5 ways to keep shooting outdoors this Christmas

There are many reasons to feel photographically discouraged over the Christmas period, from rainy weather and freezing temperatures to poor lighting conditions.

Nevertheless, this time of year also presents many opportunities you may not otherwise have, such as Christmas markets, snowy landscapes, lighting displays and various other festive events.

The good news is that, with a little prior preparation, you can ensure not only your kit is protected but also that you’re inspired enough to go out and try something different – here are five tips that will help keep you motivated over the winter months.

1. Get the right kit for the job
Cold, wet weather and expensive photographic kit are hardly a perfect match, but you may be surprised to learn just how many products there are designed to be used in testing conditions.

The hardiest and most obvious options are waterproof compact cameras, which will easily withstand wet weather and freezing conditions, but if you fancy something more advanced and with the benefit of interchangeable lenses, there’s Nikon’s waterproof and freezeproof AW1 Compact System Camera, together with a range of weatherproof DSLRs and CSCs.

Weatherproof cameras may not survive being submerged in water but can still easily deal with a light rain shower.

Many manufacturers now carry at least one model in the lines with this degree of protection, although you should also make sure to use a weather-resistant lens alongside to ensure you’re fully protected.

Don’t worry if you don’t own such a camera as you can buy rain covers quite cheaply to keep rain away from your existing kit gear, and you may also want to carry a lint-free absorbent cloth to deal with any droplets from LCD screens and viewfinders.

There are also batteries and memory cards that are designed for use in freezing conditions, and cases for the latter to keep them dry, but before you buy anything it’s worth checking the capabilities of your current kit.

Obviously it’s worth checking whether your camera’s manufacturer makes any claims as to your model’s suitability in harsh conditions, while some high-quality memory cards are already protected for use in harsher conditions.

Likewise, many camera bags also come with rain covers integrated into a flap or pocket at their base, and while you can buy filters with water-repellant coatings to protect your lens, some lenses already have these kinds of coatings applied to their front element.

SEE MORE: 10 essential accessories for your new camera

2. Protect your gear… but don’t forget about yourself
It sounds obvious but the warmer and drier you keep yourself, the more willing you’ll be to keep shooting in adverse weather.

For this, consider planning before you head out the door by checking the weather forecast and packing a scarf and hat if you imagine you’ll be outdoors particularly late or for extended periods of time.

Also consider a fleece-lined waterproof jacket and some kind of water-resistant trousers, and to make life easier when shooting, seek out gloves with either missing fingertips or those that can fold back so that you can access your camera’s physical controls.

SEE MORE: Camera cleaning: 5 ways to healthcheck your camera with confidence

3. Embrace the conditions you’re fighting
If the conditions outdoors are awful, why not make them work to your advantage? Making them the focus of your images will help you capture something different from what you’re used to – and here, you’re only limited by your imagination.

You could capture icicles dangling from the rooftops or droplet-covered spiderwebs, or even condensation on windows, mirrors or other surfaces, which can be used for creatively in portraiture.

You could use a fast shutter speed to capture splashes of water or rain as it hits puddles, or a slow exposure to blur this kind of movement for silky-smooth results.

Water droplets can also add another element to close-up shots of flower heads and other subjects you may have in your garden.

You don’t just need to focus on details either – just think, for example, about how much more dramatic a landscape can becomes when it incorporates masses of menacingly dark clouds.

Overcast conditions may not give colours a chance to shine as much as they would when it’s sunny, so consider switching to black and white or sepia options instead.

This is particularly good in stronger overcast conditions, perhaps earlier in the morning, as there is likely to be more contrast in your shots for more dramatic results.

Likewise, the reflections from wet surfaces create more contrast in the scene, so black and white treatments here can be particularly effective once it starts to rain.

SEE MORE: 21 pro tips for taking landscapes in bad weather

4. Grab a tripod and capture long exposures
If you’re not too inspired by darker, gloomy days, consider waiting until the evening for some long-exposure fun.

Given how quickly it can get dark over the winter months you should plan to be ready before the conditions are ripe for shooting, with your camera set up on a sturdy tripod and either a remote release of some kind or knowledge of your self-timer settings to release the shutter without physical contact at the time of exposure.

If you’re shooting in particularly dark conditions away from busy areas, think about whether a torch would be useful to help you to see non-illuminated parts of your camera or inside your kit bag, or perhaps see if you can turn on your phone’s flash to shine continuously to achieve the same thing.

If you camera offers a top-plate LCD it’s likely to also provide a small light that can be used to illuminate this when it’s dark, so use this if you feel it might help.

If your camera isn’t protected in any way, you may find a small umbrella that you can toss into your kit bag will help, should you find yourself caught in a shower while your camera is set up on a tripod.

SEE MORE
Long exposure photography: how to set up your camera for perfect exposures

5. Flash is your friend
Just because there may not be much light around doesn’t mean that you can’t add some yourself. A hotshoe-mounted flashgun, or even the small flash inside your camera, can add some much needed illumination to a darker scene.

At this time of year flash is particularly useful for helping you capture people shots against darker areas, whether it’s outdoor scenes studded with Christmas lights or indoors against the Christmas tree.

The key here is to get a slow enough shutter speed to make sure the background is correctly exposed while filling in the foreground with the appropriate amount of flash for the subject.

Bright and colourful lights typical of this time of year also make it a good time to experiment with slow sync flash.

This flash mode, which is available on even cheaper compact cameras, lets you capture a subject sharply while blurring the background through intentional movement, and this can look great when there are lots of different lights and colours in the scene.

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