Each year I put together a photo calendar for my mom. I collect 12 pictures of my daughter and use one for each month. But, every year I run into the same problem—-I never have a snowy shot to feature in the month of January. I deduced it is simply because I rarely take my camera outdoors when it’s frigid outside (which is practically every day in January given that I live in Wisconsin). As a result, I barely have any pictures of my daughter frolicking in snowdrifts or making a snowman or a snow angel.
This winter I plan to change that. I have vowed to take my camera to our local sledding hill and capture some prize-winning shots of my daughter zooming down with a frozen smile plastered on her face. While I don’t always take advantage of the conditions, I know that winter can be one of the best times to shoot outdoors. However, the key to a successful shoot is being properly prepared. With that in mind here are some tips I plan to employ during my next winter shoot:
Protecting Yourself
When it is freezing outside the key to staying warm is to dress in layers and wear fabrics that will wick moisture away from your body. Also, you don’t want to leave home without a hat. Headgear is an important defense against losing body heat. Next, it is vital to have a good pair of gloves. There’s nothing worse than dropping your camera equipment in the snow because your hands are too cold to grip it properly. Consider investing in a pair of glove liners with sticky dots to maintain your grip. Or, you might consider using a pair of fingerless fleece gloves. Regardless, it’s important to stay warm when shooting outside. It’s hard to capture a clear shot when you are shivering.
Protecting Your Equipment
If your fingers are freezing after being exposed to the winter cold, imagine what affect the frigid conditions can have on your camera. If you shoot with a digital camera then you know how the cold weather saps the life out of batteries. Be prepared by bringing backups with you. Another tip: keep your spare batteries in an interior pocket so they stay as warm as possible. The professional photographers I used to work with would place hand warmers in their jacket’s exterior pockets then slip their extra batteries in the heated pocket.
You could also purchase rain hoods or a waterproof casing for your camera if you intend to do a lot of outdoor shooting this winter. A frugal alternative is using plastic Ziploc bags. They’re instrumental in keeping condensation off your gear and for protecting it from wet snowflakes. A microfiber cleaning cloth or chamois also works well to keep things dry. I use a backpack cover to keep my camera dry during summer rainstorms. It could serve the same purpose in the winter during a sloppy snowfall.
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