THE CHILL FACTOR
A cold environment presents a number of challenges for the outdoor photographer – an unfamiliar landscape, the weather and of course the low temperature can all make capturing something unique quite difficult. I’ve been fortunate to experience trips to the polar regions as well as some of the higher points on the globe, and over time have learned a few things about photographing where the subject at hand is set within a scene of ice and snow.
Successfully getting the shot in a cold environment requires control over three aspects of the photographic process. The first is personal preparation, which means maximising your ability to function in an extreme environment. Secondly, it’s ensuring your camera can perform as it’s meant to in an environment it’s not really optimised for. And finally, the in-camera and personal creative processes in situations where extremes of lighting and contrast are at play. Let’s start first with personal preparation.
PERSONAL PREPARATION
Although many people worry their camera will freeze or be damaged in cold conditions, it’s much more common that the photographer themselves will give up before their camera does.
Corey Rich, an adventure sports photographer from California,
