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Winter Photography

story and photos by Claude Steelman

"Aah, the joys of winter photography"

I awakened in the darkness of the tent. The alarm clock had not yet rang but I was too cold for sleep, so I lit the heater to warm the tent. I poured a cup of lukewarm coffee from a thermos. By my second cup the tent had warmed enough to start breakfast. I tried to crack an egg but it was frozen solid. I had overlooked putting the eggs in the cooler to keep them from freezing. I set water to boil on the camp stove and put in the eggs. While waiting for the eggs to cook, I tried to brush my teeth. No luck. The toothpaste had frozen solid too.
The weatherman on the local station had said overnight temperatures would drop close to zero. Sometimes I think it is better not knowing how cold it is. I put the boiled eggs in my pockets, used the hot water to make another thermos of coffee and headed out to photograph the sunrise. The sunrise was disappointing - not a cloud in the sky and very little color. I pulled out my telephoto lens and hiked around with the hope of finding a deer or elk to photograph. At least the hike would warm my feet. Ahh, the joys of winter photography.
Winter provides photographic challenges not encountered in warmer seasons. Here are a few tips that may make your winter photo adventures more productive and enjoyable.

Staying Warm: Concentrate on your photography in comfort. I have found a pair of insulated coveralls is a good choice for sedentary photography. For more active photography, dress in layers. Mittens are ideal for keeping your hands warm but not practical for operating your camera. I wear open fingered gloves with mittens over top. This way I can remove the mittens when I am ready to shoot while retaining protection for my hands. In cold weather a hat is a must. I like stocking hats; they cover your ears and have no bill to get in the way of looking through a camera.

Batteries: Cold weather can reduce the efficiency of your camera's batteries. There is nothing worse than being helpless to photograph a beautiful scene because of spent batteries. Keep a fresh set of batteries in an inside pocket where they will be warm and ready for use.

DRY Equipment: A number of companies manufacture protective covers to shield camera equipment from rain and snow. Find the advertisements in most photography magazines. I have found a large golf umbrella to be useful when photographing in snow storms, provided the wind is not blowing too hard. The umbrella can be mounted on your tripod and positioned to keep the snow off of you and your equipment. Condensation can form on your camera and lens when you enter from the cold into a warm room. To minimize this problem leave your equipment in your camera bag and allow it to warm slowly before taking it out. Another option is to seal the equipment tightly in a plastic bag before bringing it inside.

Exposure: Most camera meters are set to expose for 18-percent gray. This works well for most average scenes but has a tendency to underexpose scenes with a large area of snow. To get around this meter off the snow and open up one to two stops. Another way is to spot meter off a medium-toned subject such as a rock or tree trunk and use that exposure. No single technique works for all situations so be sure to bracket the exposure. Bracketing is shooting the same scene at a number of different exposures in the range most likely to give the proper exposure.

Take lots of pictures. Show only the good ones!

Claude Steelman of Durango has been a professional nature photographer for the past 25 years. Signed copies of his new coffee table book, Colorado For The First Time, can be ordered by contacting him at (970) 250-6265 or through wildshots.com.