Winter Photography
Winter is finally here, at least in the Northern hemisphere but you shouldn't let the cold weather or snow stop you from going out and shoot more photos and videos. Here are some winter photography tips that you can follow to be more efficient and productive during your shoot outs, and protect your valuable equipment at the same time:
What to bring with you
Appropriate clothing: If you want to protect yourself from the cold, you should dress in layers of warm clothing. Put on gloves that give you easy access to the camera's controls and dials, or think about putting hand warmers inside the gloves you're already wearing.
Winter Gloves
Recommended Gloves: Freehands Men's Unlined Fleece Gloves
Recommended Hand Warmer: Celestron Elements ThermoCharge 3
Tripod: when the weather is cold, your hands may become numb and shaky, making it difficult to keep a steady hold on the camera. The use of a tripod is one way to help ensure that your photographs are clear and not blurry. Extra tip : Carbon Fiber tripods don;t get as cols to hold as the aluminum ones.
Recommended Carbon Fiber Tripod: Manfrotto Befree Advanced Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
Polarizing filter: this will assist eliminate reflections from the snow, which causes glare, and enhance the colors in your images by reducing the amount of glare overall.
Camera Rain and Snow Cover
Camera cover or a plastic bag with a hole cut out for the lens: protect your gear from the element such as snow, ice, and rain that freezes can all cause harm to your camera and lens.
Recommended Camera Rain Cover: Ruggard RC-P8 Rain Cover
In the Field
Maintain a warm temperature for both your camera and its batteries. Low temperatures can cause batteries to drain more quickly, and cold temperatures can also create malfunctions in cameras. You may avoid this problem by storing your camera and spare batteries in a warm place, such as an interior pocket that is close to your body or a camera bag that has a hand warmer attached to it.
Before you take a picture, be sure that any snow or ice that has accumulated on your camera or lens have been removed and that it is completely dry.
Try playing around with the shutter speed; snow and ice can result in some very intriguing patterns and textures in your photographs. Experiment with a variety of shutter speeds to either catch these details or provide the impression of motion in your photographs.
Winter Bird Photography
After you are back Indoors
Be wary of the formation of condensation: the drastic change in temperature that occurs when you bring your camera inside from the outside can cause it to foggy up. Before taking your camera inside, protect it from the elements by placing it in a plastic bag that can be sealed, and then allow it to gradually adjust to the higher temperature.
