shooting in very cold climate-countryside

[fredjeang]

Hi,

As we are in winter in northen hemisphere it's been uploaded a number of pictures related to this kind of countryside-season.
I think it would be interesting that the members who regulary shoot in these particular climate and conditions give us their observations
about
What recurring technical chalenges for:
-High altitude photography
-Very cold great north and south
-snow
-apropriated gears for that purpose
etc...

Thank you.

Fred.

[David Saffir]

Extreme Cold Weather/Hi Altitude Clothing and other suggestions, in no particular order
(I copied a lot of this from my own checklist. Of course there's got to be stuff
you'll want to add....)

Think of it like a trip to the Moon :))

First: at high altitude, in bad weather, cotton kills. Don't use it.
Goretex lined outer shell, upper and lower.
Multiple layered underneath polypro fleece with thick collar (wool OK too, if you can tolerate it)
Thick polypro or wool hat with brim
Sunglasses and eyglasses (two of each). If doing real high altitude, consider wrap around sunglasses.
Face guard for wind. Consider ski goggles for walking in bad weather.
Two layers of socks, one thin inner layer, one thick outer layer
Two layers of gloves, same as above. Goretex liners are available.
Extra water, dehydration is always a problem
Flashlight and compass, plus gps if you can afford it. Take more batteries than you think you need.
topo maps (learn how to use them, even if GPS has them)
chapstick
skin moisturizer (actually can help w/ frostbite)
Insulated boots with goretex liner.
A waterproof cover for your pack and camera.
Food. Any medicines you might need in an emergency. Small first aid kit. Rope.
At least three sets of batteries, fully charged for camera and accessories. My camera has one battery for the digital component, one for the camera body. Some film cameras also use two batteries.
Wrap your tripod legs in foam or cloth to help keep your hands from getting colder. Clean and service the tripod joints so they don't lock up. Keep the tripod out of the water.  Clean snow off before you enter a warm environment.
If you walk on icy ground, consider crampons and a hiking pole
Snowshoes can be indispensable. There are models that can fit almost any boot.
Use a remote release so you don't have to take gloves off as often.
Take hand warmers - lots of them - if weight permits.
Take some energy bars, or those energy gel pouches cyclists use. Calories = warmth.
Two battery chargers - they break. Same for card readers.
Keep extra batteries in an inside pocket - warm batteries work, cold batteries die fast.
Extra memory cards.
If you lose your gloves, spare socks are an adequate substitute.
Take a whistle for signaling in case you need help. Ditto for cell phone/sat phone. Leave detailed trek plan with trusted person. If you go far, mark your trail for return (I use bits of tape that I retrieve on the way back)
If you are out in the cold, and you return to a warm environment, leave your camera gear in the bag until it warms up too. Taking the camera apart will encourage condensation on cold surfaces.
Go with a buddy. Stay together. Think about sharing the load on some items, and when you should each carry your own stuff.
Last, if you have a feeling that weather is going to turn bad, it will. Leave or take steps to protect yourself. Always leave a line of retreat.
If you feel sick, or feel like you are getting sick, postpone your trip. Altitude and bad weather makes things like this much worse, very quickly. If you get altitude sickness, descend immediately.

Your camera gear should be pretty high-end, with decent weather sealing. Bring a cover so you can shoot if its drizzling or wet snow. Change lenses in a protected place, not out in the open.

I can't possibly cover everything you might need for a particular circumstance. Use this as a starting point and think about it carefully. I've been 20 miles in when an ice storm hit (Mineral King in the Sierras), didn't have what i needed, and was totally miserable, froze my butt off. Two inches of ice on everything.

You'll find all of this is worth it. Once you get it set up it is a piece of cake to head out the door. You'll get the most amazing images, and see some really cool places.

David

[ckimmerle]

I think we need to define "extreme cold weather". David's definition, judging from his list, is much warmer than my definition would be. His list is great for areas where winter temps are at or above freezing, but in extreme cold (10F to -20F), some changes need to be made.

For instance, while the mantra "cotton kills" is espoused all the time, the fact is that cotton can actually be helpful in extreme cold environments as it's tough and breathable and won't burn. Heavyweight cotton parkas and pants and boot uppers are the preferred winter outerwear by many who spend time outdoors in the far north where getting wet isn't much of an issue.

I would skip the Goretex altogether as the ability to evaporate body vapor is far more important than protection from external moisture. This is arguable, but the best extreme winter boots are actually breathable and flexible, like mukluks. Some people prefer vapor-barrier boots such as the army's "bunny boot" (insulated rubber boots), but for long period of inactivity, they can be a detriment as excessive moisture buildup inside the boot can hinder insulation.

Some of the photographic challenges when shooting in the extreme cold:
- frozen eyelashes
- breath fogs rear LCD screen and eyepiece. I always breath down out of my mouth when behind the camera.
- tripod heads and legs get stiff
- frostbite danger on fingers or cheeks (suffered both)
- batteries lose power much faster
- condensation, if going into warm environment without covering gear

[David Saffir]

Chuck - interesting comments. Didn't think about environments where liquid water is not an issue.

I would, however, say that the gear list I show works down to about -20. Used it all the time skiing in the Northeast, where -20 and high wind are common. It is also possible to experience swings in weather from the -20 scenario to freezing rain. (that one really sucks). Skiing is an activity where you have long periods of rest, and variable periods of intense activity. And it does work in photography down to about -20 (high Sierras, January, 3 am hike in, snow and wind, backpack, 10-12000 feet.

David

[Jeremy Payne]

skiing in the Northeast, where -20 and high wind are common

Where are you skiing that -20 is common?

[ckimmerle]

Chuck - interesting comments. Didn't think about environments where liquid water is not an issue.

As folks around here and up in Manitoba are fond of saying, it's a "dry" cold. Not really sure what that has to do with anything, but we're fond of saying it none-the-less. As we're in the flat plains, weather is the same pretty much everywhere within half a days drive, so we don't have to worry about weather changing with elevations, thus only have to prepare for a single set of temps.

For the most part I do agree with your list. Just had a few other ideas. Also, I should amend my earlier post to say that I would include Goretex outer gloves and, if there is any chance of temps rising towards freezing, Goretex pants.

[David Saffir]

new hampshire -  I've been out in that kind of weather snowshoeing and cross country skiing. It gets really, really cold there in Dec and Jan. A face mask is mandatory.  Downhill skiing my limit is about 0. Sorry I wasn't clear.

D

[Jon Meddings]

new hampshire -  I've been out in that kind of weather snowshoeing and cross country skiing. It gets really, really cold there in Dec and Jan. A face mask is mandatory.  Downhill skiing my limit is about 0. Sorry I wasn't clear.

D

Coming from Canada and enjoying winter shooting I have to say we've had the odd cold day. Cold here is also a relative term and I really don't worry too much at anything -20 C or warmer. The suggestions above make sense to me in large part.

But it does get colder than that and we've been out -30 to -40 and although it is a 'dry cold' I believe that is pretty much a meaningless statement past -20. At -30 or below it is just darn cold.

Many of our shots in winter are from spots relatively close to vehicle access but even so you often have to 'wait for the light' and it is the immobility, in the wind that is the killer to me. I also am a believer in 'finger free' gloves kept inside large and warm mits. Using the camera at -30 is downright painful as that big lump of metal simply sucks the heat out of your hands so touching it as little as possible is important.

In the Rockie mountains I have also been surprised at how many places still have open water (from hot springs) at temperatures that hit -40. This of course makes for some wonderful compositions but also some unique problems.  One of these is that if you get your tripod legs wet and then even have them exposed to the -40 air  momentarily the water freezes and jams your leg mechanism. This has driven me nuts on occassion. I now carry a small rag and immediately wipe any water off the legs and when I get back to the car I let the tripod warm up and then dry it off with a larger towel in the car.

Having 'water problems' in -40 weather has always seemed rather ironic.

But it is fun to take pictures in this weather.  Here is a shot from a spot in the nearby mountains taken this January. The temperature was about -30 and I spent about half an hour waiting for the sunrise light and thought I was going to never feel my fingers again! But in the end I like the shot a lot and having it hang in my office makes me think of that numbness in my fingers!!

[sabatia]

The single greatest aid to winter photography is the little handwarmer packets. This allows you to take your big mitts off, set-up camera and shoot and then put your hands back into mitts that are still warm. This works well even when using a liner glove.

I'm up in northern Newfoundland. For three weeks in Jan-Feb the temp never got above 0F and the windchills were doing -39 and below. Nippy!

A friend and I went up to a little summit on the coldest day--minus 11 and blowing 45mph. I had my little S90 with me and wanted to take a pic of her with her balaklava/goggles/etc. all covered with frost. In the less than a minute that I had the camera out, I noticed one of my fingers rapidly turning white. Away went the camera and my hands were back in my warmered mitts and just fine and we got the hell out of there. When I looked at the images on the computer screen that eve, I noticed that she had a spot of exposed flesh over her goggles that had also turned white. Fortunately both of us were fine.

Perhaps the most important thing viz. the camera equipment itself is to keep the camera gear including lenses in their cases for at least an hour or more after getting into a warm place. Condensation happens very quickly when bringing hypercold equipment indoors. It can wreak havoc with cameras and cause serious internal flaws inside of lenses. One of the things I have learned to do is to remove the battery while still outdoors so that I don't have to access the cold camera indoors to get the battery out to put on the charger.