Upper Tahquamenon Falls, Winter

Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a great place to visit any time of the year, including winter. This view from the lip of the Upper Falls looks down the Gorge at the snow and ice covered Tahquamenon River.

Bright sun on snow can fool a camera into underexposing an image (the camera will try to make the snow a medium tone or “middle gray”). To get a more accurate exposure, meter the snow and add 1 1/2 to 2 stops of light to what the camera meter says to keep the snow light in tone. Or use BDE (Basic Daylight Exposure) and subtract 1/2 to 1 stop of light to keep the snow from burning out.

More information about metering and exposure can be found in the series of articles linked at the bottom of this page, and covered in more detail in Digital Photography Exposure for Dummies.

Photo Data: Canon 5D. Canon EF 17-40mm lens at 17mm. f/11, 1/400 second, ISO 100.