#1 Photos © 2001, Jim Zuckerman, All Rights Reserved

My favorite season for nature photography is winter. The air is crystal clear, trees often stark, graphic forms against a background of dazzling whiteness, and the profound quiet and solitude of a frigid day in the wild can be an overwhelming natural high.

When everything in nature has turned white, the photographic challenges are considerable. Keeping your fingers functional in the intense cold is critical, both for safety reasons and to enable you to work the controls on the camera and tripod. Cold also affects electronics. The batteries that power electronic cameras may malfunction when the mercury drops too low. Another problem is that the front element of each lens must be protected from wind-driven snow and ice particles.

The most challenging aspect of shooting in winter, however, is exposure. The brilliant whiteness that shrouds all of nature fools light meters into underexposing both slides and negatives. Overcoming this problem requires careful analysis of each shot and applying some very basic photographic principles.

#2

Method #1: Use your in-camera or handheld reflective meter to read a middle toned or medium gray subject: a gray camera bag, a pair of jeans, a tree trunk, or perhaps a rock outcropping. Any middle toned object will work (regardless of color) as long as it’s receiving the same light as the scene before you. Once you’ve determined this reading, manually set the lens aperture and shutter speed and don’t use the Automatic Exposure mode to make the shot.

What if there are no medium gray objects nearby? Try this: take a Kodak gray card to a fabric store and buy a small piece of material that approximates the tonality of the card. Sew this onto your camera bag and now you’ll always have a medium gray object from which you can take an accurate reading.

Method #2: An incident meter reads the light falling onto a scene as opposed to light reflecting off of it. The incident meter isn’t fooled by white snow because it determines the amount of light falling onto the scene from the sky, irrespective of the reflectivity of the subject.

The technique is simple. Point the white hemispheric ball on the meter toward the camera lens, push a button, and the correct reading is visible on the crystal display readout. However, the light falling onto the meter must be the same as the light falling onto the scene that you’re photographing. If you’re in the shade and the landscape is lit by the sun, the reading will be inaccurate.

#3

Keeping Warm
When I was shooting baby harp seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the temperature dropped to -45°F. I remember taking off my three layers of gloves to change film, and when my skin came in direct contact with the air and the metal of the camera, it began to hurt so badly I couldn’t focus on photography anymore. I ran back to the warmth of the helicopter interior until the pain subsided and warmth returned to my hands (#3).

The best solution is to carry either two hand warmers (one for each pocket) or several chemical heat packets. The hand warmers are powered by fuel sticks that last about three hours. They provide a tremendous amount of heat and will keep the pockets in your parka toasty when you need to revitalize your fingers. The chemical packets can be inserted into your gloves (or boots) for continuous warmth. Both of these items will prevent frostbite and will ensure you have manual dexterity for the operation of your camera.

Protecting Your Camera’s Electronics And Optics
Most 35mm and medium format cameras today are either fully electronic or have electronic components. In extremely cold weather conditions, batteries will stop functioning.

When I’m not shooting, I open two or three snaps on my down parka and place the camera against my body. I primarily shoot with a Mamiya RZ67, which is a sizable camera. Nevertheless, I hold it against me and the heat generated by my body keeps the battery warm enough to work. If I know that I’ll be carrying the camera on a tripod for long stretches, where it would be awkward to constantly take it on and off, I’ll duct tape a couple of the chemical heat packets to the bottom of the camera where the battery is located.

To protect the front lens elements from blowing snow and ice, I habitually use lens shades. In addition, a skylight filter acts as a first line of defense in protecting the vulnerable lens should snow or sleet freeze on the glass (#4).