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Creatives are using these accessories to master cold-weather photography
When it comes to cold weather photography the best accessories are a must for those of us in the brick environments right now.
Dropping temperatures bring about golden winter sunsets, glittery holiday decorations, and snowy nature scenes. Perfect conditions for visual creators looking to expand their portfolio.
However, before you run out into the snow, here’s some gear that will help you brace the cold.
Keep your hands warm at all times
Pretty much every single videographer we reached out said one particular accessory was absolutely crucial when it comes to cold weather photography: hand warmers!
“Honestly I cannot think of any except hand warmers,” said @hitchesandunions on IG. @Respectivecollective agrees:
“Handwarmers (…) are necessary! [For] when we are pulling focus and we need our hands not to be frozen.”
It’s not only about keeping yourself warm
@Jocomedia‘s tip for winter shoots and cold-weather photography is less about the specific gear and more about the quantity of said gear. “Extra batteries. Keep them in a warm place like pockets.”
This is because cold weather can have a severely negative, though non-lasting, impact on your battery life.
You can also use the handwarmers to keep your batteries warm and working properly.
He also recommends storing everything in a waterproof backpack. He personally uses the Wandr 31l backpack as his staple for cold weather photography equipment.
It prevents water from the humid winter air from creeping into your gear and wreaking havoc on the inside.
Other cold weather photography equipment necessary to stay safe and prepared
To prevent winter humidity and condensation inside the camera body, it is important to store the camera in a waterproof bag when going from the cold into a warmer space.
This will prevent the water and the hot inside air from condensing on the cold camera body and potentially causing irreparable damage to the inside of the camera.
For this, you don’t necessarily need fancy cold weather photographer equipment. A humble ziploc bag will do the job just fine.
In general, it is best practice to avoid rapid temperature changes with your gear, unless it’s safely stored in a waterproof bag. When bringing the camera and lens inside, any condensation that does form will stay on the bag instead of being on the camera.
For times that your camera does get wet, it’s good to have a lens cloth or other absorbent cloth handy. The PakTowl towel, which comes in a small size and absorbs four times its weight in watter.
Ultimately, it’s all about keeping the camera steady
For this, @shotby.melz recommends gloves. “I use Aquatech sensory gloves, [they’re] good for outdoor photography and videography.”
These waterproof, rubber gloves help you have a better grip on your camera., especially during those cold winter months.
Similarly, when temperatures get below freezing, it can be tricky to keep your hands steady. With your body trying to stay warm and shaking to heat up, it might be a good time to look into gear to help you stabilize a shot.
@captain.charisma on Instagram agrees. When asked about his most necessary winter gear, he said: “my Gimbal. I usually have steady hands but it’s different when that cold weather hits.”
With the cold weather photography tips, steady hands, warm batteries, and a dry camera, you’ll be able to get those awesome winter shots even when temperatures hit below freezing.