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White on White
favorite color theme of mine is white on white, and that’s why I love shooting in winter. The purity of white is compelling, and when the various tones or shades of white are combined, some of the most amazing images result. Dealing with exposure The first question in a photographer’s mind when shooting snow and other bright white subjects (like white-feathered birds, white wedding dresses, etc.) is how to expose for the subjects. Meters are designed to determine an accurate exposure when the subject is middle
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toned. This is usually referred to as middle gray,, but this could just as well be middle red, middle magenta, or middle green. The color doesn’t matter -- it’s how light or dark the tone is. If a subject is white, the meter assumes it’s middle toned and therefore dictates a shutter speed/ f-stop combination that makes the white subject or scene middle toned, i.e. gray. A middle toned rendition of a pure white landscape like the cottonwood tree on the next page produces an underexposed image. The meter is trying to make the scene middle toned, thus the highlights are darkened in keeping with the programming of the meter.
