You probably heard me complain about Canada’s extreme weather, but sometimes, I actually enjoy it.
First, you never get bored—this is the perfect place to experience weather phenomena described in Wikipedia. Second, extreme weather offers great photography opportunities. Stormy skies, snowy mornings and rainy days are all a chance to capture magical moments if you don’t mind getting cold or wet.
So here are five tips for anyone interested in weather photography.
Be prepared to face the weather
When the weather is nice and sunny, you can always find a bench to switch lenses, adjust your settings and review your pictures. But in extreme weather conditions expect soaked feet, frozen hands or way too much wind to risk changing the lens.
Make sure to dress accordingly—a waterproof coat, thick gloves, hat, or anything that can help depending on the conditions. The key is to layer up.
Good shoes are essential too—I usually stick to sneakers or comfortable sandals in the summer. Photographers do walk a lot and a blister or high heels could ruin a photo hunt.
It was bitterly cold the night I shot the Olympic Torch Relay last year in Ottawa and trust me, I learned my lesson! It took me two hot showers to warm up.
Protect your gear
You will face a few issues when taking your camera out when the weather is bad. First, your lens can fog up with condensation when temperatures change rapidly, such as going from a cold place to a warm place and vice-versa.
Second, batteries lose their charge much more quickly in cold weather. When I’m not using the camera, I usually remove the battery and put it under one of my gloves to keep it warm enough.
Cameras don’t like to get wet although you can probably get away with a bit of misty rain. I always carry a plastic bag to protect it if I need it, and I do put the lens hood on.
Focus on interesting details
I always enjoy focusing on the little details that tell a much longer story, such as scarves covered with snow, frozen power lines, fir trees coated in ice, raindrops on leaves or footsteps in the snow. Learn to see what other people don’t! And don’t be afraid to get close to your subject to fill the frame. A strong focus is the key here.
But don’t forget the big picture
After focusing on the small things, think big and take a few grand overview pictures that illustrate your theme—flooded streets, a rainbow over the forest, a stormy sky in Paris, a snowy road during a blizzard or snow drift.
And pay attention to people
When the weather is bad, people tend to be oblivious to what’s going on around them. They focus on dealing with the situation and getting from point A to point B or performing their daily chores.
People crossing the street and jumping over slush, shovelling snow, scraping ice off the windshield or sheltering in unlikely places could be good opportunities for a great shot.
Go for it, you’ll get wet and cold but it may be worth it!
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I was rapidly browsing my GReader and I read “5 top pornography something”
You and your trick titles Zhu!
LOL!
(it should’ve been “Me and my tricky mind” I guess!)
There’s nothing like a good hard winter in my opinion. The only proper one I recall from my British childhood took place around 1981, when we had snow for weeks on end and were able to go tobogganning down the (no-through) road outside our house.
Recently I’ve had an increasing yen to move up into the arctic circle. If I could get a job as a writer I’d be able to do this as Norway, Sweden and Finland are inside the European Economic Area, meaning as a Brit I have visa-free freedom of movement between my own country and these places… Just imagine it. Endless summer sun. And the further north you go, the longer the endless midwinter night!
I took some amazing snapshots of tree bark on my camera phone. They looked like something from the dark side of Mars!
Good tips from an experienced photographer. You remind me that I do not include people in my photos often enough. I am shy about including people in my pictures although I know it usually adds interest. It didn’t used to bother me but nowadays there is more concern about privacy issues.
I love the winter photos of downtown Ottawa! Reminds me of home…
My favourite is the one of the two men leaving Starbucks with their coffees. It strikes me as deliciously ironic. Coffee beans grown in the tropics, marketed by an American West Coast company, forming an integral part of these Ottawans’ day. Coffee? Worth it! They’re ready for anything now.
6. stay home when it rains 😉
This is something I haven’t done. There is no snow here, but maybe I can try when it is raining 🙂
those are all great photgraphs, zhu.
one of my favorite “bad weather” things to do is photograph at night. when road surfaces are wet, for instance, they reflect light. it makes for some interesting shots.
@Mr. G – definitely your dirty mind, latino 😆
@Gledwood – I think I would find endless days in the summer and endless nights in the winter very tiring… That said, the scenery must be amazing.
@Tulsa Gentleman – Privacy issues is important. I always try to portrait people in a good light, I don’t want to take embarrassing shots.
@Margaret – People here are so addicted to coffee… Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Bridgehead, Second Cup, we have a coffee shop at every corner!
@Sidney – But but… you are missing picture opportunities! 😉
@khengsiong – You should, it’s very fun.
@Seraphine – I agree and I should take more of these! Reflections on the pavement are always a favorite.
Most people hate gloomy days.
But I think it’s the best time to take flower pictures.
Those are excellent tips. My greatest problem is motivation. Most of the times I bike and so I don’t want to take the camera. But now I have arranged to fix my camera bag to the front of my handlebar – hopefully that will make it easier to bike with a camera. 🙂