Don't be like a groundhog and hibernate during the winter. Flying flurries and falling temperatures should beckon you outdoors to capture the wonders of winter. And when you do, you'll be able to plug the "winter gap" common to photo albums that seem to have scant pictures from November to April.

Follow these tips, and you'll get great winter pictures that you'll look back at fondly during sweltering summer days.

Cold saps battery power. You have two options to keep your camera energized so you can take lots of pictures. One, keep the camera and batteries warm. Two, carry extra batteries. Doing both is your best choice.

You can keep your camera warm by carrying it inside your coat or even in your coat pocket. But if you're spending several hours outdoors taking pictures, carry an extra set of batteries--inside your coat, where they'll be warm.

Snowflakes melt on a warm camera. If they melt on the lens, you could easily get blurry pictures. So while it might be wise to carry camera lens-cleaning tissue to wipe any moisture off the lens, a better choice is prevention. Except when taking pictures, carry your camera in a zippered plastic bag.

Put it in an external coat pocket if you anticipate taking pictures immediately; put it in an inside pocket to keep it warm if you won't be taking pictures soon.

And when you return indoors, if the camera is cold, leave it in the plastic bag for 15 to 30 minutes, so condensation won't form on the cold camera. And don't forget to keep yourself warm. If you get cold you won't feel like taking pictures.

Your camera was designed to take pictures of typical scenes consisting of varying colours and brightness, like a grassy front yard with kids playing on it. A yard or landscape full of white snow can mislead your camera and result in pictures that are a bit too dark. Of course, you could easily brighten them up with your KODAK EASYSHARE software.

But you can avoid that extra step if your camera is able to compensate for exposure. When snow fills half or more of the picture, set the exposure compensation to +1/2 to create pictures with bright, white snow. Don't forget to reset the exposure compensation button to normal when you're done taking pictures of snow-filled scenes.

Snowmen, ice skaters, frosted tree limbs, these may be a few of your favorite winter things. So let's quickly review a tip or two for photographing them.

Snowpersons have been completely humanized by the ongoing public relations campaign conducted by our childhood friend Frosty. So photograph snow people as if they really were people. Kneel to get a low angle that makes them seem tall and powerful. Have their little snowmakers hug them for a nice snow people family picture. Move in close to show their snowy faces. And if it's sunny, turn on the flash to lighten facial shadows.

Ice skaters, sledders, snowmobilers, snow shovelers, and skiers are all on the go. So use action techniques to bring them to a stop in your pictures. Prefocus (also known as locking the focus) on a spot in their path and just as they reach that spot, take the picture to freeze their dynamic action.

Reveal the signs of winter. A tangle of snow-lined branches etched against the deep blue sky, a cap of snow teetering on a pinecone or mailbox, the dog splattered with snowflakes. For these pictures move in close, maybe even try the close-up mode, and arrange the scene to eliminate distracting background elements.

And, of course, snowy landscapes. An empty swing at the playground, a lone horse in a snow-covered pasture. Make sure you add a subject to those vast, snowy landscapes that draws the eye into the picture.