I am planning to attend a winter railfan photo train in Ely Nevada this comming year.

I will be using a digital camera and a hi-8 movie camera. Any good tips on taking photos and movies in very cold weather?

How about any tips for attending a railfan oriented photo trip?

Ed,
Extreme cold can be a tricky thing. On the one hand, you want to keep your equipment warm enough that nothing freezes up, but on the other hand, keeping it too warm may cause a situation where the warmth of the camera meeting the cold air can cause condensation. Unfortunately I don't have any specific criteria for you, other than trying to keep the equipment warm enough to work, but not a huge temp difference from the outside air. I've had very mixed results myself over the years.

I recommend carrying a second battery to keep in an interior pocket so you can swap it with your in-use battery that will experience energy loss due to the cold. The battery exposed to the cold will recover as it warms up (at which point you will probably need to swap it back in the camera.) I have been told that some nature photographers have adapted battery packs that they keep inside their clothing with leads running to the camera.

Additionally, the chemistry of some films changes with the cold. I haven't seen any change in how film behaves that I have shot in cold weather - but you may want to check this out.

Finally, make sure that you can operate your camera through your gloves. In -0 windchill conditions you will not want to take your gloves off for anything.

Tom Cornillie

Ed, depending on the type of digital camera you are using, you might want to take a look and see if it will accept AA alkaline batteries in place of the rechargeable battery. I have a pocket Sony digital that does, and in extremely cold conditions it is very easy to carry a couple AA alkalines in your pocket and substitute them for the rechargeable battery (which goes to zero very quickly in extreme cold).

Well from someone who's done their fair share of winter photography, I'd say the most important thing is keeping the camera worm, Whenever I'm standing on a icy lake waiting for a train I'll tuck the camera under my jacket. As already mentioned it's always good to have extra batteries for everything, never leave home without them. I was in Montana this fall and my camera bag was jammed packed with extra batteries. Always do a check of your equipment before going on the trip, making sure everything is in working order. While doing night shots with my father this fall his shutter button fell off on his Minolta X700, lucky for him he was able to find it and still was able to do the night shot with the cable release. Another thing to have is a set of screw drivers, never know when it'll come in handy. I'd say have another camera at your side incase of emergency, If one fails you, you'll have that back up ready to go. Especially with an important subject matter.

Shooting with the gloves on can be tough, I've never been able to do it. I'd suggest getting some of those hunting gloves that have the pop off top that exposes your fingers. This way you'll be able to shoot and keep most of you hand warm while doing so as well as being able to react to a unfolding shot quickly. I've been trying to find a pair but haven't yet, will be sure to have them before I do much fanning this winter.

But the most important thing is to enjoy yourself, remember, the colder the better.

-Justin Franz

It looks like you've got the best advice for the equipment, but I'd like to add a few things for keeping yourself warm. Wear heavy boots with multiple thermal socks. Of course, the heavy coat, sweatshirt, T shirt underneath and a scarf. As for your hands, wear a pair of heavy gloves with a pair of women's stretch gloves underneath. Get a dark pair so you don't look like...well, you know. When it comes time to shoot, remove the heavy gloves, and shoot with the stretch gloves on. They're just thin enough so you can feel what you're doing, but thick enough to keep your hands warm for a short time. My ex-wife taught me about those. It was one of the few things she did right! Hehe.

"Glove liners" are available from stores that specialize in hiking equipment, such as REI, EMS, and Campmor. They are typically made of polypropylene or capilene. These stores also carry "liner gloves," but those are generally too thick for camera work. A word of warning, don't put polypro in a dryer, or you'll have glove liners sized for a two year old.

Ed and all,

First time post here from a long-time lurker.

First off, just let me say that you're in for a real treat. The folks out at the Nevada Northern do an amazing job, and are willing to do just about anything reasonable to make sure you have a good experience and get some great shots. They're a first class outfit in every way.

Some specifics:

As others have mentioned, it's best to have a strategy for keeping your batteries warm, while doing your best not to subject your camera and lenses to extreme cycling between warm and cold. I always take several spare batteries, keep them in a warm inside pocket as close to my body as possible and cycle them into the camera at every photo op.

Do the opposite with your cameras and lenses. Once you've gotten them down to ambient temps, try to keep them as cool as possible to avoid condensation issues. Also try to test them in the cold before leaving so that you can address any cold-related issues before your trip.

Others have addressed warm clothing, but I'd add a standard bit of advice for anyone engaging in outdoor winter activity. Layer. Ely is high desert country and the weather can be quite variable (and extreme), so be prepared to adjust through the course of a day. When traveling in one of the cabooses, you'll probably have heat (often more than you want!), but when the historic passenger equipment is used, you will not.

I'd also pay special attention to your footwear. You're going to be getting on and off your trains in a variety of terrain, and with the possibility of significant snow. Make sure your boots are not only warm, but reasonably waterproof and with excellent traction in difficult conditions.

Oh, and remember to take a small flashlight for the evening shoots.

If you have any specific questions, I'd be glad to try to answer them. If you're well prepared, I know you'll have a great time out there.

If interested, you can see some of my shots from one of last year's winter shoots at:
http://www.westernsteamphoto.com/HTML-5/index.htm

Scott