Fairbanks, AK.
I am still pouring over images from our trip to Alaska last week, and I had the chance to photograph dog mushing on multiple occasions. A few times we had snow falling during the shoot, and it reminded me of a few questions I often hear on workshops. First, do you need to worry about snow on your camera? The short answer is it depends on how cold it is. Subzero temps mean snow that is dry and isn’t a problem, you can blow it right off the camera and lens. If it is warmer, snow can be similar to rain, don’t let it saturation your camera. Next, use a lens hood. Wet flakes on your front element mean blurry photos. And last, think about how you want the snow to look. Snow is a beautiful atmospheric element. I like my snow to look like sharp diamonds in the sky, not white streaks. For the image above, I shot at 1/2000 to freeze the mushing action, and also get the right look to the snow. Honestly, while the dog mushing action is terrific, the snow in the image really steps of the quality and mood of the shot.