exception to this. Some seasons have more influence than other but winter is defiantly one of my favorites.
Do you have a story that you want your photographs to tell the viewer?
Every picture has its own story, but I try to take every picture in a way that when someone looks at the photo they will feel part of that story, as if that person was holding the camera and will see and understand what is the story behind the image.
Why nature and landscape photography for you?
Nature has always been close to me. As a kid I always loved to adventure into the nearby woods to explore and see new things, and so the love for nature started young. When I become and adult nature become a place where I could go and feel free from any everyday stress and capture the pure beauty and peacefulness of that natural landscapes offer.
Do you have a favourite location to shoot, and how did you discover it?
Yes I do! It is close to my hometown and the beautiful place is called Saint Anna lake. It is the only volcanic lake in Romania. It is really close to my heart because it is where all it begin, it was there that I first fell in love with photography. The landscape, the wild life and all the beautiful opportunities that this place offers for the beginner or a professional photographer makes me go back over and over again. It always shows me something new and exciting, and so it has become my favorite place to shoot.
How does your relationship with each different location you shoot affect the photographs?
I have a different relationship with every location that I shoot, and this relationships can be seen on my photos. Some places mean a lot to me, and so when I take a picture at that location it adds alot of sentimental and emotional value to the photo. But in one way or another, every place is special as it gives me the opportunity to capture the beauty there. For me, it’s always a case of being intentional about being able to see such beauty.
When shooting in winter what is the significance of color in your photographs?
In the winter white is the most significant color. However, I like to find places where I can show other colors that contrast against the white, to make the photo more vibrant and lively. White symbolizes peace, purity and calmness in nature and so when I can show some contrast against the white I think it symbolizes that nature as taking a rest and that life will inevitably start again once the winter is over.
How do you approach changes in light conditions when shooting?
I always look for places with natural lighting as natural light as a beautiful effect on the picture. I like to use maximum aperture as I shoot without a tripod or any stand. Most of the time I underexpose, and more ISO if needed, so it will have some emotional effect. I prefer to shoot at sunrise because the light is smoother and the shadows are not as strong.
What does your post process process look like? Do you consider this whilst you are shooting?
Sometimes I do consider the editing before I take the shoot. I try to take the picture in a way that I won’t have to edit too much on it after its been taken. This being said, my post process starts with choosing the pictures with a high emotional impact. In Adobe Lightroom I create the preset series and then I use some additional settings depending on the image. Overall however, holding the ability to see the final product before you take the raw picture with the camera is the best post process to make the pictures stunning.
To see more of Szabo’s stunning photography, make sure to follow along on his EyeEm profile.
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