The Right Temperature.
Some photographers exclusively shoot indoors, but the very moment you walk out your front door with your camera you need to give some extra thought to the way you dress.
Naturally, exactly what type of clothing you need depends a lot on the destination of your trip, the season, the weather forecast, and how long you plan be away from home.
     Maintaining the right body temperature is an art, but also absolutely necessary. If you are cold and your fingers and toes seem frozen, your motivation level is likely to drop pretty soon.  If you do nothing to correct the problem you will soon start to shiver and feel tired and drowsy. For this very reason all good nature photographers are 100 percent aware of what type of clothing they are going to need for any given assignment. 

 

Only the last layer of clothing is visible (3), but Casper is wearing two additional layers underneath. The three-layer principle is described in the text below. Photo by Niels Hammer.  
 

The Three-Layer Principle
In our native Denmark the weather is often very unstable, and you need to prepare for all eventualities. When rain (liquid from the outside) or sweat (liquid from the inside) has made drenched you it is very difficult, if not impossible, to stay warm. The so-called three-layer principle offers one of the most effective ways of staying dry and warm.
 
The innermost layer of clothing (1) should be sweat-transporting underwear that will keep your body dry, even if you start sweating. It needs to be tight-fitting in order to be efficient. Many kinds are available on the market in all price ranges. If you want to be able to move around you would do well to avoid wearing cotton underwear, as this fabric absorbs moisture (sweat) instead of transporting it away from the skin. Cotton also isolates very poorly when wet.

The middle layer (2) is the isolating layer, for this layer a fleece or something similar would be fine. Choose a material that is soft, comfortable, and relatively light. Fleece is very popular. It is made from polyester which means that it is quite light. The second layer could also be woollen fabrics, although they are slightly heavier. In fine weather you can use the middle layer as the final layer of clothing. If it is raining or windy, you, however, need an additional layer. 

 

  

A Warm afternoon in the Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Casper is enjoying the view, he is wearing only the first and second layer.

Photo by Karina Mikkelsen   
 
The outermost layer (3) is a so-called “shell” which is wind and waterproof but still breathes well.  When it is pouring down, temperatures are low, and the wind is howling, not wearing an effective shell-layer will cause your body temperature to become critically low (in a few minutes).  Shell jackets and pants are produced in many different qualities and fits, and they are sold in all price ranges. However, if you are planning on shooting many photos outdoors, this is not the best place to save money.
 The combination of these three layers will be sufficient for most types of weather. If it is a little too warm you simply unzip the third layer, and if it is much too warm you simply take it off. This combination is easy to vary according to circumstances and thus allows you to keep your body temperature constant.  
 

Wind Chill

When it is windy, it is actually colder than most people believe. The rate at which the body is cooled down does not only depend on the temperature of the air but also on the wind speed. For instance, if the temperature is 5 degrees Celsius and the wind is blowing at a speed of 10 m/s (meters per second) the actual temperature will seem to be the equivalent of 3 degrees below zero in calm weather. This principle is called the “wind chill factor” and it is illustrated in the table below.

 

The stronger the wind the more you will feel the cold. Squares coloured red indicate actual temperatures where unexposed skin will suffer from frost bite in few minutes.  In other words, you may suffer from frost bite at temperatures that are only just below zero Celsius if the wind is strong enough.

 

As water has a higher thermal conductivity than air you need to remember that you will be chilled even faster if you are wet. This is a good reason to study the three-layer principle mentioned above.  

 

Plenty of Room

With regards to photo clothing, one of the most important aspects is that you have plenty of room for equipment. You will need clothing with plenty of pockets with room for different types of accessories, such as, binoculars, a spare memory card, a GPS, maps, a compass, a flash unit, batteries, cables, a knife, gloves, and possibly lenses.  Wearing pants with two large side pockets can be a very good idea. In general, pants you use for photography must be durable, and it is a plus if they have reinforced knees. Photo vests with extra pockets can be useful if you need to carry a lot of equipment.

 

Wearing pants with large pockets can be very practical. Photo by David Bennett
 
The number of pockets and the space needed naturally depends on the individual needs of the photographer. Some photographers get by without any pockets at all, while others need an amazing amount of room for their gear.

Don’t Forget Your Head
Unfortunately, many people give so much thought to covering their body that they forget to wear sensible headwear. Some scientists believe that the heat loss from the human head is bigger than the heat loss from the rest of the body combined, other scientist refute this. Regardless of the truth of this theory, you will soon be very cold if you venture outside in the cold without efficient headwear. Woollen caps are very good, but artificial materials such as polyester will also do quite well. When temperatures are really low wearing an elephant hood will protect your head, face, and neck.
  

For our coldest assignments we have to resort to extreme measures in order to stay warm. Elephant hoods can be very useful when temperatures are lower than ten degrees below zero Celsius, even more so, if a strong wind is blowing.
 
Shh – Be Quiet!

Wind and waterproof clothing with a GoreTex breathable membrane is very popular.  It is, however, not always the beast clothing for a photographer, this is particularly true if you are doing animal photography. The problem is that modern wear has a tendency to produce a “plastic kind a sound” when you move. It can actually make quite a lot of noise when you walk and your legs rub against each other. This is a very unnatural sound and it may frighten away subjects at quite a distance and long before you have even spotted them.
      You can buy specially designed outdoor wear that is produced in order to create a minimum of sound when you move around. Hunters know all about the advantages of wearing this type of clothing. If you want to know more about this type of outdoor wear you should visit your local sports or fishing store.
 

 

Hunters have perfected the art of moving soundlessly, we can learn a lot from them.
 

Camouflage Hides the Photographer
If you are planning to shoot animal photos you will often need to give some extra thought to what you are wearing. There are many different types of camouflage wear on the market, you will be able to see for yourself if you visit a well-assorted hunting and fishing store. Wearing camo wear will make sneaking up on animals much easier. Even so, you need to remember that your clothing must be specially designed for the environment you are shooting in and the time of year you are shooting, you should also remember that you are not invisible just because you have spent quite a lot of money on your clothing. You will still have to move very slowly, take care not to make any sudden movements, or perhaps lie absolutely still. You also need to give some thought to the direction of the wind as many animals have a very acute sense of smell. 

 

Camouflage wear can be highly effective, even so, remember it will not make you or your camera invisible. You still need to move very carefully.

Many mammals are actually colour blind, their vision is optimised for seeing in little available light where discerning movement is more important than seeing in colour.  Consequently, all kinds of clothes of subdued colours will, in theory, be useful for sneaking up on mammals. Take care to avoid extreme colours such as black and white as well as clothing with colours that contrast.
 
Be Good to Your Feet
If your feet are cold or you have a large painful blister, you will soon lose your motivation, and you will not be able to bag any good photos.
 This is one good reason for giving some thought to your footwear when you take photos in the open. Hiking boots with a quality sole, such as, for instance, one manufactured by Vibram is a very good all-purpose solution. Hiking boots need to be waterproof, to breathe well, and, of course, to fit well. Pay a visit to your local outdoor store where employees are often purebred experts in the field. Tell them what you need and let the staff show you the different options.
      If the terrain is very wet you will not be able to get around putting on the good old wellingtons. Rubber boots are also available in many different qualities. If it is really warm you should consider wearing sandals, because sweaty feet in hiking boots are not good for your motivation.

 

 

Your footwear should suit the task at hand and the environment you are going to shoot in.

 

It Is the Hands That Do All the Work

It is your hands that handle the camera, for this reason you should treat them like royalty.

The colder your hands become, the more difficult handling the camera will be.  In summer, and when it is warm outside there is no problem, it is when temperatures drop that you really need to be careful.

        There are several products on the market that can solve this problem. The easiest solution is the five finger glove which leaves your fingertips exposed.  You can make a pair of these gloves yourself simply by cutting off the ends of the fingers of a pair of ordinary gloves. This solution is, however, not the warmest solution. When the cold really bites, or if you plan to stay outdoors for a long period of time, buying a pair of mittens is a better idea. You will, of course, not be able to handle your camera wearing mittens, for this reason you should also wear a pair of very thin gloves.  When you remove your mittens the thin glove will prevent your skin from touching the camera directly.  This is very important as the metal or plastic of the camera can be very cold.    

 

The lower the temperatures and the higher the speed the better gloves you will need.

An off piste skiing competition at a high elevation near Mont Blanc, France.
 

You may want to read more about transporting your equipment or you may want to read about the best ways of protecting your equipment when you are out in the open in unstable weather. If you are looking for knowledge about the methods of photography or about how we take our own photos, we warmly recommend you to check out our free online school of photography.

 

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