Need Some Guidance

[Action Jackson]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. I've been shooting stills for four years, and video for 7 (TV news photographer). I'm finally living in the place I love and would like to get to work on shooting the area. I need some help on a few points, however.
1) I'm looking to do a skyline shot at night. I work with a Nikon D100 and am wondering if I'm better off shooting a double exposure to get some glow in the sky along with lights in the window. Or should I just wait till dusk. Seeing as it gets dark now around 6:30-7, perhaps there won't be enough lights on?
2) Snow! I live in WI and snow will be a-comin' pretty soon. Anything special to keep in mind for landscape or cityscape shots in snow? Am I better off with an ND filter or is there no difference?

Thanks in advance!

 

[EOS_JD]

Taking more exposures and exposing for highlights, midtones and shadows is a good idea. Use photoshop layers to blend these layers. (read up on HDR photography) HDR = High Dynamic Range which is what you are effectively doing.

Snowscapes will fool the exposure in your camera into underexposing. Your camera meters a scene and tries to average it as 18% grey so a white snow scene will underexpose and look grey (try it with your camera on auto)

What you therefore need to do is use some +ive Exposure Compensation. 1 - 1.5 stops might be enough depending on the scene.

Using an ND filter will probably not make a lot of difference in a situation like this unless you may want to slow the shutter speed down for some particular reason.

 

[Flash Harry]

Snow = overexpose by 2 stops, Snow, very bright day = overexpose 3, sometimes 4

 

[Garbz]

Take the photos at dusk. It can produce some of the most wonderful lighting. Bear in mind that every minute this lighting changes so keep your finger on the button and select the best when you get home.

 

[JerryPH]

Do both!

Take several shots during the day. Use the bracketing function (try ranges of 3-5 pics), to take various exposures of the site you want to capture and try out HDR using this technique.

Taking night shots of snowy areas can result in some breath-taking effects that no HDR picture could duplicate.

HDR is incredible... but real is real.