Shooting in the Heat #97

Shooting in the Heat #97

Summer is upon us and here in NYC it’s been really hot the last few days. So it’s time to talk about warm weather photography. I once heard a photographer advise that if you find the environment to be uncomfortable then your camera would be uncomfortable too and therefore you shouldn’t use your camera in adverse temperatures. Seriously? If I only took my camera out when the weather is comfortable outside I would probably rarely do any shooting. I’m sorry but this is just stupid advice. The fact is that your camera has a very large temperature operating range. Much larger than my personal tolerance. If you are shooting in hot sunny weather there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. First, your camera. If you are not using your camera don’t leave it out in the sun just sitting there baking. I don’t think I have to explain that one either. There is another issue, your lens. Don’t leave your camera facing the sun without a lens cap on for more than a few seconds. Why? Think of using a magnifying glass to burn a hold in a piece of paper. Yup, as the sun is focused through your lens it’s going to burn whatever is on the other side. When you meet me on the next safari ask me how I know. You should also know that long exposures will render noise on your images. As the sensor heats up from the exposure itself combined with the hot ambient temperature you may get some white dots on your image. So if you are using an ND filter in the middle of the day or shooting at night and it’s over 90 degrees Fahrenheit you need to know this is a possibility. Again ask me how I know. This will be particularly important for those of you who want to photograph the stars, as they will render as fake stars. And by long exposure I’m talking about longer than 30 seconds. Another thing to keep in mind is humidity. When I lived in California this was never a concern, here in the North East it’s always a problem. When you go from very airconditioned environments to the hot sticky out doors your lenses may fog up. Try to make that transition slow. So leave the stuff in your bag for a while until the whole thing gets a chance to warm up. Other than that, do consider your personal safety. Of course carry sunblock and water. I like to wear a big floppy wide brimmed hat to get some shade and since the brim soft it squishes down then I do a vertical shot. In that way it actually works better than my usual baseball hat. Take breaks often. You are carrying heavy equipment and that will take it out of you. Lastly bring a power bar just in case you need the extra calories.