Tips for shooting a wedding in snowy conditions? :)

[BritneyKay]

Hi Everyone!

I am an experienced wedding photographer in Florida. However, I have a wedding coming up this month in Colorado where the conditions will be extremely different than what I am used to shooting in. I was wondering if anyone could provide me with tips for shooting a wedding in extremely cold/snowy conditions. I do not need shooting tips, just tips on how to handle or protect my gear in those conditions. One of my main concerns is going from shooting in cold conditions outside to warm conditions inside. What is the best way to protect my gear (cameras, lenses, speed lights) from condensation? Any other tips are welcome as well. I have only been in snow once before and it was a very long time ago. Thanks so much in advance!!

 

[The_Traveler]

Everything I've ever read says to keep the camera in a closed environment wih a little air as possible until it warms up.
Otherwise you'll get condensation everywhere.

If you need to shoot outside and then inside, perhaps another set of gear would be the best, safest avenue.

 

[KmH]

Yep! ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Going from cold to warm you will get some amount of condensation.
It will take 5 - 30 minutes for condensation to evaporate depending how much condensation there is.

So, the level of humidity inside will be a factor. The more humid it is inside, the heavier the condensation will be. Many heating systems used in cold climates have a humidifier to add moisture to the air.

Experienced wedding photographers usually have back up gear, so use your backup gear inside until the condensation evaporates from your primary gear

 

[Robin_Usagani]

Colorado is dry. Wont be a problem.

 

[cgipson1]

Colorado is dry. Wont be a problem.

Wrong! hahaha... remember when we went from cold outside to warm inside (butterfly pavillion)??? And our lenses were fogged up for around 30 minutes or so?

 

[ryanforster]

particularly when you're going into a room filled with loads of wedding guests all steaming up the place..
i'd be interested in finding out a good solution for this that doesn't just involve switching cameras. It has been a problem once before.

 

[Robin_Usagani]

Colorado is dry. Wont be a problem.

Wrong! hahaha... remember when we went from cold outside to warm inside (butterfly pavillion)??? And our lenses were fogged up for around 30 minutes or so?

Dude... We went to a greenhouse with added humidity. This is a wedding.

 

[cgipson1]

Colorado is dry. Wont be a problem.

Wrong! hahaha... remember when we went from cold outside to warm inside (butterfly pavillion)??? And our lenses were fogged up for around 30 minutes or so?

Dude... We went to a greenhouse with added humidity. This is a wedding.

Agreed! But I have still had issues coming in from the cold and had minor fogging issues. Did not take as long as the "greenhouse" did, admittedly, but still rendered the system useless for 5 to 10 minutes...

Depends on how cold it is... how long they were out, and how humid the room is that they go into...

 

[Robin_Usagani]

Btw... I just took out a cold Dr. pepper from the fridge. I noticed no condensation.

 

[cgipson1]

Btw... I just took out a cold Dr. pepper from the fridge. I noticed no condensation.

Well, if you are drinking Dr. Pepper for breakfast.. that says it all! lol!

 

[Robin_Usagani]

Maybe im lucky . I have done 4 winter weddings and shoot outside. No problem going into a small venue filled with people.

 

[Robin_Usagani]

VIVA COLORADO!

 

[gardy]

my cold beer just fogged up when i pulled it out of the fridge a min ago, but my camera is fine if you have the time for it to warm up, just leave it in the bag while doing so. if not use the backup gear. Also keep any backup batteries you may need in an inner coat pocket or just inside the door if it is close, you may need them faster than you think in cold weather. and watch the batteries on the strobes closely

 

[TCampbell]

Assuming you have a backup camera, I'd only use one camera to shoot outside (e.g. the backup camera) and leave the main camera inside where it's warm. That way there's no delay -- the bride & groom can come in and you can resume shooting immediately (with the other camera that never went outside.)

A weather sealed camera & lens would be fine -- you might get some condensation the camera if it's been out a while (if you're just out a few minutes then the inside of the camera probably wont ever get cold enough to be a problem.) The lens will likely fog up -- put a lens cap on it before you come in.

 

[kathyt]

I should probably get a flight out to Breckenridge to test it out.