Cold Weather and Dog Sledging Photography

Photography

Cameras

I expect that nearly everyone will take a camera with them on their expedition. This will probably be a compact camera, but like me some of you will also take a more capable slr. Digital cameras are very much the norm now, but in many ways film cameras in extreme environments can be more reliable, as they are not so dependent on a battery which can run flat very quickly in cold weather. I shall split the following advice into that for compacts and that for slr's.

Compacts

A compact is ideal for most situations as you can easily keep it in a chest pocket so it is in reach when you are mushing. Once you have got the hang of holding on tight with one hand you can take pictures on the move, and even film clips which most compacts will do. This can be quite hairy especially if you suddenly have to stop, go round a corner or over a big bump! It is always good for a laugh though. 'Live view' on the screen at the back is perfect for getting your subject in the picture, and whilst some pictures will be blurred hopefully you will get some good ones. Quite a lot of compacts have various different 'scene' settings, and you may be lucky to have a snow/beach one which will deal effectively with the bright light. Make sure you have plenty of memory for pictures as you will be surprised how quick you can use it up, especially with film clips. Also make sure you have a spare battery. A good case is also a must, protecting it from bumps as well as insulating it from the cold. It is also probably worth taking a mini tripod with you, they are small and light so may be a welcome help when you are shiverring and trying to get a steady shot.

SLRs

With the huge increase in the market of dSLR's more people own one than ever before. Whatever model you own modern technology pretty much guarantees a satisfactory result, however, knowing your camera and making a few considerations beforehand will reduce possible dissapointments later.

If you are taking an SLR make sure you pack a tripod too! Consult with the rest of the group and share a decent tripod between you, saving weight is very important. Most of the opportunities for using an SLR come at the overnight stops, or at lunch breaks if the weather allows them. One big problem the cold presents is a reduction in battery life, fortunately lithium batteries are affected least, which is good as most SLR batteries are lithium. Firstly your camera case should be well padded, which will offer insulation. To further improve matters I found air activated hand warmers very useful. The 12hr air activated type advertised for back/shoulder/period pains will last all day, just open the packet in the morning and put it in the middle of your case not touching the camera or lenses (to avoid possible warping), it will even be warm at the end of the day for warming your hands when sorting out the dogs.

Most people will have the whitebalance set to automatic, however, this is not really a good idea, so set it to cloudy this will make the colour balance consistent all the time. As this is likely to be a trip of a life time set the resolution to its highest and the compression to give the maximum file size. Faced with all that snow it is possible that the metering of the camera will under-expose the pictures, so keep an eye on the histogram, and dial in around a stop to brighten things up.

If you still use a film SLR then make sure you pack plenty of film, also, you will probably have a bettery for metering, so again you will need to keep the camera warm as mentioned above for dSLR's. The cold may also have an effect on the film, so check to see if you need to make any adjustments for exposing in the cold. Lastly, buy decent quality film of a low ISO, fuji is always a safe bet, and get your film developed in a good lab not just down the supermarket.

Even if you take an SLR, take a compact too which you can keep in your pocket and will be able to use even whilst on the sledge moving.

Lenses

I took with me a 28-80mm and a 70-300mm, which is the general basic lenses most people will have, now with digital you will probably have a lens that ranges from 17mm or 18mm to compensate for the digitall crop factor. This combintion will be fine, as there will not be much need for a bigger say 400mm lens. If you have a wide angle lens like the 10-20mm sigma lens this may give added possibilities in those stunning landscapes. Nikon, Sigma and Tamron all now do 18-200mm ultra-zoom lenses. Optically they do make some compromises, but overal perform very well, if you have a lens like this you will obviously cut down on how much you have to carry which can only be good.

Batteries

Batteries are very suceptible to the effects of the cold, and will go flat very quickly, so it is very important to keep them warm. Fortunately lithium batteries cope reasonable well, and most digital cameras come with rechargable lithium batteries. If your camera uses 'AA' batteries then it may be worth getting some of the new lithium AA batteries. While they are rather expensive they do last a lot longer than a normal alkaline battery. NiMh rechargeable batteries are the least affected by cold, and are obviously more economical than lithium batteries. If possible buy or borrow a spare battery for your camera. Also, it might be worth taking your charger as some of the overnight stops may have electricity.

Memory

With the price of memory coming down all the time there really is no excuse for running out! Video clips will take up a lot of space, and the ever increasing number of megapixels are making picture sizes ever bigger. I would suggest taking at least 2Gb for a compact camera, or preferably more. Obviously an SLR will create larger files, especially if taken raw, so you will probably need 4Gb as a minimum (ideally double these values). When it comes to choosing memory cards you will probably have them already, but if you are using this opportunity to geta new one go for the Sandisk Extreme III or the newer Sandisk Extreme IV. These cards are some of the fastest and also the toughest available so are worth the investment, most cards are only rated to 0°C, but these are garanteed down to -15°C. They also come with file recovery software incase you delete a picture accidentaly and want to get it back again (so long as you don't overwrite the card).

Other useful aditions

A polarising filter, which will cut out some glare and make skies bluer, a cable/air/remote release to prevent camera shake and a tripod as mentioned earlier. Unless you are particularly good at remembering things, or a particularily experienced photographer write down some shutter speed/f-stop/ISO combinations to try out when photographing stars, the aurora, night scapes etc. This will give you a head start and might save you missing that special shot of the aurora lighting up the sky above sleeping huskies!

Checklist

Camera
Lenses
Battery, spare battery, charger
Film/memory cards
Case
Handwarmers
Polarising filter
Tripod
Remote release
Lens cleaning cloth


Home Photography Current Work Dog Sledge Clothing and Equipment Photography Links Contact	Photography Cameras I expect that nearly everyone will take a camera with them on their expedition. This will probably be a compact camera, but like me some of you will also take a more capable slr. Digital cameras are very much the norm now, but in many ways film cameras in extreme environments can be more reliable, as they are not so dependent on a battery which can run flat very quickly in cold weather. I shall split the following advice into that for compacts and that for slr's. Compacts A compact is ideal for most situations as you can easily keep it in a chest pocket so it is in reach when you are mushing. Once you have got the hang of holding on tight with one hand you can take pictures on the move, and even film clips which most compacts will do. This can be quite hairy especially if you suddenly have to stop, go round a corner or over a big bump! It is always good for a laugh though. 'Live view' on the screen at the back is perfect for getting your subject in the picture, and whilst some pictures will be blurred hopefully you will get some good ones. Quite a lot of compacts have various different 'scene' settings, and you may be lucky to have a snow/beach one which will deal effectively with the bright light. Make sure you have plenty of memory for pictures as you will be surprised how quick you can use it up, especially with film clips. Also make sure you have a spare battery. A good case is also a must, protecting it from bumps as well as insulating it from the cold. It is also probably worth taking a mini tripod with you, they are small and light so may be a welcome help when you are shiverring and trying to get a steady shot. SLRs With the huge increase in the market of dSLR's more people own one than ever before. Whatever model you own modern technology pretty much guarantees a satisfactory result, however, knowing your camera and making a few considerations beforehand will reduce possible dissapointments later. If you are taking an SLR make sure you pack a tripod too! Consult with the rest of the group and share a decent tripod between you, saving weight is very important. Most of the opportunities for using an SLR come at the overnight stops, or at lunch breaks if the weather allows them. One big problem the cold presents is a reduction in battery life, fortunately lithium batteries are affected least, which is good as most SLR batteries are lithium. Firstly your camera case should be well padded, which will offer insulation. To further improve matters I found air activated hand warmers very useful. The 12hr air activated type advertised for back/shoulder/period pains will last all day, just open the packet in the morning and put it in the middle of your case not touching the camera or lenses (to avoid possible warping), it will even be warm at the end of the day for warming your hands when sorting out the dogs. Most people will have the whitebalance set to automatic, however, this is not really a good idea, so set it to cloudy this will make the colour balance consistent all the time. As this is likely to be a trip of a life time set the resolution to its highest and the compression to give the maximum file size. Faced with all that snow it is possible that the metering of the camera will under-expose the pictures, so keep an eye on the histogram, and dial in around a stop to brighten things up. If you still use a film SLR then make sure you pack plenty of film, also, you will probably have a bettery for metering, so again you will need to keep the camera warm as mentioned above for dSLR's. The cold may also have an effect on the film, so check to see if you need to make any adjustments for exposing in the cold. Lastly, buy decent quality film of a low ISO, fuji is always a safe bet, and get your film developed in a good lab not just down the supermarket. Even if you take an SLR, take a compact too which you can keep in your pocket and will be able to use even whilst on the sledge moving. Lenses I took with me a 28-80mm and a 70-300mm, which is the general basic lenses most people will have, now with digital you will probably have a lens that ranges from 17mm or 18mm to compensate for the digitall crop factor. This combintion will be fine, as there will not be much need for a bigger say 400mm lens. If you have a wide angle lens like the 10-20mm sigma lens this may give added possibilities in those stunning landscapes. Nikon, Sigma and Tamron all now do 18-200mm ultra-zoom lenses. Optically they do make some compromises, but overal perform very well, if you have a lens like this you will obviously cut down on how much you have to carry which can only be good. Batteries Batteries are very suceptible to the effects of the cold, and will go flat very quickly, so it is very important to keep them warm. Fortunately lithium batteries cope reasonable well, and most digital cameras come with rechargable lithium batteries. If your camera uses 'AA' batteries then it may be worth getting some of the new lithium AA batteries. While they are rather expensive they do last a lot longer than a normal alkaline battery. NiMh rechargeable batteries are the least affected by cold, and are obviously more economical than lithium batteries. If possible buy or borrow a spare battery for your camera. Also, it might be worth taking your charger as some of the overnight stops may have electricity. Memory With the price of memory coming down all the time there really is no excuse for running out! Video clips will take up a lot of space, and the ever increasing number of megapixels are making picture sizes ever bigger. I would suggest taking at least 2Gb for a compact camera, or preferably more. Obviously an SLR will create larger files, especially if taken raw, so you will probably need 4Gb as a minimum (ideally double these values). When it comes to choosing memory cards you will probably have them already, but if you are using this opportunity to geta new one go for the Sandisk Extreme III or the newer Sandisk Extreme IV. These cards are some of the fastest and also the toughest available so are worth the investment, most cards are only rated to 0°C, but these are garanteed down to -15°C. They also come with file recovery software incase you delete a picture accidentaly and want to get it back again (so long as you don't overwrite the card). Other useful aditions A polarising filter, which will cut out some glare and make skies bluer, a cable/air/remote release to prevent camera shake and a tripod as mentioned earlier. Unless you are particularly good at remembering things, or a particularily experienced photographer write down some shutter speed/f-stop/ISO combinations to try out when photographing stars, the aurora, night scapes etc. This will give you a head start and might save you missing that special shot of the aurora lighting up the sky above sleeping huskies! Checklist Camera Lenses Battery, spare battery, charger Film/memory cards Case Handwarmers Polarising filter Tripod Remote release Lens cleaning cloth

© 2008 Alastair Wilson