What do you northern street shooter do in winter?

[back alley]

right now it's a balmy -9...
when i was younger i went out all bundled up and wearing fingerless gloves...worked well enough and i got my winter shooting done.
fast forward 20-30 years and my hands are now arthritic and hurt on warm days and don't work so good on the cold ones...

 

[Disaster_Area]

Yeah I'll vote for hot chocolate, staying indoors and going through the summer rolls that haven't been developed yet. It's only -9 in Ottawa but the freezing rain kinda puts a damper on street shooting.

 

[btgc]

don't lick the camera.

To avoid accidents, I carry plastic cameras at winter, mostly. Good for tongue, as discussed, then it doesn't suck warmth from body and fingers don't chill when using it. If one falls on plastic it should end better than landing on metal brick with glass inscriptions.

For that reason I have put away even small aluminum-skinned Fuji Mini Zoom which gets cold outside very quickly, so what to say about metal RF's.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Scan slides, print them, make cards, fantasize about hanging photographs in the living room or having a photo show... And, of course, go on brief walks with meterless cameras! 🙂 Boul Mich is a nice place for interesting shots of bundled-up folks. 😉

 

[Arlen]

Hopefully travel somewhere warm. Also, get out on the warmer days whenever possible. The problem isn't the cold at this time of year. It's the darkness. Dark in the morning and dark before I get home after work. Night shots are fun though.

 

[Nikon Bob]

It was -37C with the wind chill factored in this morning on the way to coffee. I think I will take up curling, at least it is an inside activity.

Bob

 

[Gray Fox]

It was in the teens here in the Hotlanta area this AM and not supposed to break freezing today with 25 MPH winds. I'm trying to get myself psyched up to do my daily 3 mile walk, but may not succeed. Not much chance for photos with this much wind. Forecast is for 11 degrees tonight. Glad I got lots of hardwood split and stacked last month! A cheery fire tonight with hot spiced cider is something to look forward to. Maybe I'll scan some shots of spring flowers or something. Best of luck to those of you up north with the really cold temps.

 

[Calzone]

Hopefully travel somewhere warm. Also, get out on the warmer days whenever possible. The problem isn't the cold at this time of year. It's the darkness. Dark in the morning and dark before I get home after work. Night shots are fun though.

Here in NYC, I had to make an adjustment to the change in Daylight Savings Time. I almost always carry a camera to shoot on my walk to work in the morning, but now it is dusky at 4:30 PM when I get out of work.

I needed some film speed and started experimenting with Diafine. I found the increase in film speed is complemented with the contrast compression of this compensating developer works geat for shooting at dusk and night in my urban setting.

Seems like I shoot 35mm less, but I shoot more 120 because the slower pace suits the colder weather. BTW I froze my hands good two Sundays ago. Shot six rolls of 120, but loading film got difficult because my hands were not working.

Cal

 

[Colin Corneau]

I find I'm shooting less, but still doing it. I leave my M6 inside though! Trusty FM2 to the rescue.

It's not an issue usually but if you have the camera outside a long time and go inside to a warm place, put it in your bag until it's warmed up to keep condensation from forming on the body and lens...over time that's bad for your gear.

Good advice on trying different developers -- the light is different for sure. But then, you don't have to tell a photographer the light is different, right?

 

[Calzone]

I find I'm shooting less, but still doing it. I leave my M6 inside though! Trusty FM2 to the rescue.

It's not an issue usually but if you have the camera outside a long time and go inside to a warm place, put it in your bag until it's warmed up to keep condensation from forming on the body and lens...over time that's bad for your gear.

Good advice on trying different developers -- the light is different for sure. But then, you don't have to tell a photographer the light is different, right?

Thanks for reminding me about protecting my camera. I kinda forgot.:bang:

Cal

 

[nightfly]

Why would an FM2 be any better than a Leica?

I feel like my Leica is bulletproof and wouldn't hesitate to use it anywhere I would possibly find myself.

Is there really any evidence of the cold hurting the camera?

I find I'm shooting less, but still doing it. I leave my M6 inside though! Trusty FM2 to the rescue.

 

[antiquark]

I leave my M6 inside though! Trusty FM2 to the rescue.

Why not bring both? Then if one fails, you can always use the Nikon! 🙂

 

[capitalK]

Living in Northern Ontario, Canada... if I stayed inside during the cold I'd almost never get any photos. 😛

 

[rbsinto]

Lined snowpants, long-sleeved undershirt with high collar, long-sleeved denim shirt, long sleeved sweatshirt, hunter's winter socks, Sorel heavy-duty winter boots, down-lined winter jacket with collar, touque, fingerless gloves with work glove liners, and photovest. Plus the motorized film cameras, film, meter and lots of change for hot coffees. And I'm good to go. And there has never been a day cold enough to keep me from getting out.

 

[M4cr0s]

I find that if it's not blowing too hard, and there's some sky to be seen, not just dreary grayness it's doable, especially with a larger medium-thickness-gloves-operable camera such as a DSLR. My personal "comfort" limit is around -12 to 15 celcius. If it gets any colder I need so many layers with clothing it gets hard to lift the arms and hold a camera properly as the clothes pull and tighten around the arms 😉 Oslo is a truly s***ty place in the winter though, it's almost always windy and very poor air quality (asphalt/tire dust).

Ironically, I much rather prefer the warmer(!) winters in my hometown, Tromsø, 1700 kilometres further to the north, a good bit beyond the arctic circle.

Mac

 

[braver]

Is there really any evidence of the cold hurting the camera?

Just blow away the excess snow every now and then, and don't slip and break your fall with the M 😉


Snowing, Delft, december 2010 by Koen Lageveen, on Flickr

 

[Roger Hicks]

India.

Cheers,

R.

 

[dmr]

Is there really any evidence of the cold hurting the camera?

Not the camera, but the film.

I had a roll of film break off when I let it sit out in the car overnight and tried to rewind it without letting it warm up. That was fun to salvage!

 

[Nikkor AIS]

35 1.4 Summilux on Leica MP 1/125 F4 on 160 ASA.

Slipping on the ice is a real possibility in Canada. Just like this poor fellow I photographed a couple of days ago in a Safeway parking lot, last winter I stepped on some black ice - hidden under a light dusting of snow - and landed square on my back and shoulders. Thankfully, I had time to tuck in my chin so I didn't land on my head.

I was carrying my Nikkor 300 2.0 IF-ED AIS in my arms and my Leica M7 around my neck.
You will be glad to know both were okay 🙂.

 

[robklurfield]

shiver. and anxiously await spring.