Must Have Gear for Winter Photography

As the last leaves fall from deciduous trees across North America, winter is already setting in. As it does, we wildlife photographers begin to prepare for our winter photography endeavors. Some go south to escape the bitter cold, following migrating birds and tropical wildlife. Some go north, focusing on musk ox, polar bears, and other Arctic wildlife on the frozen tundra. A handful of you are even coming to Yellowstone and joining me for one of my workshops!

Wherever you are shooting this winter, in this article, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite pieces of gear for shooting in cold weather and snow. Things that are small, but critically important in many scenarios. And all of them make for great gifts as we get into the holiday season.

First, let’s talk gloves.

The gloves I use are The Heat Company gloves. This is a layered glove system, providing maximum warmth while still preserving dexterity. The liner layer is relatively thin, but warm, allowing for camera operation without any hinderance. The fingers are touch screen friendly.

Liner

Next is the shell layer, a set of thick mittens that provide warmth in extreme conditions. I have used these in Yellowstone in temps as low as -20F and remained fairly warm. These go over the liners and can unzip to allow your fingers out so you can operate your camera. When your fingers get cold, just slip them back into the shells to warm up for a few minutes.

Shell

Lastly, the hood layer. I don’t own these and have never used them. There would be no need for them unless you are in -40, -50, -60 degree temperatures for hours on end.

Hood

The other option for gloves would be to skip the layers and go for a single, warm, thick pair of gloves with fingertips that fold back to allow for camera use. Gloves like the Vallerret Tinden are perfect for this. If you live in a “warmer” cold climate, where temperatures stay between 10F and 40F in winter, these are likely a better fit for you. The Heat Company system would be overkill. 

Neither option is perfect. In an ideal world, we could all just have a thin set of gloves that preserve dexterity while still keeping our hands warm. But given the limitations of fabrics available today, this isn’t realistic, so these gloves are a happy medium for most folks.

NOTE: I know some photographers who use battery-powered, heated gloves. I haven’t ever used these, it just seems like too much effort to have yet another electronic to charge at the end of a long day in the field, so I don’t have any recommendations in this genre of gloves.

The next item I recommend is another one for the hands: rechargeable handwarmers. Now, I know I just said that I don’t like gloves that need to be charged every night, so this might seem counter to that. But, my use-case for these is different. For me, these handwarmers are for a worst-case scenario, not daily use. If I get my gloves wet, tear or lose a glove, or simply don’t put gloves on because I am moving quickly to not miss an image that’s about to happen, these things are lifesavers. I rarely have to worry about charging them because I rarely use them, but when I do need to break them out, they are so worth having.

Alright, I’ve talked enough about protecting your hands from the cold. Next, let’s move into some protective measures for your camera gear. 

Both of these recommendations are more relevant for those of you who live in more humid areas. These are things I don’t use too often living in Montana, where it is relatively dry and arid.

First, airtight bags that can fit your camera equipment. I like these Sea to Summit bags. They are durable, packable, and lightweight. What these do is prevent condensation from building up on/in your camera equipment when you move it from the cold outside to a warm indoor area. You put your camera inside the bag, remove as much air as possible, seal it up, then take it indoors. Your camera will slowly acclimate to the indoor temperatures while inside the bag, and because the bags are airtight, they don’t condensate inside. A perfect layer of protection for low cost and minimal hassle. Be sure to take memory cards and batteries out first so you can offload and charge.

If you live in a dry climate like I do, these bags aren’t usually necessary. I just leave my gear inside my camera bag for a few hours when I go indoors, and it is enough protection to slow the warming process and prevent any condensation. If my gear does condensate at all, it dries incredibly quickly. Would it be safer to still use these even in a dry climate? Probably. But I don’t think you are going to hurt your gear if you don’t.

However, for those of you who live in the eastern US, where humidity and condensation are a real issue, these bags are fantastic. Many people will also throw a silica packet in with their gear as another layer of protection, although I’ve never done this.

Lastly, if you live somewhere that is prone to wet snow or sleet, a rain cover is a must, for the same reasons you would need it on a rainy day. I like this one. It may not be pretty, but it’s effective and saves you quite a bit of money in comparison to a LensCoat brand rain cover or something along those lines.

In dry climates, these once again aren’t really necessary in the winter. Unless it’s right at freezing point outside, the snow is powdery and I can usually brush it right off my lens without any water accumulation.

I hope this list is useful as you prepare for your winter photo endeavors! You can have all the camera equipment in the world, but if you don’t have these less glamorous, functionally-important pieces of gear, you’re going to have a hard time getting out in the elements and making the photos you’re looking for. 

With that said, thanks for reading, and have a great day!

- Evan