James Nader TV Interview German TV ~ The Ice cold slopes
A complete surprise booking from a European client and contact made through my perfectly optimesed WordPress SEO strategy had deliverd the result that I really wanted, To shoot an epic 27 day campaign in over 12 counties of Europe. I apparently had been on their radar a while since we added in the Composite and CGI section to the website late last year. “we loved the way you mixed landscape , shape and model form to create unique composites” (Marco Cormann- producer Lambertz)
Hintertux is where we started to shoot the initial images for the campaign but as you can see in the image Phil and I are really loving the location. Although chilly it was sunny and warm at that time in August however in some of the shots you can really see how quick the weather changed. The only problem was at the top of the mountain there wasn’t any toilets and if you needed to go then it was a half our round trip back to the next station by cable car. Not sure how that all worked if you were a little short?
We were on and off the slope for 4 days and stayed in the centre of Mayerhoffen in Austria about 14 km to the slopes. In the picture you can see me introducing Phil to the TV camera who were reporting on the shoot at various locations for the German publicity machine.
I had to do 18 interviews for the tour and it pushed me persoanlly to learn how to speak in a reasonable coherent manner to the German TV cameras which is something I at that time had done little apart from a little of for Channel Four for the Gadget Show and How to Look Good Naked when I managed 7 shows as the resident photographer.
The shoot went well and we have some superb shots from this particular location of which there were a further 9 to complete. One of the most demanding was the ice cave which was wet, cold and a possible accident waiting to happen in fact Health & Safety UK would be not happy as to how we worked or where? if you watch the video you can see exactly what I mean.
LINK HERE TO BEHIND THE SCENES AND VIDEO
More from the shoot and plenty of behind the scene videos in the rest of this Magazine in Behind the scenes, Videos and the Project section where Lambertz images and complete story for each image are located.
SHOOTING IN SNOW – 5 TIPS FOR SNOW PHOTOGRAPHY
8. Check the Histogram
When shooting in the snow use your histogram to be sure you are not losing image details in the snow Dynamic range is really important as the LCD screen may show that you have correct exposure but may not be calibrated and so burnt our highlights could be an issue. The histogram will tell you if your highlights are overexposed or blown out. Conversely, you want to be sure you’re not overcompensating and underexposing everything. So it’s a good idea to shoot in raw so you can make adjustments when you get home.
9. Metering
Most DSLR cameras a different light metering modes to select from. The most common metering modes are:
- Matrix Metering (Nikon) or Evaluative Metering (Canon)
- Center-Weighted Metering
- Spot Metering
Try experimenting with different metering modes when shooting in the snow. I tend to shoot mainly on the average or centre weighted and always shoot manual exposure using either a light meter or for quickness the camera with an average guess of F11 @ 1/125 and then balance the light from there
10. Protect Your camera
Before heading out in the cold and the freezing location, be sure you have either a UV or clear filter to protect the front element of your camera lens from moisture and condensation. To avoid condensation buildup in your camera when you come in from the cold, grab a large zip-lock bag for your camera and seal it tight. Make sure that your camera has acclimatised to the conditions and keep away from any snow even if it is weather sealed. I have been at the top of Hintertux in the image and gone back to my Hasselblad lens and found a condensation spot in the centre of the lense based on the camera being out in the cold and a little snow flurry then placed the camera back in the back and 10 minutes late some condensation has built up.