TIL my SLR light meter lies in winter...

Used to trust my camera's meter for snow shots and always got gray, muddy photos. Switched to a handheld Sekonic and started shooting manual at +1.5 stops, now the snow actually looks white. Anyone else have a trick for tricky light conditions in cold months?

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phoenix_singh13d ago

Have you tried metering off your own hand instead of the snow itself? That was the game changer for me, especially in overcast winter light. Your palm is basically a middle gray, so you can point your meter at it, add one stop, and lock that exposure in. The snow stays white but you don't blow out the highlights like you would if you just trusted the overall scene. Also, keep in mind that the sun angle gets super low in winter, so the light is bouncing around differently and tricking your meter even more. Honestly, once I stopped metering the whole frame and started metering one consistent surface, my winter shots went from flat to crisp real quick.