Dealing with the cold

[Steve M Hostetter]

I try not to use a darkcloth unless I have to ,,, it's 50% of the problem

[Eric James]

I made a short snorkel out of a CPR rescue mask but I find it easier to hyperventilate before I dive under the cloth, and hold my breath while I'm there. Another major contributor to GG fogging is moisture (sweat) from your hair/hat. You can synch up a hood over your hat before diving in to minimize this source. Lately I've been carrier a couple dry handkerchiefs in a Ziplock bag - you can use them for any number of things including wiping down a fogged GG.

If I fumble with a composition all of these strategies may not be enough to keep the glass clear; in these situations I find it useful to remove the focusing cloth (I use a Black Jacket), turn it inside out to clear it of moisture, let the glass cool to ambient temp., wipe it down once more, then reapply the cloth. This can be done in a flash if the light is changing quickly. It also gives you a chance to catch your breath and hyperventilate again before giving it another go.

[Eirik Berger]

Large format photogray in real cold has not been that tricky I think. Of course one must avoid breathing on the ground glass, It will condensate and (if really cold) instantly freeze over and make it real hard to focus.

I have photographed with LF (Toyo 45CF) in temperatures right below -40°C (I find it to be -40°F as well) and my biggest problem was my breath against the GG and the heat from my eyes condencing on the loupe when focusing. Even if it is tricky to focus, remove dark slide, handle loupe etc with gloves on the biggest problem was heat generated from my body against the very cold camera.

I use a balaclava made for snowmobile-driving. It covers up the mouth and nose pretty weell but still allows for breathing. I addition to that I wear a pair of snowmobile googles with a plastic face mask underneath. I have removed the glass of the goggles. This stops my breath effectively and also reduces the general heat from the face or wet/sweaty hair. Because the glass is removed I can still use theloupe for focusing and composing.

I have never seen results of static electricity on exposed film from removing the dark slide, even if it is a very dry climate here during winter and the sea ice is covering most of the ocean around here. And I have had no problems with frost-marks on the film either. It might again be the overall dry climate that is the cause of that.

I must admit that there are times that I wonder what the h*** I am doing working with LF in extreme cold. There have been times when I seriously have considered switching over to a digital solution just for convenience. But I remember Bruce Barnbaum wrote or said once that no good images has ever come out of convenience. And when I see my developed films, and even better the final prints, it reminds my why I keep working this way.

Happy new year to everybody.

[David_Senesac]

I've done quite a bit of work in cold even stormy winter conditions. Anyone serious about such work must do something about condensation on the ground glass, else their efforts are sure to suffer at the worst time in dim light. My dark cloth is actually a pair of fine weave $15 black Licra bike stretch shorts I customized the waist opening to fit around my rear standard, with one leg hole to snug around my face and the other at the bottom as an access and air hole. I bought some elastic tubing at Oshman's and after cutting a small access hole adding some duct tape adapted it as a snorkel. Ugly but works great. Actually even during summer in the high mountain areas I often work, groundglass condensation is a frequent dawn and sunrise problem.

[rvhalejr]

I would recommend that you keep the film (and other gear) inside a ziploc bag.

Testing moving parts at the shooting temperature before getting on location might be prudent. Some equipment may not work in the cold even if it recently had a factory service or CLA. Given this,

Try adding desiccant in the bag, let sit for 24 hours (should absorb most moisture) at room temp and then let equipment normalize at cold shooting temp for 24 hours.

I'm afraid of condensation (over time) possibly damaging equipment.

I do not know is keeping film at room temperature (inside your photo vest under the down jacket) or letting it normalize in the cold might be the best.

I have problems with stuff fogging in normal temperature or (a long time ago) while skiing, its a constant battle.,.