Protect Camera Equipment in Cold Weather

Posted: February 16, 2016

[caption id="attachment_12597" align="alignright" width="378"] Mid-day, mid-winter, Alaska light. It just doesn't get any better.

Image from digital-photography-school.com[/caption] Photography opportunities don't stop when winter and cold weather arrive. In fact, a coat of snow or frost can provide photographers with amazing image opportunities. Knowing how to take care of your camera equipment, when braving the cold to shoot, allows you to capture breathtaking photos for many cold seasons to come. David Shaw, writer for Digital Photography School, shares how to protect your camera equipment in the cold weather.

How to Take Care of Your Camera in Cold Weather

Where I live, it gets cold. Not your “Brrr, I need to put on a sweater” kind of cold, but genuine, bone-chilling, spit-freezes-before-it hits-the-ground, kind of cold. Here in Fairbanks, Alaska, winter temperatures regularly drop far into the negatives, and yearly we suffer through snaps that send the mercury plummeting to -40F (-40C). You’d think that in such conditions I wouldn’t want to step outside, let alone take photos, but you’d be wrong. Winter light, what few hours there is of it, is absolutely beautiful. That sweet, crisp glow can pull me from the deepest funk, and lure me out with a camera in hand. During many long winter nights, the aurora borealis dances overhead, and that too can draw me from my cozy cabin, into the snowy forest to make images. On the days I made the two images below, it was seriously cold, but that light, yep, that light will get me outside. To venture out in those temperatures, you’ve got to be prepared. You need the right clothes to stay warm, and you’ve got to make sure your camera equipment is ready too. Forget about fashion You’ve got to dress right. It doesn’t matter what the light is doing, if you get frost-bite on your fingers, and can’t operate the camera. When dressed in my winter-photo clothing, I feel a bit like an onion, wrapped in layer upon layer. Read the entire article How to Take Care of Your Camera in Cold Weather on Digital Photography School.