Winter presents a number of challenges for the Maine camera hunter, not the least of which is keeping warm.

     A key to keeping safely warm is not to overheat and build up excess perspiration on your body and clothing that can be life threatening in the wrong place on the wrong day. For comfort and safety, minimize perspiration buildup by dressing in layers of modern fabrics that wick moisture away from the body, with perhaps some good old fashioned wool that keeps you warm even when wet. As you warm too much, you remove a layer. Sometimes taking off your hat or even your gloves for a while helps to regulate your temperature and keep you warm without overheating.

     But should you keep your camera warm too? Some folks advocate storing cameras under parkas until ready to shoot. But I’d bet those folks never snowshoed or cross-country skied very far on a winter's day! Anyone who has knows that when you travel under your own power in the winter, even with the most modern clothing on, you work up a sweat. An active person cannot avoid exposing a camera stored beneath a jacket to moisture. And wet cameras and cold Maine winters do not mix. 

     Most modern 35mm cameras, especially those with a manual control mode, will operate just fine in sub-zero temperatures as long as the batteries are working. So the problem for the winter camera hunter is not how to keep the camera warm, the problem is how to keep the batteries working. That may require using batteries designed to operate at below zero temperatures. I've successfully operated a camera with NiCad batteries in 30 below zero cold for hours. And while condensation from my breath froze into an ice sheath that I had to chip off the camera's back with a screwdriver so I could change film, the batteries never failed!

     Another method is to use a battery pack wired to the camera. You keep the battery pack warm under your coat in a pants or a shirt pocket.    

     A less costly solution is to carry at least one set of backup batteries warm and exchange them when the ones in the camera fade. And if you only have the set of batteries in the camera, take them out, put them in a pocket to warm them up, and put them back in. Neither of the last two options appeals to me, as you may miss a shot while fiddling with the batteries. And have you ever tried to open a camera battery compartment with thick gloves on?

     That brings to mind several other things a winter camera hunter should consider. The first is that changing film can be difficult with gloves on. Wearing the wrong gloves also presents the danger of getting a strand of fiber inside the camera. Have you ever had a roll of film processed and found that you had an out of focus hair or fiber in every shot?

     I prefer to wear layers of gloves. I begin with a pair or two of the thin, synthetic fabric gloves and cover those with fingertip-less wool gloves. You can operate the camera controls and still stay keep your hands warm. On really cold days, another layer of gloves or mittens is worn that you might have to remove to operate the camera.

     I take the wool gloves off to change film. The smooth synthetic fabric gloves don't leave strands in the camera and they keep you warm, even in sub zero weather, when changing film. 

     Avoid rewinding film too fast on a really cold day. Frozen film gets brittle and can break. Static electric sparks can even form an image on higher speed films. It's best to use the manual rewind crank if your camera has one.

     Also avoid breathing into the camera when you open it to change film or while you're changing lenses. Remember what we said about ice forming?    

     Finally, there's the old one about touching your face to metal that's really cold. Do you know what can happen? You stick to it! Some folks pad any metal on their camera back with soft cloth or foam plastic. Since I don't want anything to slow me down, I'm just careful not to touch my face to the camera.

     Have you wondered how I know about all these concerns? I've made every one of these mistakes.

     The one mistake that I haven't made is to bring an ice-cold camera into a warm car or building. That may be the worst thing you can do, as condensation forms, sometimes inside the lens. Not only will such a fogged lens not make a sharp image, but mildew that etches the glass can eventually grow on the inside of the lens if you cannot get the moisture out.  

     Bring your cameras up to temperature gradually. I put mine inside a plastic trash bag so that condensation collects on the bag instead.

     Camera hunting during the Maine winter is great fun. Just remember to keep your powder dry - not warm.

Bill Silliker, Jr. teaches wildlife & nature photography for L.L. Bean's Outdoor Discovery Schools and has done the photography for 5 books, several of which he also wrote. He is editor of the website www.wildlifewatcher.com as well as for his own website at www.camerahunter.com

© Copyright 2002 Bill Silliker, Jr. all rights reserved.