Tamron Blog: It's Getting Frosty Out There

With below freezing temperatures and cloudless skies overnight, frost is something you can guarantee seeing the next morning and if you can face a cold, early start, it's a photographic subject that's well worth getting out of bed for.

For close-ups of the patterns frost creates you'll need a lens with good macro capabilities but don't overlook capturing wider shots either as frosty landscapes can be very picturesque. 

Our resident blog photographer, Rick, took a stroll around his garden with the Tamron 16-300mm a few mornings ago to see what frost-covered plants and garden objects he could find to photograph. While bracing the cold, he found that a touch of green can break up, what can be, a very white image while a macro lens helps pick out the sharp edges and shapes of frost you may not always see with the eye. 

As shown below, an image of your lawn covered in frost can work really well when captured with a macro lens as the individual blades of grass, each of which have branches of frost coming off them, create texture and repetitive patterns that evoke connotations of cold. Don't overlook garden furniture or even fences as potential subjects either as these can also make strong shapes that work well in photos when cropped into. 

A tripod can be a useful accessory if working in shaded areas but Rick just put the zoom to work hand-held, using the various focal lengths the lens has to offer to capture his frosty themed images. A zoom lens is actually a really useful piece of kit to have on frosty mornings as it means you won't be stood changing lenses in the cold. Instead, you'll be continuingly taking photos which potentially means you could be finished and back inside with a cup of tea much quicker. While we're talking about the zoom lens, Rick did also say that the Tamron 16-300mm's close focusing distance is really useful and actually rather impressive for a zoom lens. 

Other useful accessories are lens hoods as they shade the lens from the sun, if it's out, reducing the chances of flare spoiling your shot and a small reflector can bounce light into shaded spots. 

As for basic tips to help you perfect frost photography, here are a few to get you started: 

• Use exposure compensation as frost can fool the camera's meter. 
• Check your histogram to ensure the exposure's correct.
• Side and direct light will help emphasise the way the frost glistens.
• Get in close and avoid using flash when capturing patterns and texture. 
• Adjusting your white balance to create a cooler colour temperature can further enhance the feeling of cold.

Do take a look at our Tamron blog for more shooting inspiration.