Taking pictures out in the cold, in the dark; any ideas ?

Nikon Rumors Forum » Nikon DSLR

Taking pictures out in the cold, in the dark; any ideas ?

(26 posts) (12 voices)

Tags:

12 Next »

Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

I was out taking pictures of a friend's Christmas lights on their house last night; I had taken a few the night before last, and used my F/4; 12-24mm DX zoom; the exposures were all fine, but the pics were.....disappointing ? The problem being, their house sits at the top of a long, curving driveway; so in all of the shots, I'm pointing the lens "up"; I'm sure everyone knows what W/A lenses do when they are not "level" to the subject.......(they distort ! they stretch things out of shape !) So last night, I left the W/A at home and mounted my F/2.8; 80-200 zoom; this time, I parked clear out by the road; the house is still up on the hill, but it's a LOT farther away now; one look at "live view" and I knew this was much better ! completely filled the frame with the house, it looks MUCH "straighter", so I snapped off a few. They looked great !

So now I decided to mount my 50mm; I neglected to mention, it's like 28 degrees F out; my fingers are already "kinda numb"?
I'm thinking.....it's pitch dark......my damned fingers are already numb; how am I gonna get this big sucker off, and the little short guy back on ? Then I heard a "tinkle"......I'm thinking...."that will be the lens cap that just dropped;" (feeling around on driveway in the dark....yep, it's the cap), so now I trudged all the way back down the hill, got in my Cube, started it up, (heater running max), and proceeded to switch the optics, (while warming the fingers); so now I can once more feel I have fingers, get out, trudge back up the hill, spread out the legs on the Gitzo, and turn on the camera, "feel around" for the live view button, press it, no live view; even went so far as to get out the 2 inch "ultra-mini-mini" led light, still no live view; By now, the fingers are just starting to "cool back down"; I'm thinking...."I have done something stupid", OR, I have FAILED to do something "necessary" ! Back down the hill to the Cube, get in, (it's still warm), plenty of light, PLUS now I can SEE the camera ! After taking a 2 second look........OH ! I forgot to set the aperture ring to F 22 ! Did that......everything worked fine !

I guess if there is ANY moral to this story.......cameras don't "look" the same in the dark, (especially when your fingers are numb!)
(so I guess if I ever become a wildlife photog, I'll have to work in the tropics ?)

Posted 5 months ago #
msmoto

big gun cougar
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 2,736
offline

Wide angle lenses distort when the camera is pointed up. Shoot with the back held level, camera in portrait position. This will allow an "upward" gaze just as if you had shifted the lens.

If we want to shoot photographs other than a candid snapshot, preparation is an absolute necessity. In cold weather one problem is the condensation of moister in the camera, sensor, mirror, prism, and lens. Heating and cooling the camera will simply make this worse and at some point the moisture does not evaporate without leaving spots.

Difficult venues should be walked through prior to a shoot if possible.

Posted 5 months ago #
Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

Yeah, I know what you're saying, but due to the "lay of the land", where I had to be with the camera was MUCH lower than the house; (maybe as much as 10 or 15 feet; and I needed every bit of "width" I had at 12mm zoom, (effective 18mm foe DX)tom get the whole house in the frame. As it turned out, (and a very lucky guess on my part), the distance from the road to the house was absolutely perfect to fill the frame side to side, at 80mm zoom (or 120mm for DX) and because of the vastly different perspective, the resulting image was exactly what I wanted.

And condensation........I have a trick for that; as you know, condensation only forms because of warm, moisture laden air comes in contact with a very cold surface; so before I bring my camera, lenses, or anything adversely affected by condensation in-doors, I seal each item up in a plastic bag, getting as much air as possible out, then tape it up so it's air tight; when you bring it in the house, just leave it set for a few hours so every thing warms up to the ambient temperature of the house; and there will be no condensation; (in effect, you're just keeping the moisture that's in the warm air away from the cold surface that would cause it to form condensate.

(I think I learned that in about 7th grade science class, in about 1945 or so) (it pays to keep your ears open when you're in school !)

Speaking of "perspective".......I have a 35mm manual focus "PC" Nikkor that I bought to use with my F-5 about 12 or 14 years ago; I never have gotten around to experimenting with it on the D 300s, ( and I wouldn't want to when it's below freezing out ) It only "shifts", but doesn't "tilt"; That thing was one of my better buys on eBay, as it's "like new", and I bought it for pennies on the dollar.

Something else I determined in my "night / cold weather" photo shoot; I'm DEFINITELY going to get me some 1/8 inch cork sheet to wrap around the legs of my aluminum Gitzo 340 ! (Maybe one day I'll even get around to getting a CF Gitzo)

Posted 5 months ago #
spraynpray

preferred member
Joined: Feb '10
Posts: 1,514
offline

Gitzo said:

Something else I determined in my "night / cold weather" photo shoot; I'm DEFINITELY going to get me some 1/8 inch cork sheet to wrap around the legs of my aluminum Gitzo 340! (Maybe one day I'll even get around to getting a CF Gitzo)

Better than cork is that plumbing insulation that is a foam tube. My Slik has a tougher version on as standard and it is a life saver in the winter.

Posted 5 months ago #
msmoto

big gun cougar
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 2,736
offline

"Kayak foam" is the best for the legs as it is tougher than the plumbing insulation. And, use the PC Nikkor, I have a 24mm and it is great....except...I would suggest calculating the shift prior to moving to the point from which you shoot the photos. And, possibly some gaffer's tape could be used to hold the PC in the proper shift position. The locking screw on the PC Nikkor's is the one issue which is less than perfect.

And, I was only three in 1945...LOL

Posted 5 months ago #
DutchNikon

preferred member
Joined: Apr '11
Posts: 241
offline

>>MUCH lower than the house; (maybe as much as 10 or 15 feet; <<

Their is a wonderful invention for those situations which works nicely often ...

Its called a ladder ... :-) ( and bring a friend to support the ladder offcourse..) .

Posted 5 months ago #
Ironheart

senior member
Joined: Sep '12
Posts: 91
offline

My list of dark, cold photography musts includes a headlamp with a red light setting, a remote trigger, and a flask :-)

Posted 5 months ago #
spraynpray

preferred member
Joined: Feb '10
Posts: 1,514
offline

Keep your gloves (MITTENS) on until you need to use fine touch then put them back on afterwards and get a couple of those clicker hand warmers to keep in each mitten to warm up your fingers.

It's cool to be warm...

Posted 5 months ago #
Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

DutchNikon.........about the ladder.......I had an even BETTER idea! The fellow who lives in the house......he's a building contractor; he builds everything from huge pole barns, to wooden covered bridges. He has every kind of equipment you can think of.......man-lifts, bull dozers, and this HUGE big Caterpiller fork lift, that can lift a car up 20 ft high! The first night I was there, as I was walking up the driveway, thinking of where I wanted to start, I noticed this real bright flashing on and off yellow light at one end of the house; I knew that had to be turned off, but as I was still scouting a set-up location, the flashing light started coming down the drive way ! Then I realized that it was Matthew, my friend's son (and my neighbor), driving the big fork lift, which has that flashing light for when you go on the road with it; I was thinking of having him put a pallet on the thing, and lift me and the Gitzo "up" about 15 or 20 feet: I still may do it, but I don't think it would be quite steady enough.

Spraynpray...........Lol.....I wasn't gonna be outside long enough to even wear my gloves........but I DO use those chemical hand warmers occasionally; every now and then I lug my tree-stand across the road to the woods and fasten it to a tree, then climb up and sit and wait for a deer, a coyote, or anything else that might come along; I usually use those hand warmers when I'm waiting in a blind, if it's much below about 30 degrees.

And yes Ironheart........the headlamp is a GREAT idea ! matter of fact, I was searching for mine before I left the house ! (couldn't find where I put the blamed thing though, so I left "unprepared"; when I got back, Miss Arlie gave me one of the DOZEN little 2 inch long, single LED keychain "flashlights" that she bought for me at Christmas last year; I have it on my car keys now, and it works pretty well, but it doesn't have a red filter. Boy, you think you know right where all the buttons are on your camera, but when it's pitch dark, you realize you need more practice !

Posted 5 months ago #
friedmud

member
Joined: Oct '12
Posts: 23
offline

I work in the dark and in the cold all the time. My main hobby is mountain landscape photography (see some examples here http://500px.com/friedmud ) and when you're out well before dawn trying to make it to the spot you want to photograph and you're in the mountains it can be _damn_ dark and cold! Some of my best photos have been taken around 0 degrees F!

Here's my advice:

1. Learn your gear. When I'm just sitting around the house watching TV, I'll just sit there with my camera in my hands and a couple of lenses handy. I'll go through all of my normal setup routine for any shot... over and over and over... until it's all muscle memory. This includes changing lenses. Everything must be second nature.

2. Warm gear! This is more than just gloves. If the core of your body starts to get cold your body will automatically react to save itself... and will start cutting circulation off to your hands and feet to keep your core warm. This means that one of the best things you can do to keep your hands warm is... wear a big ass coat. I have an enormous down filled Eddie Baur parka that is rated to below 0 degrees F that I pull out when it's really cold. This also goes for your head, if your head is cold your extremities are going to get that way soon... so wear a ski cap and hood!

3. Gloves. Have many different types of gloves for each type of weather. I have two part gloves (a liner and an outer shell) that work well because I can do everything on my camera and still leave the liner on (so my hands are never directly exposed). I also _highly_ recommend getting a pair of "fingerless" mittens/gloves that have the ability to either cover your fingers or pull back the finger cover so you can use your fingers. I personally use these and love them:

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/ski/snow-gloves/windweight-mitt?gclid=CMjfms3ei7QCFUjZQgodZncACg

If it's really cold I'll also put a handwarmer in each glove. Put them on the "top" or "back" of your hand. That's where all of your blood vessels are that run down to your fingers... so it's the most efficient place to put heat into your hand.

Hope that helps!

Posted 5 months ago #
friedmud

member
Joined: Oct '12
Posts: 23
offline

Oh - one more thing... get a headlamp. You can snag cheap LED headlamps all over the place... and they are great for keeping your hands free but putting light right where you need it.

Since I already linked to Black Diamond, I might as well do it again. Something like this:

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/lighting/gizmo-headlamp/

Posted 5 months ago #
friedmud

member
Joined: Oct '12
Posts: 23
offline

Whoops - I missed the part where you said you couldn't find your headlamp ;-)

That can be a problem. My solution to that? I bought a few of them to keep around the house so I'm not tempted to get the one out of my camera bag to use for other purposes. When I used to do that it never seemed to find its way back into that camera bag ;-)

Posted 5 months ago #
Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

Friedmud;

Thank you, thank you, thank you !
The headlamp I have is a piece of junk; I've been needing a decent one forever........I spent 10 minutes checking out the black diamonds and ordered a "storm"; it's something I've always wanted to get, and just never got around to it;

Man, you sound like my oldest son.......he's a SERIOUS outdoor type; I'm gonna check at Gander Mountain the first time I'm in Terre Haute for a good pair of "finger mittens"; you know, I never realized about putting your hand warmers on the back rather than the palms; I'm going to try that. I have an "extra" problem, relative to keeping my hands warm; I lost the first joint of my right thumb, and the first two joints of the index finger to a power saw about 20 yrs ago; because both digits lack "out and back" circulation, they get cold FAST, and warm up SLOW, SLOW! I have to use my middle finger on my multi-selector button on my 300s;

I don't have any problems keeping my body warm, just my hands; something else I always carry in an inside pocket when I'm out tramping around in to snow, far from "civilization".......my fully charged cell phone; I seldom get outside of çellular reception.

I always go to great lengths to keep my old head warm too; when it's anything below the 20's, I wear a heavy wool cap down over my ears, and a down hood (with a draw string with those little spring loaded "thingies" to keep the breeze off of my neck; I may even use a mask if I'm sitting in a blind for very long.

Posted 5 months ago #
Sideways

member
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 47
offline

I was thinking about this thread today when I went out for a short hike (couple of hours). As this was unplanned and away from home I didn't have a hat or gloves with me fit for -8 C and a wind. Man, did the camera and my fingers get cold fast !

A big yes to down jackets, hand warmers and Friedmud's suggestion of using thin thermal gloves inside a thicker pair. They do keep your hands working a little longer when you take the outer gloves off.

Posted 5 months ago #
msmoto

big gun cougar
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 2,736
offline

If one keeps the core temperature of the body very warm, even a bit on the "hot" side, the vasodilatation of the extremities will tend to keep the fingers and toes much warmer. So, bundle up the head, neck and torso in multiple layers and enjoy warm fingers. I use Gore-Tex gloves which allow control of the camera, yet avoid any wind/skin contact.

Posted 5 months ago #
friedmud

member
Joined: Oct '12
Posts: 23
offline

Glad you guys found it useful!

Gitzo: Good point about a cell-phone. One thing that's cool about iPhones is that if you setup "Find My Friends" with your wife... she can keep track of where you are when you're out doing photography.

Even if it isn't perfect, at least the search and rescue team has somewhere to start looking ;-)

Another thing I find useful when it's cold is a "buff" to keep the wind off my face. I really like these from Eddie Baur (they call them "Multiclavas" over there):

http://www.eddiebauer.com/catalog/product.jsp?ensembleId=40736&catPath=&viewAll=n&pg=1&cmPathInfo=T307

They are really small (you can wad them up and put them in your pocket if you have to. They won't make you hot... but they do keep the wind off your face for less windburn...

Posted 5 months ago #
Ironheart

senior member
Joined: Sep '12
Posts: 91
offline

Nothing beats a good beard however ;-)

Posted 5 months ago #
Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

Ironheart says;

Nothing beats a good beard however ;-)

Ohhhheee ! I "use" to wear a beard; (way back in the 50's or 60's when everyone going by turned around and STARED at you) !
I think every guy has to see what he looks like with a beard, at least one time in his life; well, I had my "one time", I now "know", and I'm no longer curious. But that's not saying that I'm always clean shaven; I always am, at least when there will be anyone seeing me;
I think I must be part "plant"; you know, this time of year, when there are a lot of dreary, sunless days, and the plants just kinda, "droop down"........it's kinda what I do, I tend to respond to warmth and sunlight. Today it was bright and sunny.......for several hours; so I perked right up, went to town, bought a few things, had a bite to eat, (so there would be no dishes to wash).

I actually did start the day off today with a nice close shave; I always feel so much better after brushing my teeth, shaving, showering, and getting into nice clean clothes.

While I'm thinking about it, can anyone tell me this..........after a few years of enjoying the best view finder ever made, (on my F-5), there are many times that I find the VF on my 300s "lacking"; so I tend to use "live view" quite a bit; just recently, I have determined that I need a really good loupe to "enhance" the view, and even magnify it slightly; I'm thinking very strongly of buying a Hoodman Loupe to use on the LCD; has anyone used the Hoodman, or does anyone know of any other options ? I see a bunch of $25 ones, but I'm sure they have inexpensive plastic lenses in them; at least I've heard that the Hoodman uses German made optical glass lenses, and they do have focusing; so has anyone used one, and if so, what are your thoughts ?

Posted 5 months ago #
Rx4Photo

preferred member
Joined: Oct '10
Posts: 951
offline

This thread is becoming more and more relevant as I've read it in the last few days. I'll be going to Steamboat Springs, Colorado just after New Years and I know I'll want to get out and do some "lone wolf" photography. Most daytime shooting I'll likely bring (drag) my family with me but I would love to do a bit of late evening or nighttime shooting as well. Those times I'll likely be alone. I know it'll definitely be colder than anything I've grown accustomed to so all of this info is good stuff.

Thanks for all of your posts here. I've nothing to contribute but reading this give's me ideas of what I might needed for the trip.

Posted 5 months ago #
chris_weinert

senior member
Joined: Oct '12
Posts: 90
offline

friedmud said:
If the core of your body starts to get cold your body will automatically react to save itself... and will start cutting circulation off to your hands and feet to keep your core warm. This means that one of the best things you can do to keep your hands warm is... wear a big ass coat.

msmoto said:
If one keeps the core temperature of the body very warm, even a bit on the "hot" side, the vasodilatation of the extremities will tend to keep the fingers and toes much warmer. So, bundle up the head, neck and torso in multiple layers and enjoy warm fingers.

Haha, now this is what I call a real pro tip! Not that it would be completely unknown fact, but keeping it in mind and being serious about it is.

Posted 5 months ago #
Dave_Robo

member
Joined: Feb '11
Posts: 16
offline

Friedmud has the right idea with the mitts. I have a thin glove on underneath these so you never expose your skin to the cold. I shoot in -20C. By then I'm wearing a balaclava to keep my face protected.

Posted 5 months ago #
Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

Rx4Photo; (and anyone else)

One good tip for when you're going to be out in the cold with your camera; be sure to take a few gallon size zip-loc freezer bags with you ! (They'll fit in a shirt pocket) Before you come back inside where it's warm, stick your camera body in a bag, and zip it shut; ditto with each lens you have with you; when you come back in, don't remove anything from the bags until the contents have warmed up to the ambient indoor temp. You won't get any condensation externally or internally on your camera gear.

Charley

Posted 5 months ago #
msmoto

big gun cougar
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 2,736
offline

Thanks Charley. I actually place all the gear in my small Lowepro backpack and wait a while if it is extremely cold where I was shooting. Often, if traveling by car...I place the camera in a blanket when I get into the car. This is on the floor and apparently allows the body to warm up slowly.

Posted 5 months ago #
sevencrossing

preferred member
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 1,265
offline

sometime, when working in the dark

Having set the Hyperfocal distance to the widest aperture I am going to use
I fix the focus to manual, then tape over the focus ring, so it cannot be accidentally moved

Don't forget to "zero out" when you get home

Posted 5 months ago #
Gitzo

senior member
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 53
offline

msmoto......

Using the back pack would also work, but there's just a bit more air in there, and it may have a bit of moisture in it; actually, all you're trying to do is to let the equipment warm up without being in contact with air, as air almost always has some moisture in it.

I guess no one has tried a Hoodman loupe; I noticed a used, "like new" one on eBay, that started out at $42; it took 4 days of waiting, but I scored it yesterday for $62 and free shipping; (better than paying $80 I guess!) I have noticed that my focus has been a little off in my night shots of Xmas lights, so I'm going to use this thing's 3X magnification to achieve more accurate manual focus.

Now I must run to the Court House.......just found out that you must give the county $20 for a license before you can get married !
Bummer, that ! ( I think 80 yr olds should be able to get married for free ! )

Posted 5 months ago #