Picturing the Big Lake, January 2013 – Winter Photography

7 Winter Photography Tips

Old Man Winter has finally gripped the Northland with snow and freezing temperatures and there is more in the forecast. Winter is a special season, with quiet snowfalls, pristine white landscapes and clear blue skies; the “Quiet Season” is a great time to kick back and enjoy winter. The season of cold also presents great photo opportunities whether it is ice-covered shorelines, chickadees, people enjoying outdoor activities, or just plain walking in the woods. Getting out in the fresh air with your camera is a perfect reason to enjoy this season to the fullest.

While winter is a great time for photography, digital cameras get a bit touchy when used in freezing temperatures. However, if you follow these simple tips for cold weather photography, you will be able to capture those wonderful snow scenes like a pro.

1. Keep yourself warm – you're not Jack Frost

Your ability to enjoy being out in the cold depends on your preparations for staying warm. Dress in layers and wear good warm boots, with ice cleats if needed. One of your clothing layers should be of a material to break the wind and include a good hat and preferably a hood.

Keeping your hands warm is by far the most challenging task of cold-weather photography. I remember many days getting back to my car with barely enough feeling in my fingers to find my keys. You need thick gloves, but these are not great when it comes to operating the small buttons on your camera. While there is no perfect glove when it comes to operating the small camera controls in -20º F temperatures, consider gloves that have fingertips or mittens that can be folded back so that you can momentarily use your bare fingers.

2. Camera frostbite – that camera may bite

When viewing the scene through your camera viewfinder, remember, the camera is at the same temperature as the air, and your nose and cheek touching it for any amount of time, especially when your moist breath has frosted the metal, will guarantee a frost burn when you warm up. Don’t ask me how I know this, but I have walked around with a deep red blotch at the end of my nose more than once.

Frostbite from your tripod is also common. Carrying a frozen piece of metal will quickly drain the warmth from your hand, regardless of the gloves that you may be wearing. Use a piece of foam pipe insulation taped around a leg of the tripod to help protect you from the cold.

3. Keep your batteries warm – the Energizer Bunny doesn’t like cold

Cameras are designed to function without problems down to 32º F (0º C) and most operate just fine at temperatures far lower. Batteries are greatly affected by cold as the temperatures approach the freezing mark. Depending on the size and temperature of the camera battery, your camera will begin to lose its ability to function as temperatures drop below freezing. By 0° F, you will have less than an hour and often times much less before your camera begins to show signs of failure.  So, when you take your camera out into the cold, be prepared with extra “warm” batteries.

The standard rating for batteries is at room temperature, 25º C (about 77º F). At approximately -22º F (-30º C), battery AH capacity drops to 50 percent. At freezing, capacity is reduced by 20 percent. This is a particularly serious problem with today's digital cameras that are totally dependent on battery power. This is just the chemistry and physics of how batteries work. If you anticipate this phenomenon and keep your batteries warm until you need them and also have some spare batteries in a warm pocket, you will have no problems with battery failure.

4. My camera LCD is broken – this power hungry device dies first

You will probably notice the first signs of cold-weather camera failure on your camera’s LCD display. This is a power hog and is the first thing to begin malfunctioning. Failure indicators are usually sluggish refresh times, followed by loss of contrast and “gray-outs,” which in turn are followed by a total cold-induced blackout. While this effect is not damaging to the camera and it will return to normal operation once it warms up, it can be frustrating and leave you wondering if the camera is working right.

Remember that plastic battery and memory card doors, as well as any hinged plastic connector covers, can become brittle and crack when exposed to extreme temperatures for extended periods. Plan your trip so you will not have to open and close camera components any more than necessary. This will also save your fingers from being exposed to the cold for additional time.

5. My autofocus lens is chattering as much as my teeth – what’s wrong

On many higher-end cameras such as the Canon EOS lenses, the autofocus motors are located in the barrel of the lens. This setup fails quickly as the cold metal of the barrel rapidly conducts warmth away from the mechanism. Plan to shut this feature off for extreme-cold shooting.

6. Shooting snow scenes – my snow pictures are always gray

With a priority of keeping the batteries warm, set up your tripod (if you plan on using one) and remove the camera from its case just prior to photographing the scene. Remember, once your fingers are exposed to the cold in order to set up your camera, you have very little time before they turn numb.