It's Winter

Yes I know, it's winter, it's cold, it's snowing, the lights bad, and there's some amazing images to be

Pronghorn in Winter

had for those hardy few willing to put forth the effort to go bet them!  For those living in the northern tier of States, Canada, Alaska or several other parts of the northern hemisphere it's winter and the ground is covered in a blanket of snow, lakes are frozen and grey skies are more common than blue.

With 26 years in Alaska and now14 in northwestern Montana I've seen my share of winter and have even learned a thing or two about surviving and yes even enjoying the season.  For the photographer, both amateur or professional, the winter season poses a whole list of challenges we don't have to deal with during the heat of summer; so with that let's take a look at what's waiting for us and how to deal with it.

First, the temperature, if the snow's sticking around the temps are averaging below 32F and depending on where you are may even fall below 0F.  A dream destination for many is Yellowstone NP in winter where subzero temperatures are the norm and not the exception, want that frosty bison?  Pray for -10F or colder!  So, we've got to stay warm in order to stay out; that includes your head, hands and feet.  I've said it before but it's worth saying again, layers; a good base layer to start followed by a cover layer, next a light outer layer and finally a heavy outer layer.  Your exact layering will depend on your individual comfort level, obviously if the worst you'll be experiencing is low to mid 20's you won't need the same covering as someone who will be spending days in a sub-zero environment. You can always take off a layer if you get too hot but you can't put it back on if you don't have it! 

Lonely Winter Barn

Next your head, a baseball cap will do if it's not too cold but if the temps are dipping down into the teens or colder a trappers cap or knit cap are needed and if it's cold enough a face mask may come in handy.  For your hands I recommend a mittens with a finger-less glove inside.  This will allow you to pull the top of the mitten off your fingers and shoot.  In addition, I often wear a pair of light liner gloves to prevent my bare fingers from touching the cold camera or other metal.  Now how about you feet, shoes, maybe the most important for comfort.  If you're feet are cold you're done for the day.  I prefer Sorrels, a -40F pair are fine when you're moving but I like a -100F pair if I'll be sitting in a blind or other non mobile location.  A handy item to have in your bag are a pair of ice cleats in the event you find yourself on a frozen pond or stream.  You can also carry a few chemical hand warmers just in case.

The Chase

OK, so how about your gear?  Pretty much any camera gear will handle those chilly winter conditions but there are a few things you can do to keep it working; first, once your camera is cold, keep it cold!  Don't take it in and out of a warm car or worse in and out of your jacket.  This will cause condensation to form in the camera and lenses and the free moisture will freeze when exposed to the cold.  The cold will not hurt your camera, the water inside it will!  Once I'm done shooting I put the camera back into a cold camera bag, this allows the air in the bag and the camera to slowly warm together preventing moisture from forming inside your equipment.  If you're changing locations use this method to keep your camera cold inside the warm car.  You can however keep your extra batteries inside your jacket keeping them warm and ready to use.  In extremely cold conditions you need to be careful of hitting your equipment as the materials they are constructed from will become more sensitive to impact and can easily crack if hit by a solid object such as a rock or ice.

A Stream in Winter

  

Alrighty, we've looked at clothing and gear care, how about you?  Unless you'll be standing next to your car or even staying in it your likely to find yourself standing in or plowing through varying depths of snow.  This can be very tiring especially if the snow is older and has had a chance to settle leading to post holing through it.  Getting yourself into a little better shape is never a bad thing and it comes in handy in the winter when hiking take a little more effort than usual.  If you haven't worked out in a while get some advice from a Dr. or trainer before starting, you don't want to get hurt and miss winter photography all together.  

As with any hiking you'll want to take a snack or two and stay hydrated!  This is especially true in the winter when the air is extremely dry, the extra water intake will help keep your lips

Nature's Snow Plows

from chapping and help to moisturize the air as you breath in. 

Well, you've read through all this waiting to hear something to improve your winter photography, well you have.  Believe me, when you're comfortable regardless of the weather you'll take more time to compose your images and invariably take better picture.  But, here's a tip that many photographer's, especially beginners, are unaware of, with an abundance of light tones, in the form of snow, your camera is more likely to underexpose the image sometimes by quite a bit; this will become evident by looking at your histogram.  If the snow is white when you look at it it should be white in your

Marking his Territory

picture.  So, get acquainted with your exposure compensation.  This is a function in the camera that allows you to add or subtract light from your image when the meter has set an incorrect exposure level.   Each camera model does this a little differently so read your manual to see how yours works.  In the case of under-exposing light tones you'll add light to the image to create a correct exposure.  On sunny days you'll see less light will be added than on an overcast day.  This is  because on sunny days here is more light available for your camera to acquire a meter reading from and therefore has a better chance of getting it right.

I hope you've taken something away from this and even learned a thing or two.  Until next time "Good Shooting"!  If you'd like to learn more drop us a note, I'd be glad to answer your questions.

Mountain Monarchs

Lone Bull