Everyone knows that most places in Muskoka are picture perfect. With the lakes, rocks and trees as a background, it is no wonder that the area is an inspiration for painters and a mecca for photographers.

Wintertime in Muskoka is no exception. Just a little more care and attention is needed to make sure the winter wonderland remains a wonder.

Taking pictures during the winter can be a challenge for even the most skilled photographer. If out shooting on a dull flat day, photos will turn out dull and flat no matter how much experience the photographer has or how good the camera is.

“The problem with snow is that with all the light bouncing around it tricks your light meter,” says Kelly Holinshead of Shutterbug Gallery in Huntsville. “This can lead to very grey and dull shots. There are simple things you can do to make sure this doesn’t happen. Even on bright sunny days, and if your camera will let you, use the flash. This will brighten things up.”

As well as light problems, the cold can also create its own set of challenges. Most malfunctions occur due to cold batteries. Take along extra batteries based on the temperature. If it is snowing, protect your camera. Do not blow the snow off the lens as the condensation from your breath might freeze on its surface. Brush all snow off instead.

“Keep your camera warm,” says Holinshead. “Also, be aware if you are going in and out from cold to warm. This will often have the same effect as someone wearing glasses and your lens will mist up. I remember shooting a cross-country skiing event where I was moving from the warmth to the very cold a lot and my camera simply could not take it and it just froze. I missed some good shots. Now I’m always prepared.”

Painting in the wintertime can also generate a lot of challenges, especially when the colder temperatures affect the materials being used.

“I’d love to be able to set up an easel outside and paint,” says Baysville artist John Murden, “but as I work with watercolours, I’d be painting with ice so I doubt it would work. Instead I do some sketching outside but work from photos back at my studio.”

Although acrylic and watercolour paints would freeze outside, some oil-based paints can handle cold temperatures.

“Starting with a white canvas when painting a white scene can actually be a benefit,” says Murden. “This way a lot of the painting is in place; it is just a case of adding layers to it to create the picture. The joy of winter painting is being able to play with the shadows that are created. It adds a whole new dimension to the work. Blues and purples work well to create this effect. If the majority of the painting is of snow, be careful of using a dominant colour, though. Reds and greens will dominate a scene and you don’t want to distract too much from the entire painting.

“In a piece I did called Spring Break, I focused on two red Muskoka chairs that were just coming out of snow during the spring melt. The majority of the painting is the whites and blues of the snow with the red adding to, not distracting from, the painting.”

Murden says it is the personal feeling that people get from seeing a winter scene that makes for a good painting. He does spend the winter months with a camera close to him, as he says he never knows when he will come across the inspiration for a future masterpiece.

“The advantage of being a painter over a photographer is I can do what I want,” says Murden. “I don’t have to worry about overexposure or how exact a photo looks. I can add all that onto it when I paint.”

A good scene to photograph or paint will be up to an individual’s taste, but Holinshead says going out after a fresh snowfall, or visiting a waterfall, always yields great shots.

The time of day is important to the success of an outing. Morning and late afternoon light cast fewer harsh shadows and an early frost can add some real sparkle to outdoor photography.

“The good thing about winter mornings is they are not that early,” says Holinshead. “In the summer to get the great misty morning shot you may have to be up around 4 a.m. During the winter, the light is still good at 10 a.m. It is pretty civilized.”