Cold Weather Camera Tips

With winter knocking on our doorstep I thought I would re-post this article from a few years back. Perhaps you will have your camera with to document your family winter fun, or maybe you just want to capture the gorgeous scenery. Either way, here are some tips to keep you and your gear functioning.
Dress in layers. The warmer you are the more you will enjoy your outing. I like to wear small thin gloves under my mittens so when I do start taking pictures I can easily use the buttons on my camera without my fingers freezing. Mittens with the removable fingertips would work well too. This is also beneficial when you are out with your family enjoying the winter weather.
Batteries drain quickly in cold temps so keep a spare or two in an inside pocket close to your body. Also keep your camera in a pocket or camera bag between shots to keep it from getting too cold (do not put it inside your coat close to your body as this can create condensation on your camera and fog up the lens). Transfer your camera and lenses to a sealable plastic bag BEFORE going indoors and leave it like that for several hours until it has reached room temperature. This will keep any condensation from occurring inside your camera which could cause mechanical failures.
Your camera will want to underexpose the bright white scene and make the snow look blue instead. Try shooting in a setting other than manual (ie. shutter priority) and use exposure compensation (+/- symbol) to overexpose up to 2 stops. If you are shooting in manual just increase your exposure by changing the shutter speed or ISO. Your owners manual can help you with how to do this with your camera model. 
For more tips check out this great article www.outdoorphotographer.com/tips-techniques/nature-landscapes/cold-weather-photo-tips/#
Hope this helps!