CITY ESCAPES
Nature Photography, LLC
Newsletter
July, 2013
Protecting Your Gear in Hot Weather
We are only in early July, yet temperatures are already soaring well above 90°F in much of the country, with more than a few locales topping 100°F. And it’s only going to get hotter. Assuming you are one of those intrepid souls who does not let this kind of heat keep you locked behind air-conditioned doors, how should you protect your camera gear? The rules are fairly straightforward: try to keep it cool, and don’t shock it.
There are various tricks to keeping your gear as cool as possible that don’t involve keeping it in an ice chest (a bad idea by the way, just in case you were wondering – see the next section). The first should come as no surprise given all of the warnings we hear every summer about how hot the insides of cars get: don’t keep your gear in a closed vehicle in the sun. I used to go to work in the mornings with an apple on my dashboard, only to have a beautifully baked apple waiting for me when I left at five o’clock. Imagine what that kind of heat could do to the sensitive electronics in your camera. It is literally like putting your camera in the oven, something we would never even consider doing. Above and beyond frying the electronics, the extreme heat can also cause the various seals to dry out and crack, necessitating another expensive visit to the repair shop.
The golden hours of dawn and dusk become especially appealing in hot weather, not just for their magical light, but also because they are among the coolest parts of the day. (Yet another reason to get up early and / or stay out late.) Try to avoid mid-day sun, the hottest part of the day. And when the temperatures are high, try to keep your gear in the shade. Trees, buildings, even cars or people can provide adequate shade, as can canopies fashioned from any number of nearby objects. If you must shoot in direct sunlight, cover your camera with a light-colored towel or shirt to minimize heat absorption. Additionally, minimize the amount of heat generated by the camera itself. This means limiting the amount of time you use the “live view” function in your digital SLR, and either limiting or altering your use of video recording. If possible, use an AC adaptor to eliminate heat generated by batteries, and use a separate monitor to decrease the heat created by the view screen. If your camera’s overheating-warning light comes on, always and immediately turn the camera off and allow it to cool down before continuing.
Not shocking your camera means not taking it from one temperature to a significantly different temperature quickly, especially if there is high humidity involved. In other words, don’t take your gear that has been in a 70°F house out into 100°F weather – or vice versa – without properly protecting it first. Ideally, your gear should be able to transition slowly from one temperature to the next over the course of 30-60 minutes. In the real world, however, that rarely has a chance to happen, so you need to protect your gear from the condensation that often accompanies drastic temperature changes. The easiest way to do this is by sealing your gear (body AND lenses) in a resealable plastic bag, with as much of the air compressed out of it as possible, before changing temperatures. This will allow the condensation to form on the outside of the bag rather than on – and more importantly, in – your gear. This prevents not only fogging and spots, but also rust, mold and mildew from forming on the internal components of the camera and lenses, potentially saving your gear from complete destruction. Once the condensation has evaporated, the gear can be safely removed from the bag.
A final note about condensation: “weather sealing” does not stop it from forming, and should not be counted upon to protect your gear.
Happy shooting, drink lots of water, and keep cool!
Thanks to All Who Came to See Us in Spokane and Blaine
Each time we go to a show, we meet new people and make new friends. Our two shows in June were no exception, and the people we were lucky enough to meet were wonderful. I love hearing all of the great stories that our visitors share with us when they see our images, from the truly funny to the sentimental to the downright odd. This time around we heard gut-busting stories of a very clever moose, learned that the national bird of Botswana is the lilac-breasted roller (featured in one of our favorite images, “Neighbors – Lilac-breasted Roller & Elephant”), and saw a gentleman grin broadly as he announced that he proposed to his wife under one of the waterfalls we featured. Memories of trips taken and dreams of trips not yet experienced were shared with us in abundance, and I loved it all. I love transporting people to another place through our images, and inspiring in them not just a passion for photography, but for travel and experiencing the world. Thanks to everyone who came to share a bit of their time with me; I hope to see you all again soon. I would like to give a special shout-out to Lily, a very engaging and delightful young lady in Spokane who made my weekend a little brighter. The world is waiting for you, Lily. Go get it.
July Specials
Get 10% off of unframed, 8x12 prints of “Beguiling Beauty” and / or 8x9 prints of “Late Afternoon Blues” when you order from our specials page. As with all of our unframed prints, these prints are eligible for our No Hassle Returns.
Fun Facts
July 2nd is World UFO Day, commemorating the discovery on July 2, 1947, of strange wreckage on the ranch of Mac Brazel near Roswell, New Mexico. A call to all of you talented photographers out there: get us some better photographs, please!
If you have any questions, or suggestions for future newsletters, please email us at: relationships@cityescapesphotography.com
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CITY ESCAPES Nature Photography, LLC
www.cityescapesphotography.com
774-277-9682
