Snow is already difficult enough to meter in. The bright white backdrop with the dark figures makes any histogram go nuts. For this case, the histogram is in your head and you have to try to expose the scene.

With all that wildness we are already up against, why not try rate the film at 1600 instead of box speed? In this case, it was Ilford HP5 and my intention was not to try this, but spring in the Midwest is unpredictable. One day it is sunny and mild, the next a snowstorm blows in. Because I already had a roll in the camera being pushed to 1600, I went out for a walk to test how it would do in the snow.

Film already has great latitude and HP5 looks much better when it has more depth in it. It is really tough to lose the highlights with film and if you do, it is probably from scanning more than the developing. I really enjoyed the look of how this made the blacks pop with the added grain, but also the balance in the snow. I was nervous when I developed this thinking everything would be muddy, but they turned out great. Trust that meter and shoot away.