The snow in Washington DC yesterday was great! DC is so beautiful after a fresh coat of makeup. This post continues the theme of Christmas in Washington and features the U.S capitol, and the snow certainly adds to the Christmas atmosphere.
I must have walked 10 miles in the snow (against the wind, up hill, and with no shoes) and learned a little about shooting while it is snowing. While I have photographed regularly in the cold, a blowing wet snow is a completely different thing. In addition to my normal cold weather precautions (battery care, slow transition of camera/lens temp, etc.) I found a couple of things handy yesterday. First, the rocket blower to keep snow off the lens was indispensible. I also took a micro fiber cloth to keep the camera relatively dry. Finally, practical things like pointing the camera toward the ground when not shooting and keeping the lens cover on while moving from locations were helpful in keeping the camera ready to go.
The one precaution I failed to takes was use of a camera bag. I normally don’t like the hassle of taking the camera in and out of the bag. I much prefer hanging the camera on a Black Rapid strap which is very comfortable and keeps the camera at the ready. However, in snowy conditions, the viewfinder and the LCD screen were all but useless. A little snow, a little water, and some ice crystals conspired to leaving me with little more than the ability to see that the shot was framed somewhat correctly.
Due to the small size of the photos, you probably can’t see much of the falling snow, but trust me, it was falling pretty rapidly. I was wearing a long wool coat and it did not take long for me to transform into some resemblance of Frosty the Snowman.
I will be continuing the theme of Christmas in Washington DC. So visit again soon.
Have fun, and go make some great photography.
Craig
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