Cold weather photography brings purifying white snow, ice kissing the grasses and trees, and of course the crisp, cool (or cold!) air. Additionally, it usually drives away the crowds and makes for some great one on one time with nature. Of course, in order to enjoy this there are a few items to keep in mind to keep you comfortable and safe! I’ve placed the items of personal safety above the photography items. Remember, if you’re not safe then it’s not a good idea to be out shooting!
1. Wear clothing that wicks away or repels moisture. Leave those blue jeans and cotton socks at home! Nothing is more miserable than trudging through snow and having it melt into cold water as soon as it warms up. Additionally, wearing shirts that absorb sweat only cause your temperature to drop, which could be dangerous. Ideal fabrics would be wool, Under Armour, fleece, and Gore-Tex. When I’m out in the frigid weather, I pull on an Under Armour top and pants, fleece pants, wool socks, and then some Gore-Tex pants on top of that.
2. Wear appropriate shoe wear. Get some waterproof, breathable snow boots. Cold, wet feet make for a shivering time, and could increase your chance of getting frostbite. Is getting the shot worth losing your toes?
3. Wear a hat. Seems basic enough, most of the heat of our bodies escapes through our heads so use your head!
4. Wear gloves. In some conditions frostbite can set it very quickly. Without fingers capturing photographs can be difficult! One of the basic problems of photography is that gloves make it hard to change the controls on your camera. This is something that plagued me for years. I used to wear thin gloves that would allow better finger mobility, but this caused them to get cold too soon and once your hands get cold, its difficult to rewarm them in thin gloves. I then got a another pair of gloves to put over those gloves so I could take off the top pair only when needed. While this worked ok, I really found that finding gloves that grip well were my best bet. I got a pair of Thinsulate gloves with some nice grip that allows me to work every aspect of my camera without removal, of course this took some trial and error. If you must have the thin gloves to have better control, get the two pair of gloves as I have mentioned, but use a hand warmer between the two layers.
5. A good time for any occasion, bring a complete extra pair of clothes in your vehicle. You never know what may happen that may force you to change your wear. There have been times I couldn’t tell the end of a stream or shore under the snow and happened to step through the ice and drench my feet. The extra pair of boots and socks came in handy!
6. Another good anytime tip, prepare your equipment prior to exiting your vehicle. Minimize the snow and moisture that gets into your bag by knowing where to quickly reach what lenses, filters, etc. you need.
7. Have a travel umbrella. Good for rain or snow, this keeps droplets off your lens. If those stray flakes and drops hit, keep a cloth lens cleaner handy.
8. Bring Ziploc bags. Besides being able to be used to protect your gear in the cold when conditions arise, if you exit and enter your vehicle often, condensation on your equipment can occur. By placing your camera in a bag prior to entering your car, you can keep that condensation off your lens and prevent fogging.
9. Cover the legs of your metal tripod with insulation. This prevents loss of heat from your hands when you are carrying or otherwise moving your tripod.
10. Buy a spare battery and keep it in a pocket close your body. Cold weather drains a battery about 2-3 times faster than mild temperatures. Most good winter coats have pockets on the inside which work fabulously for this purpose. Additionally, keep a spare memory card in those pockets.
11. If metering evaluative, expose 1.5-2 stops above the recorded scene to properly capture snow.
12. Drink something warm before enjoying the cold weather!
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 50 CM, f/11, 1/80 sec.
Platte River State Park, Nebraska
