dealing with the problems of cold weather photography

Photographers complain that one of the most common problems of working in the field is running out of battery power. And the problem only gets worse in cold weather, which saps battery efficiency.

How to deal with this difficulty? Chuck DeLaney, Dean of the New York Institute of Photography, America’s oldest and largest photography school, counsels all photographers to 'keep the camera, flash, and batteries as warm as possible, even if that means keeping them under your coat or near your body for warmth.'

The problem of preserving battery power is a particularly serious one with today’s auto-everything cameras that are totally dependent on batteries. It’s an even more troublesome problem with digital cameras, which guzzle batteries in all weather and often become utterly uncooperative in temperatures below freezing.

Whether you’re trying to shoot digital or working with a film-based camera, DeLaney urges everyone to bring plenty of extra batteries out into the cold. And if you’re staked out in the freezing weather trying to photograph a subject over a period of time, set up your tripod, but if possible, keep your camera with you under your coat until the decisive moment. A quick-release tripod head that allows you to pop your camera on and off will come in particularly handy in this situation. Whatever you do, don’t let the cold deter you after all, winter is a great time to photograph skiers and kids building snowmen and snow on pine trees. Just be sure to protect your gear from the elements.

To learn more about cold weather photography how to deal with static electricity, condensation, and taking pictures in the snow see the article on Cold Weather Photography in the January Web site of the New York Institute of Photography.

[Reprinted with permission from the New York Institute of Photography Web site]