Its once again going to snow in Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand as a strong ‘western disturbance’ is approaching the Himalayas. So if you’re making plans to go to Manali, Kullu, Shimla or Nainital to catch some snow, here are some very useful tips to photograph the snow correctly. No matter how good a camera you have, snow can make images blurry or over exposed and spill beans over precious, unforgettable memories.

Snowy landscapes are among the trickiest to photograph with digital cameras. The exposure and white balance settings can easily be fooled by the bright lighting conditions. Whether the sky is overcast or the sun is shining, special care must be taken to avoid messing up the colors completely. The very bright snow acts as a second light source by reflecting sunlight shining on the ground.

1) When snow is falling, use a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the snowflakes. This is more efficient if there is adequate light source in your image.

2) Use the flash to fix the movement of the snowflakes. Don’t be surprised, a flash is not only useful at night but is extremely useful during the day too! A flash could improve images that could otherwise look dull, blurred or hazy.

3) Shoot during the Golden Hours, when the sun is low on the horizon, to capture the texture and shape of the snow on what would otherwise look like a uniform field of white. In simple words. Enjoy making a snow-man or throwing snowballs at your girlfriend and take pictures around late afternoon.

4) If you have to shoot snow in the afternoon, setting the white balance accurately becomes important. Most of the time the preset white balance modes cannot handle this situation, resulting in a strong blue cast in all your images. In this case, the best way to achieve a correct white balance is to use the ‘Custom’ or ‘Manual’ white balance mode.

5) Remember to protect your camera from the cold. This would include, not letting the lens fog up, keeping the batteries warm and not letting water freeze on the camera.

6) Avoid shooting in sepia or black-and-white that’s easy! Besides in a b/w setting, you lose out on whatever little color contrast that can be captured.

7) While photographing snow on a cloudy day the cloudy setting generally available on most cameras works well and produces accurate colors. The exposure often needs correction however, and lowering the EV compensation by -0.7 or -1 is a good rule of thumb.

8 )  Too much white snow can make a landscape look bland. You need to look around for something that breaks up the snow like trees, rocks, or anything that puts a bit of contrast into the picture. Try and look for a bit of 'foreground interest' to bring the picture alive, and place some elements too.

9) Use a tripod and a slow shutter speed when it's snowing to cause a "streaking" effect in the image. This can look extremely creative!

10) If you are not an avid photographer all these guidelines above are Greek to you, then simply rely on the Auto settings in your camera. The Auto mode will correct the white balance calculation of the camera and will lower the exposure value to avoid over-exposing the image. Even simpler, some cameras offer a Snow or Winter setting so you can just point and shoot.

Photo by Dazzan.

You ran around all day long and worked hard to get a good night’s sleep but spent the whole night tossing and turning in bed? Ever thought that the change in season could be one of reasons for the disturbed sleep cycle. If the transition from winter to spring makes you toss all night, you must know that you’re not alone!  The National Sleep Foundation estimates that on average 50 to 70 million people are affected by sleep-related problems, and the change of seasons can be particularly disruptive to your snooze time.

Now sleep soundly year ‘round with these simple tips:

Eat to sleep- Love evening snacks before dinner? Now love them more! Doctors say the habit of having evening snacks can be used to help promote high-quality sleep throughout the seasons. But only if the focus is on foods that contain magnesium, calcium, and potassium. This combination of nutrients increases serotonin and melatonin levels in the body. Such foods often lead to hormonal fluctuations at night and thus lead to better sleep. So have an evening snack before dinner but do remember not to overeat and it goes without saying, eat healthy!

Drink less before bedtime- Dr. Himani Gupta says, “Stimulating activities too close to bedtime produce a surge of endorphins that are counterproductive to good sleep”. In simple words, avoid paying bills or discussing financial matters in the late evening hours. Limit the use of caffeine within 4 hours of bedtime. Cut back on all fluid consumption 2 hours before your bed time, as a full bladder can become the stimulant that prevents you from staying asleep throughout the night.

Fade to black- It’s true that longer days make us want to stay up, but the temptation must be resisted. If you don’t feel sleepy early because now the body cycle is used to it, just create the mood! Create a dark atmosphere, invest in a pair of blackout blinds or curtains designed to promote darkness even in the brightest sunlight. Put cozy comforters and get into your favorite and comfortable pajamas. You will automatically feel like crashing in your cozy bed every night and thus fall asleep early.

A sleep schedule- No, you are no longer a child with a curfew but sleeping on time and making the body used to the change in days and seasons, is most necessary. Dr. Himani explains, "it's important that you go to bed and get up at about the same time everyday, even with the season. This allows your body to get into a rhythm. To make it simple, start with eating your dinner by half an hour earlier than usual and having a bed time ritual like reading a book and dimming the lights. The body will gradually set its clock according to the schedule.

No computer before sleeping- It is believed that 45% of the people admit to using their computer or laptops while in bed. But psychologists say watching TV and using computers, iPad, and cell phone screens can excite the nervous system, both biologically from the lights and psychologically from the content. It is therefore advised that we turn the devices off at least half an hour to 45 minutes before bedtime. Have a small romantic chat with your spouse or talk about lighter things before going to sleep.

Photo by rlcalamusal.