How to take cold weather photos

Package. With the high-performance gear on the market, it becomes easier to be reasonably comfortable in the cold. Dress up your clothes, buy a box of cheap heat packs and keep a box in your car. Activate the heat pack 10-15 minutes before you need it. No matter how warm your body is, if your feet are cold, you won't last long. Insulated boots, and warm socks. Don't worry about how you look and stay warm. Avoid sweating at all costs. Trust me, being uncomfortable will make you rush through your process and it can show in your images.

Battery level. This is one of my main concerns. I always keep two spare batteries in the inner pocket. If you are doing a long or long exposure, I recommend bringing tape or rubber bands to place the hand warmer near the battery compartment. Also, consider investing in a battery grip to keep you powered. Put the drained battery in a different pocket than the full battery so you don't get confused.

Know your gear. Bone-cold temperatures aren't ideal for how to adjust the histogram, change apertures, or operate a tripod. It’s all about efficiency, and it really helps if you know your gear and can handle it with gloves on. If you must, practice changing settings in the comfort and warmth of your home.

Pay attention to moisture. When shooting, be careful not to exhale near the lens. Move away from the camera, or take a step back, before exhaling. Otherwise, condensation will freeze immediately on the lens surface. Some companies make dehumidifying lens covers, which can help solve this problem. It's not a bad idea to keep silica packs in your camera bag at all times and replace them occasionally.

Scaffold image. Whenever I find myself in a time-crunched situation, I back up. When it's really cold, not having to mess with automatic exposure compensation is a huge help. That, and often cold, means there's bright snow around that's difficult to expose properly anyway, so you're probably glad you had the extra frame. Rely on your histogram as much as possible to get a clear idea of ??how bright your image is.

Insulated metal parts. Touch an aluminum tripod with your bare hands in cold weather and you'll quickly learn you never want to do it again. If you want to preserve your fingerprints, have metal parts ready that you may not need to wear gloves for. For example, it can be helpful to cover the tripod legs with some kind of insulating material, such as hockey tape or foam.

Convenience food and hot drinks. Eating a lot will make you last longer. But if the food is hard to get into, you probably won't bother digging for it. I like to keep energy-dense items like nuts, dried fruit, and (my favorite) chocolate in easy-to-reach pockets. A hot and sweet thermos can keep you warm from the inside out and help you avoid some serious consequences of the cold, like hypothermia.