I am taking a trip soon where I will be wandering around for a week by myself taking pictures in the cold with 4x5 and 8x10 gear. I did a search and did not find anything dealing with cold weather tips and techniques. I did find some threads about keeping oneself warm but I would appreciate any tips about handling gear and film in the cold, dealing with condensation, etc. Thanks.
Don't breathe on the ground glass....
I've photographed in temperatures down to about -15F and have always worried much more about me than my equipment. I've never had a problem(other than getting cold).
No expert here, but based on some recent outings here, dressing warm is easy, hand warmth is another matter. So much LF work has to be done barehanded, keeping them warm can be an issue. Stop frequently to stuff your hands in your pockets when setting up a shot helps a good deal. Don't let them get too cold before doing this. Oh, and the gloves you've taken off, stuff them under you coat to keep them warm.
I've always withdrawn and inserted the dark slides slowly in cold weather. As for condensation, I usually keep the lens and boards in Ziplock bags between uses. Warm them up to room temp after you get home leaving them in the bag. Once warm, I remove them for a period of time. No problems so far. I'll keep my eye on this for the suggestions of others since we have a few more months of cold to go.
In my experience you will avoid most condensation problems by letting your gear warm up slowly. Let your lenses, film holders et al stay in the bag you carried it for a few hours when you get inside after a day in the field.
breath through a short piece of large diameter surgical tubing while looking at the gg, that'll keep it from fogging. I always tap the film holder on the tripod (in any weather) to get the film to settle in the holder.
Don't forget to put a clothes peg on your nose. And just pray no one sees you looking like that unless you want a trip in a white van.Originally Posted by vinny
Cold weather is often dry weather, which promotes static build-up and discharge. Like a previous poster said, remove and insert dark slides slowly to keep tiny little lighting storms from dancing all over your film!
Also, static-ey materials for gloves at least (I avoid wool, for example.) For the same reason, of course.
Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.
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From just the first 150 of 7,500 matches doing a Google advanced search under largeformatphotography.info for "cold."
Obviously you are a better searcher than I am. I searched "cold" in titles in the advanced search and did not get many relevant hits. Thanks for doing that.
Go to your local sporting goods store and pick up a few packs of those disposable handwarmers. It's a little pack of sawdust and activated charcoal that when exposed to air reacts to emit heat for a couple of hours. Really handy.
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