36 PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY
STYLE #1 VERITY MILLIGAN
Winteris oneof my favouriteseasonsof the
year,alongwithautumn.Ideally,whenit
comesto wintrylandscapes,I’mreallyhoping
fo r snow,butultimatelywhereI livein the
Midlands,that’snota certaintyeveryyear.
OverthelastfewyearsI’vebecomeincreasingly
in terestedin photographingfrost,specifically
hoar frostclingingto thebranchesof trees
and foliage.I havea coupleof spotslocalto
methatI knowaremagnetsforthesekindsof
conditions,andafterthatI justhaveto judge
it right.I findthatthisgivessomethingextra
totheoverallatmosphere.If I manageto catch
thesekindsof conditionson a mistymorning,
evenbetter.
I’mnota hugekit person,I tryto carrywith
meonlywhatI need,althoughit doesn’t
al waysworkoutthatway.Forthemost
partI’lltakemy camera,a wide-angleand
a te lephoto.Fora lotof my wintrylandscape
images,especiallyif I wantto homein on the
detail,thena telephotolensis essential.Also,
I te ndto shootmostof my wintrylandscapes
witha circularpolariser.Thiscanbe useful
topulloutthemutedcoloursor to enhance
a reflectionin a frozenlake.If I’mshooting
pre-dawn,thena sturdytripodis an absolute
must,so I don’tendup withcamerashakeas
the lightis lowduringthedarkermonths.
I’ m a very intuitive photographer that doesn’t
get bogged downin detailsandthetechnical
si de too much,butI haveto admitthatyou
need to knowyourcamerawellto makesure
you get the mostoutof interestingconditions.
I shoot in aperture-prioritypredominantly
because it givesme as muchcontroloverthe
camera as I need,allowingforthecamera’s
decisionon shutterspeed.If I’mshooting
inlow-lightconditions,I underexposeby
a stop to make sure I retain all thehighlights,
knowing that I can pull out as muchshadow
detail as I need in the edit. I exposeforthe
highlights and keep my ISO low ifI’musing
a tripod, but I’ll push the ISO up to800–1600
if I’m shooting handheld, which Ifindmore
fr eeing than being constrained toa tripod.As with the technical process of usingthe
camera, composition is one of thosethings
that becomes instinct over time. Thereare,
of course, rules that can be followed,such
as the rule-of-thirds or the goldenratio,but
ul timately I work with what I havein front
of me, considering how I’m goingto takethe
vi ewer from the front to the backof an image
in the best possible way. With wideand
te lephoto shots of wintry landscapes,I look
at how the elements balance throughoutthe
fr ame. If I’m shooting a reflection,I’lloften
break the rule-of-thirds because it’llmake
the image more impactful. The joyof
photography, especially during the
changeable wintry months, is thateach
moment is different and requiresthe
photographer to adapt.First and foremost, make sure you’resafe.
If you’re going out in inclement weather,be
ready for what it can throw at you.Wearthe
ri ght clothing and ensure someoneknows
where you’re going and what timeyou’llbe
back.Do notriskyourwell-beingforthesake
ofan image.I go outearly,beforedawnwhen
it canbe extremelycold,butforme,the
conditionsareneverbetterthanduringthose
fe wglimpsesof morninglight.There’sa
st illnessto wintermorningsthat’srather
meditative.I feelin aweof thelandscape.I’M INTERESTED IN HOAR
FR OST CLINGING TO TREES
Verity Milligan is a professional photographer based in Birminghamwhere
sh e lives with her wife, Rachel and their spaniel/saluki cross, Talisker.
Her clients include Visit Britain, American Express and YorkshireTea.
Verity is happiest when outdoors in the landscape, especially duringthe
early morning. She’s also a favourite with PP readers as a columnist.
veritymilliganphotography.comAboveThisfrosty
ru ralscenein the
Peak District
showshow Verity
composeswith
in terestfromthe
fr ontto theback
oftheframe.RightPhotoshop’s
LuminosityMasks
ar e usefulfor
makingnatural
adjustmentswith
soft transitions.❆
KEEPAN EYE
ONTHECLOUDS
Thebestmorningsarethose
th atarecoldandcrisp,with
ju st enoughcloudcover
toenablethelightto
br eakthrough.