Snow photography knowledge

Lead: Friends who shoot in the snow for the first time will have a lot of doubts about the equipment and skills. They are worried that the camera will break down halfway, or they will encounter unexpected problems and make mistakes in shooting. Here is a collection of necessary knowledge and skills for shooting in the snow. Make full preparations before departure, so that everyone can shoot smoothly and return home in triumph!

The two enemies of snow photography

There are no extreme examples of polar shooting, but the general snow scenes are the targets, such as Hokkaido, Korea, Harbin, Inner Mongolia in Chinese mainland, or the winter scenery in Europe, America and Canada. But-10-30 degrees Celsius is always cold, which is by no means as simple as imagined, but now it is easy to buy corresponding clothes and equipment, even clothes special for snow. In addition to the cold-resistant snow coat (preferably waterproof' shell'), pants, shoes and socks below the waist are special for snow, which can keep warm and move freely. The problem of clothes does not need to be solved, and it is not a big problem to be exposed to sub-zero temperature for a long time, but for photographers, the greater difficulty is the camera equipment, because there are two enemies in the snow:

? low temperature

If you carefully read the manual or technical manual of the camera, you will find that most cameras, including the most professional SLR, have good "combat" ability, and the working temperature is nothing more than 0-40℃. It is rare to use it at sub-zero temperature, and it is convenient to scrap it in snowy places. No, as long as you can use it, the problem can be solved.

? wind and snow

Anyone who is used to snow will tell you that snow is as romantic as rain. Snow is actually water, and a lot of snow melts into a lot of water, which is the enemy of cameras and lenses! Change the lens when the snow is swaying. Try to imagine those are raindrops. Do you dare to change? Therefore, it is not easy to shoot in the snow, and it is not easy to deal with two enemies by equipment alone, so it is absolutely necessary to make full preparations before departure. The following will explain the main problems and their solutions one by one.

1, to prevent hypothermia

At present, most cameras can work at temperatures as low as-10 degrees Celsius, and advanced models can work at temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius. However, many people will encounter a problem, that is, when using a newly charged battery, they suddenly find that it is dead at low temperature, as if the body temperature is too low, and after taking a few photos, they declare that it is dead. In fact, this is mainly because the battery is too frozen, and the chemicals in the battery will fail at extremely low temperatures. To restore power supply, just increase the battery temperature. The way to do this is to put the frozen battery in your pocket and let the warmth of your body heat it up. So I suggest you bring two batteries to replace them. However, according to our test, in fact, serious problems will occur when the rechargeable battery approaches MINUS 20 degrees. Generally speaking, you don't need to worry about sudden and complete death unless you are exposed to low temperature above-0/0 degrees for a long time.

Once the camera is exposed to low temperature for a long time, the power grid display will suddenly drop sharply, even close to power failure, and the camera cannot run in real time. This is a common camera "hypothermia".

2, scarf camera snow

Although snowflakes are beautiful, they melt into water when the temperature rises, which is the most troublesome place. When you enter a warm room from outside, snow will melt into water. The more snow there is, the more water will accumulate. Unless you use an all-weather waterproof body, it is very dangerous for water droplets to penetrate into the camera. Some people think that the camera should only be put in the coat to prevent it from snowing and taken out when shooting, but this is the most unrealistic, because snowflakes can easily get on the fuselage, and the body temperature can turn it into water, not to mention that every time we have to take off our coat to protect the camera, I am afraid that in the cold weather, the camera will not catch cold and pneumonia!

The solution is simple. Abbas, a photographer from Magnum, taught people to cover their camera snapshots with scarves to reduce others' attention. In extremely cold places, scarves can not only keep out the cold, but also cover the camera to avoid a lot of snow. Before entering the greenhouse, just sweep off the snow on the scarf and a little snow on the camera. It is mentioned that everyone should try to choose a scarf made of fiber, because it is more waterproof and reduces the chance of getting wet. Of course, wearing a scarf is forbidden near the fire.

When it snows, it's no problem to hang the camera outside the coat, and the snow will disappear as soon as it is swept away. It is not recommended to wrap the camera in a coat often, because the body temperature can easily melt snowflakes into water.

If you are worried, you'd better cover the camera with a scarf to reduce the snow.

Change the lens carefully when it snows.

Unless your camera can't change the lens, or you use Tianya lens (that is, high-magnification zoom lens), there is no need to change the lens at all. Otherwise, whether it is a SLR camera or a recently popular camera with interchangeable lenses, changing lenses is simply a dangerous action of snowflakes flying in the wind. Once the snowflake floats into the machine, the SLR is better. The snowflake only stays in the mirror room and becomes water droplets, while the camera without a mirror directly floats onto the image sensor and becomes water droplets, adding material to the image in real time.

But there is a beautiful view in front of us, and the camera can change the lens, but it's a pity that it's a trick to change the mirror! If you are willing to take risks for a masterpiece, I suggest that you would rather let the lens be stained with snowflakes (water droplets) than the mirror room or sensor of the camera. The lens surface can be easily wiped clean, but CCD/CMOS is not easy.

If you want to change the lens, I suggest turning down the camera to avoid snowflakes entering the fuselage. However, when the wind blows, snowflakes float everywhere, which is inevitable and always risky.

4. Try the snow tripod.

I have seen many people shoot with tripods in the snow and then leave without putting them away. In fact, it's not for handsome, but because the tripod can't be twisted because of the cold shrinkage at sub-zero temperature, and even the foot tube can't be deformed, which is quite embarrassing, and it's difficult to adjust the height at will, making it difficult to shoot. Before shooting in the snow, please check whether the tripod you use can be used at sub-zero temperature. At present, some big brands will indicate the available temperature, such as -40~70℃. If there is no explanation, you may wish to test it with a large refrigerator first to make sure.

If you use a spiral twist foot lock, pay attention to whether it can work normally at low temperature.

Don't save money on special equipment for photography.

There are many special equipment suitable for outdoor photography in snow. I advise you not to save too much money. For example, some backpacks specially used for outdoor travel or hiking are characterized by light material and good all-weather performance, and gloves should be worn when it is cold. Non-slip rubber particles are specially used for photography, which is especially useful when the hand feel is greatly reduced due to icing!

6. Get and warm indoor moisture.

The last thing the photographer should pay attention to is that when returning from the cold outdoor to the warm indoor, he should first sweep the snow off the equipment, then put it in a sealable camera bag, and then open it after the temperature rises to a certain degree to avoid condensation. Because this will make the lens and camera accumulate a lot of water, for example, if the equipment is soaked in it, it will leave serious water stains and increase the chance of mildew in the future. Some people will wrap the equipment in a sealed plastic bag before entering the room, but this may seal a lot of water droplets with the equipment. If the hotel room has heating, you can put the equipment on the table to dry after heating, which is the best maintenance method.

When the camera is confiscated when it enters the warm room from the cold outdoor, the equipment will condense and a lot of water vapor will condense, which is very harmful to the equipment.

Tip: Avoid using hot bags.

Some people like to use warm bags to keep their hands and feet warm, but be aware that the temperature may be quite high. There are many cases of burns caused by using warm packs every year. People should be careful when using them, and equipment should be avoided. Even the battery can be put in a close-fitting pocket to keep warm. There is really no need to use a warm bag.