Often, those wool mittens that fold back to expose your fingers are a great option. You can keep most of your hand warm and flip back the top to cover your fingers when you are not switching controls.

Some photographers use a type of belly muff that they can slip their hands in and out of conveniently. If all else fails, make sure you have warm pockets. Put one of those chemical hand warmers in your pocket so you can frequently warm your fingers.

Your gear needs attention, too
Your gear will need special attention for colder weather as well. Most of us know that when taking our cameras from warm to cold or cold to warm, give them a chance to adjust to temperature before using them to prevent moisture from forming.

If I'm heading out for a winter photo shoot, I'll take my camera bag and let it sit on the porch for a bit before I leave. If you are driving to a location, don't warm up the inside of your car too much. This will be both beneficial for yourself and your gear.

Some photographers use large Ziploc type bags for their cameras to seal out moisture. They will put their camera in the bag before bringing it inside from the cold, and then give it at least a half hour of adjusting to temperature before taking it out of the bag.

If you're going to be carrying and using a tripod, you might want to insulate the legs on it a bit as well. If your tripod legs already have foam or something around the legs, you're good to go. But if the legs are metal or some other material, they are bound to get cold fast.

If you can utilize something like pipe insulating foam pieces, they are your best bet. If not, maybe wrap some cloth around them and tape them on. Old wool socks work well for this, at least for the sections where you will be carrying the tripod, or if you tend to sling it over your shoulder as you walk.

Just a few extra things to will make your cold-weather outing a bit more bearable.

All dressed up and ready to shoot
So, now you're dressed up, you're geared up...but what do you want to photograph when you go out?

In winter, the opportunities are just as endless as any other time of year. And getting the timing right is just as important. If you wake up to a fresh covering of snow and the skies are clear, get out there fast.

Scenics and landscapes benefit from those moments in the morning while the snow still covers the branches and the first rays of sun are hitting the scene. Even afternoon light can be beautiful in the winter, as shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A


I came upon this snowy farm scene on an afternoon walk and the light was still soft. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The sunlight in the winter isn't as harsh as the summer sun and can still make for great afternoon shooting. Often, you'll get more cloudy days in the winter as well, so that the muted light allows for shooting at any time of the day.

Take advantage of when the snow is actually falling. The brightness that falling snow brings can make a boring scene take on a whole new look when the backgrounds are blanched out.

This is a great opportunity to play with exposure levels and use textures to your advantage. For example, in Figure B, I came upon this row of bare trees while the snow was falling heavily.