Cold Weather Photography

What Is „Cold Weather“?

This post is covering cold weather photography. By „cold“, we mean below -15°C. Sure, even temperatures around freezing can feel cold. But many of the precautions mentioned here are not necessary unless you go to really cold places.

It‘s worth noting, that summer temperatures in the Arctic are often around or even above freezing. That’s why the ice is melting during summer.
Only in winter, the temperatures are dropping to -20°C or even -40°C. With the windchill, this can feel like -50°C. And this definitely is cold!

Batteries

Batteries will not perform as reliably in cold weather as they would do normally. While this is no big deal, it‘s always a good idea to bring an extra battery pack or two and to keep those in a warm place. If you notice a battery draining unusually quickly, putting it in a warm inside pocket of your jacket might restore some of the power. Please note, that you often won’t be able to recharge batteries while they are still cold.

Condensation

You might know this from warmer climates, when you take your camera from an air-conditioned room outside. The higher temperature and humidity will instantly fog your camera and lens. This usually doesn’t damage your camera, but then, it‘s only a temperature difference of approx. 10°C. In the Arctic winter, temperatures below -20°C are quite common. Therefore, if you were to take your camera inside a building without any precautions, the difference in temperatures would be more than 40°C. This could lead to condensation inside your camera and lens, which could permanently damage your gear.
To avoid this, place your camera in an airtight bag while still outside. You can then bring this bag inside and let the camera adjust to room temperature slowly. This might take up to 2-3 hours. If condensation happens, it will be on the outside of the bag, not on your gear or - even worse - inside your gear.
Another option is to leave your gear outside. We‘ve done that for many days and nights and never had a problem. Just remember to take out the batteries (for recharging) and memory cards (for downloading the files).

Air Swirls

When layers of air with different temperatures mix, there will be visible turbulences or swirls. If you try to photograph through these, they will be also visible in your pictures. While this might seem obvious, it‘s less obvious when photographing through an open window of a building or a vehicle. The air turbulences might not be visible, but they will be reducing the sharpness of your photos.
If you can, get outside to avoid the warm air altogether. If that‘s not possible, try to lean out a bit, so the front of the lens is already in the cooler outside air.

Frost Bites

Frost bites will be no problem for your camera and lens, but for you. Any skin that is exposed to temperatures as low as -20°C or even -40°C will be severely burnt by the cold, especially on a windy day. Therefore, dress warmly and cover your face, ears and hands. If you plan on spending hours outside, chemical or electric hand and foot warmers will be a good idea.

Dressing in layers is important. There will be times of activity, when you should avoid breaking sweat. Therefore, removing a layer or two will help. At other times, you will be sitting still and will be glad for every additional layer you can be putting on.

Always remember, that your gear will quickly acclimatize to the air temperature. Therefore, avoid touching your frozen gear without protection. If you are putting the viewfinder of your camera to your eye, your camera might stick to your face or nose.

While the following list is by no means the perfect combination, we have „survived“ many Arctic winter trips with the following winter gear:
Warm boots (e.g. Baffin Apex, rated to -100°C)
Wool socks (e.g. Falke SK1 skiing socks)
Thermal underwear (e.g. Icebreaker Merino Wool)
Fleece pants (as additional layer, if needed)
Down filled ski pants (e.g. FXR)
Fleece jacket (e.g. Mammut, Arc‘teryx)
Down jacket (e.g. Arc‘teryx, Canada Goose)
Parka (e.g. Quartz, Canada Goose)
Balaclava (e.g. OR)
Buff (for around the neck or as an additional layer for your face)
Toque (hat, beanie, or whatever you call it)
Ski goggles (e.g. Bollé, Smith, antifog)
Gloves & liners (e.g. The Heat Company, a liner is important to protect your hands when handling your camera)
Hand & foot warmers (e.g. The Heat Company)