Feature Articles

Breathtaking Tibet: How to take great photographs in winter

By Team HardwareZone - 19 Feb 2016

How to prepare for shooting in winter

Taken with Canon 5DS with Canon 24mm f1.4 II L.

All images and text, unless stated otherwise, by Ken Koh, Art Director, HWM.

My love for the mountains and its people was what drew me to photography. Just before the end of 2015, I spent two weeks in Tibet, shooting in the freezing winter. Most days, the temperature dropped below zero, but some of the best photographs happen when it’s miserably cold outside.

So how do you take great photographs in winter, when harsh weather is part of the process?

 

What gear do you bring when weather is harsh?

 

Camera

I brought the Canon 5DS with me to Tibet. DSLR cameras perform better in winter, with their bigger batteries giving you longer battery life. The 5DS’ battery life is impressive, and easily lasted two days of shooting before I needed to recharge it.

The Canon 5DS. Image source: Canon.

The 5DS provides amazing image quality, with its high-resolution 50.6MP full-frame sensor. Images are full of detail straight out of the camera. Its higher-resolution sensor does make shooting technique crucial, as any slight vibration or slower shutter speed may result in blurry details.

Besides the Canon 5DS, I also brought a smaller camera for the occasional street shot, the Fujifilm X100T. The downside of these smaller, mirrorless cameras is that their battery lives are usually shorter than DSLR cameras’, which is a problem in cold weather where batteries will drain faster.

Workers at the Gyantse Fortness. Taken with Fujifilm X100T.

ProTip: Head out with a fresh battery in your camera, and keep a spare one under your layers of clothing. You’re warmer than your camera bag, and this helps the spare battery to last longer.

Camera bag

On long trips with a lot of walking, I don’t like to use bags that look like camera bags, as it’s a big signal that I’m carrying expensive gear. On this trip, I used an F-Stop bag, which is a camera bag that actually looks like a hiking bag. Not only does it look good, I also found it functional and comfortable. 

Tripod

A sturdy tripod is one of the most important tools for a landscape photographer. I use a Sirui carbon fiber tripod for its lightness (1.1kg) and the fact that it can be closed to a compact height of 41cm. I prefer three-section tripods, as they’re more stable compared to four or five-section tripods. Not only is carbon fiber lighter, carbon also absorbs vibration better than aluminum.

(From right to left) F-stop bag, Sunwayfoto XB-44 ball head, Sirui T-1204X carbon tripod, Canon 5DS, Fujifilm X100T, Canon 70-200 f4 L, Canon 24mm f1.4 L, Canon 50mm f1.4 USM, Kenko 1.4x teleconvertor, Clik Elite Valet filter pouch, Canon RS-80N3 shutter remote, Canon LP-E6N Battery, LensPen, LaCie Rugged Mini hard disk, JJC Water-resistant Anti-Shock Memory Card Storage Holder and Apple Macbook Pro.

Filters

There are three filters I carry, a polarizing filter, a neutral density filter and a graduated density filter.

A polarizing filter is a must-have tool for landscape photography. It helps to add contrast and reduce reflections from objects like water and glass, plus it can be used to darken the sky.

Neutral density filters are used to cut down the amount of light reaching your sensor, letting you shoot with longer shutter speeds for effects like smooth running water.

Graduated neutral density filters are used in situations where the sky is much brighter than the rest of your landscape. These filters are clear on one side and slightly opaque on the other side, with either an abrupt or a gradual shift in the middle.

Most graduated neutral density filters are rectangular, and made to be used with a filter holder. I use Lee’s 100mm holder system, and it works well on both full-frame and cropped-sensor cameras.

A 100mm starter kit from Lee filters, which consist of the holder, a 0.6 ND filter and 0.6 GND filter. Image source: Lee filters.

 

What should you wear to stay warm?

ProTip: You should always choose 1-2 size bigger for your outer shell jacket so that it will still fit well after putting on your fleece and base layer. Image source: The North Face (left), Marmot (middle), Lowe Alpine (right).

You don’t want to miss a great shot because you’re too cold to continue staying outdoors. Proper layering is a must when shooting in winter, and I stay warm by layering.

Base layer

This is the layer that’s right next to your skin. It helps regulate your body temperature by moving perspiration away from your skin. Look for base layers made of merino wool, polyester or silk.

Insulation layer

Natural fibers such as wool or polyester fleece are excellent insulators. They help you to retain heat by trapping air close to your body.

Shell or outer layer

The shell layer protects you from wind, rain and snow. Look for waterproof and breathable shells, and get one large enough to fit over the lower layers without restricting your movement.

Headgear and gloves

Cover your head because that’s where the body loses a lot of heat. Gloves are especially important for photographers; because they have to keep your hands warm while letting you change your camera settings with ease.

I like to wear a windproof glove liner, and a fingerless leather glove from Black Diamond on top of that.

Socks

A good pair of socks will let you go the extra mile. Most winter/trekking socks are made of wool plus synthetic materials. Wool keeps your feet warm, while synthetic materials give durability and moisture-wicking properties to the socks.

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