Photos and words by Jerred Zegelis & Kim Fogle

With winter coming in fast, it's wise to keep a few things in mind for photographing in the cold and snowy days. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when preparing.

Tip One: Don't forget to increase your exposure a bit in the winter.

The camera's light meter often gets tricked by the white scenes in front of us. In automatic modes the camera will set the settings for a neutral scene, but a full scene of snow is anything but neutral! Even when you're in manual and using the light meter, the camera can get tricked.

So what do you do? Use some exposure compensation to increase the exposure a little more, depending on the light. It can mean the difference between these two photos:

Tip Two: Take more batteries than usual.

Batteries don't hold their power as well in the winter, so make sure to grab at least one or two other ones.

Tip Three: Protect Your Camera From Moisture

Remember that the cold air of the winter is usually very dry and when you return from the outside into a warm room, the moisture inside can cause problems. This can cause condensation inside the camera and lens.

If this happens to you, be safe by removing the battery and waiting for the camera to completely dry inside and out.

Tip Four - Have fun!

The winter may be difficult to deal with at times, but there are often unexpected moments of beauty, such as this common road covered with a canopy of snow: