Whether you’re taking a cold-weather trip to a famous city, visiting a local metropolis to do some holiday shopping, or simply trudging across the concrete jungle as part of your daily commute, photographic opportunities abound in the urban landscape during the winter season. Judith Pishnery enjoys hitting the streets with camera in hand, even when the residents are huddled up inside sipping hot cocoa. “I was in New York for a big blizzard in 2006,” she says. “And there I was, out in the snow taking pictures!”

Pishnery takes along a variety of Tamron lenses when she’s dodging taxi cabs and city dwellers in her quest for memorable winter images. “I really like the 70-200mm f/2.8, and the 28-300mm VC lens is a great all-purpose lens—it goes from a little wide to great telephoto,” she says. “The 28-75mm f/2.8 is also nice for this type of photography. If you’re not shooting with a full-frame sensor, you may want a wider lens, so I’d recommend the 18-270mm or the 18-200mm—I’ve used both and really enjoyed their versatility. The 70-200mm f/2.8 is also amazingly sharp: I’m not normally a telephoto lens user, I prefer wide-angle lenses, but I’ve really fallen for this lens—it’s my new favorite.”

It’s most important that you bundle up before you leave your hotel or the comfort of your car. “I wear loose layers—thermal underwear is great,” says Pishnery. “I wear warm socks with hiking boots, because they’re heavier and warmer than tennis/running shoes and generally waterproof, too.”

A hat, scarf, and gloves are also crucial. “I see some people with the fingertips open on the gloves so they can operate the camera, but I’d rather use thin leather gloves, driving gloves or some sort of workglove with rubber grippers on the fingertips, which definitely keeps my fingers warmer,” says Pishnery. “If you’re warm, yet mobile, and comfortable, you’ll stay out longer and get more shots.”

In the cold, your camera batteries will drain very quickly, so make sure they’re fully charged (or “topped off,” as Pishnery says) and carry extra batteries in your pockets with self-heating hand warmers, which keep things toasty for hours. You can also carry an extra thermal top with you, which you can either put on or use to protect your equipment. “You could wrap the camera in the extra thermal top if the cold is really extreme to keep the battery, media card, shutter, and aperture warmer,” says Pishnery. “Sometimes the cold may cause them to stick. If that’s the case, go inside and let them (and you) warm up a bit before heading out again. If it’s really cold, you could also try ‘extreme’ media cards. Some of them are designed for extreme temperatures, from -13°F to 185°F.”

Pishnery uses an OP/TECH plastic wrap to house her camera, though she says you could use a shower cap from the hotel or a large Ziploc bag. “I always keep one in my camera bag,” she says. “I put an opening for the lens, use a rubber band to secure it, add an opening for the viewfinder, and have a quick, inexpensive protective cover for my camera. I keep a UV filter on my lens, which protects the front glass from snow, rain, and blowing dust.”

Once you’re adequately fortified against Mother Nature, simply walking around the city will present the best photographic opportunities. “I find many great images just by walking around—from iconic famous landmarks to the little details,” says Pishnery. “Just walk carefully and watch out for slippery areas and ice!”

Keep your eyes open and your camera ready,” says Pishnery. “Once I go out to make photos, I have my camera ready: It’s on, the lens cap is off, and I’m looking for interesting things and people to photograph. Since converting to a digital camera, I no longer worry about how many pictures I’m taking—I have several media cards, so I shoot anything and everything that seems interesting and sort it out when I get back to my computer.”

To showcase the winter season and the cold weather, look for people all bundled up. “The snow and ice details integrated with the city can be beautiful as the city lights sparkle on the icy details,” Pishnery says. “Try ‘framing’ the photo with your subject in the foreground—this adds some interest and depth to the image. Don’t forget the rule of thirds, either, but perhaps put the main subject in the left or right third of the frame and move the horizon line to the top or bottom third (not the middle) of the frame. This creates much more dynamic photos.”

The variety of structures and buildings found in a city environment can allow you to experiment with different vantage points. “Don’t shoot everything from eye level,” says Pishnery “Sometimes a lower or higher viewpoint offers a new, interesting perspective. You might be sitting or lying on the ground, or you could even shoot from a parking deck, balcony, or hotel room. I always ask for a high floor with a view when possible at the hotels I stay at.”

No matter what your angle or composition, Pishnery advises to take a lot of photos. “The more you shoot, the more you have to choose from,” she explains. “I always shoot several frames of the same thing—I just might change the angle or the cropping. If there are people in the frame, I get different expressions and different compositions by shooting multiple pictures. That way, when I get back to my computer, I can find the one where all of the elements—the exposure, composition, and lighting—all work together nicely.”

Any time of day can work when capturing cityscapes. “I know many photographers really like the early morning and late afternoon for the beautiful light and long shadows, but when I’m traveling in the city, I don’t always have the luxury or time to wait for the light,” Pishnery says. “I’m busy walking around, shopping, and seeing the sights. So I take advantage of the light I have at the time. If the sky is gray and dull, I try to look for interesting images that don’t include a lot of sky; instead, I’ll look for details or streetscapes. On the other hand, when there are beautiful storm clouds, I’ll include them in the image if it adds to the photo.”

When the sky is overcast and gray, using the “Cloudy” or “Shade” white balance setting can add a little warmth to the photos, says Pishnery: “I also look for colorful subjects, which helps make the images more cheerful.”

Pishnery normally shoots in manual mode (after years of experience, she’s able to shoot this way quite quickly), but aperture priority or shutter priority can also be used. “Since it’s winter and a bit darker, I might use an ISO around 400,” she says. “I just use the in-camera meter, which works great in most situations.”

The only exception to using the in-camera meter, Pishnery finds, is when there’s a lot of snow, such as in a city park. “In that case, you want to override the camera meter and overexpose by 1 or 2 stops,” she says. “This is also possible with the ‘exposure compensation’ +/- control: Set it to +1 or +2, and your snow will be white. Otherwise, if you just expose as the camera indicates, the photo will be gray and dull. I know it’s a bit counterintuitive, but when the image is lighter and brighter in tone than average, you need to lighten up the exposure.”

Pishnery typically doesn’t use a lot of flash when she’s exploring the city, though there are a few interesting things you can try with flash. “Use the flash when it’s raining or snowing to actually show the drops and flakes,” she suggests. “See how you get some of the drops or flakes in the foreground, though you’ll have to experiment to get something that looks good.”

A tripod can come in handy, even though it might seem cumbersome dragging it around the city streets. “Sometimes it’s necessary,” says Pishnery. “In the winter and on overcast days, the light is dimmer and a tripod is needed. But with today’s cameras, it’s often easy enough to raise the ISO to 400, 800, or higher and still get great results. The VC feature on the Tamron lenses also helps in this regard.” Tamron VC lets you shoot at up to 4-stops slower without camera shake.

Pishnery likes to cap off her photographic adventures in metropolis with a shoot at dusk, one of her favorite times of day. “The glow of the windows, the sparkle on the ice or snow, if there is any—it’s simply beautiful,” she says. “However, you only have a short amount of time to take advantage of the blue after-sunset light.”

Even if you’ve got all the technical factors nailed, remember to have fun during your urban adventure. “Experiment,” says Pishnery. “Try going with longer shutter speeds, like 1/30th of a second to 1 second, and getting some motion blur; try zooming the lens during the longer shutter speed. Overexposing and underexposing can also produce an artistic, rather than a realistic, image. Embrace those ‘what if’ moments: What if I do ‘this’ and just see what happens?’”

To see more of Judith’s images and find out about the workshops she teaches throughout the U.S. and Europe, visit www.pisconeri.com.