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What techniques help improve exposure accuracy when shooting snow or sand?

Asked on Nov 14, 2025

Answer

Achieving accurate exposure in snow or sand can be challenging due to their reflective nature, which can trick the camera's metering system. To counteract this, you can use exposure compensation or manual settings to ensure the scene is properly exposed.

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    1. Set your camera to spot metering mode to measure light from a specific area.
    2. Use exposure compensation (+1 to +2 stops) to prevent underexposure caused by bright reflections.
    3. Consider using a polarizing filter to reduce glare and enhance color saturation.
    4. Shoot in RAW format to allow for greater flexibility in post-processing adjustments.
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Additional Comment:

Check your histogram to ensure highlights are not clipped, indicating overexposure.
Bracket your exposures by taking multiple shots at different settings to capture the best result.
Consider using a gray card to set a custom white balance for accurate color representation.

✅ Answered with Photography best practices.

Ask any question about Photography here... and get an instant response.

What techniques help improve exposure accuracy when shooting snow or sand?

Asked on Nov 14, 2025

Answer

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