Be Ready and Willing
Now that you are prepared with your layers, and your plans to stay safe, the next logical step is to be ready! Be ready to head out immediately following the weather (some snow accumulation). This includes watching weather forecasts, knowing where you might go, having your batteries charged, memory available, and, most importantly perhaps, having your mindset on taking advantage when you get your chance! Depending on where you live, snowstorms capable of providing aesthetically gorgeous scenes don’t come around every day, so be certain to keep your mind made up on heading out when conditions present themselves. Remember – there may not be a “next time” if the weather doesn’t cooperate well in a particular winter season. Like here in Flagstaff, Arizona where I live is a great example. We live in a “mountain town” at 7,000 feet of elevation. We, on average, receive 103.6” of snow each winter. This year (and seemingly last year, too) we sit at 74% lower than the historical average for this far into winter. Unless something changes soon, my chances are limited for this season, so I have to be ready for the next offering of snow from Mother N.
Keep Batteries Warm
Again, we’ll touch in more depth later this week about camera accessories, but, in the field, in the cold, it is recommended to keep your spare batteries warm. Cold batteries will not perform up to your expectations, so keep them warm and know that the battery in your camera will likely indicate that it is running low, even though it may not actually be doing so. I’ll often take any spares out from my pack and zip them into my insulation layer (puffy down or synthetic coat) so that the heat from my body can keep them from getting way too cold.
Keep Camera and Lenses Cold
While keeping batteries warm, you actually want to acclimate your camera and lenses to the temperatures, and then keep them cold until you are finished, even if your kneejerk reaction is to put your camera in the car for a bit to keep it safe. Allowing your camera, and even more so your lens, to warm up can cause the lens, viewfinder, and other components to fog up.