Protect Your Gear Consider Other Aspects When Shooting In Winter Weather
Rockefeller State Park Preserve – Cold Weather Photography at 12 degrees F, -11 degrees C
Cold weather photography can be challenging, especially when photographing birds or landscape photography. Living in the New York City area, I often head out in cold conditions when the low temperature is 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -4 degrees Celsius). However, lately, the low temperatures have been in the low single digits, with some high winds that make it challenging to stay warm. I decided to head out this morning to Rockefeller State Park Preserve to do some winter photography and see what birds I might be able to find braving the cold air. Here are some things I tried that seemed to help me with my cold-weather shooting.
Prepare For Shooting In Cold Weather
Don’t forget warm gloves when heading out for a winter photo trip! These are softshell mittens by the Heat Company.
The first thing I did was prepare the night before. I decided to only take my Sony a6700 camera and Sigma 150mm to 600mm zoom lens to limit the equipment’s exposure to the cold. I made sure to have two fully charged batteries because cold temperatures cause camera batteries to discharge quickly. I also located my wool cap and photography gloves (which accept a hand warmer) to ensure I was as warm as possible.
Make Sure Your Camera Slowly Cools Down Well Before You Start Shooting
About two hours before I set out, I put my equipment in the back of the car with the camera case opened. This is to allow the camera and lens to start cooling down to the outside air temperature. If you start using your equipment immediately from a warm environment, you risk condensation in your gear, which will make it challenging to shoot in the cold and may damage your equipment. You’ll need to reverse this process when you finish your cold-weather photography.
Once I got to Rockefeller State Park Preserve I put on my Cotton Carrier, went through my camera setup checklist, and got ready to photograph. I also put my extra battery in my pocket since it’s important to keep batteries warm in cold weather. While there weren’t many birds in the park when I started hiking, it was nice being in the winter landscape. I was able to get some nice pictures of Swan Lake, and the snow-covered trails and fields in the Park.
Unlike me, this Northern Cardinal didn’t seem to be too bothered by the snow!
I finally got to photograph my first bird, a male northern cardinal. The bird was sitting in a snow-covered area in bright sunlight. This caused a lighting situation that I had to think through using elements of the exposure triangle. The manual camera settings I usually start with on my Sony a6700 (1/500 sec shutter speed, f/6.3, Auto ISO) caused the scene to be underexposed, which caught me by surprise due to the bright light. I played around with the shutter speed and lens aperture and ended up using a 1/320-second shutter speed and leaving the f-stop and ISO settings the same. Remember that snow photography may cause you to rethink your manual exposure settings.
Other Considerations When Photographing Birds Outside In The Cold
- The auto-focus seemed to be a bit slower in recognizing birds and focusing vs. not working with cold equipment. It took me a few tries zooming out to focus, then zooming back in on the bird.
- Snow also seemed to impact the autofocus a bit, especially in shaded areas, so that’s something I need to plan on for shooting in cold.
- The camera viewfinder kept fogging up making spotting birds and framing pictures difficult. If I kept my eye on the viewfinder it eventually cleared up but it took a minute or two each time I attempted to frame up a shot.
- My camera’s battery definitely discharged more quickly in the snow. I was out for about two hours and although I didn’t need to use my spare battery, the battery level was at 25% when I finished. I usually finish the same hike in warmer weather and with the battery at well over 50%.
Get Your Camera Ready For The Ride Home
When I returned to my car after my hike, I prepared my camera and lens for the trip home. I don’t think about this too much in warmer temperatures, but it’s different in cold or super cold temperatures. I have a Manfroto camera backpack, and I’ve found that if I put my camera into it after shooting in cool weather and zip it up, it stays cool for several hours. When shooting in winter, I take an additional precaution of placing the Sony a6700 camera and Sigma 150 to 600mm zoom lens into a plastic bag and then into the camera backpack. This gets back again to condensation. Bringing a cold camera into a warm home will cause condensation in the camera and possibly the lens. Since condensation can potentially damage the camera, it’s better to let it warm up gradually.
Cold Weather Photography Checklist:
- Prepare the night before making sure you have warm gloves, hat, and coat – being cold doesn’t make photography fun.
- Make sure you bring spare batteries.
- Place your camera somewhere safe (i.e. in. your locked car) for several hours before you begin shooting so it can slowly cool-down towards the outdoor temperature.
- While shooting expect there will be some differences from warmer-weather shooting.
Examples:
- Autofocus slowdowns
- Subject recognition slowdowns
- Fogged-up viewfinder
- Exposure differences when considering snow
- Faster battery rundowns
- When you are done shooting place your equipment in a plastic bag and place that inside a bag that will insulate, allowing the equipment to warm up gradually preventing condensation (tip – I like to remove the memory card before doing this so I can review the pictures on my computer when I get home).
Bird photography can be challenging in the winter, but if you’re prepared and handle your equipment properly and bundle yourself up, you may get some unexpectedly great pictures!
