Winter photography has some serious advantages.  Beyond the visual spectacle of nature in winter, is the fact that there are just less people to get in the way.  Places that will be packed with humans during the summer months will be virtually deserted in winter.  The more uncomfortable the conditions, the more likely you are to have it all to yourself.  I’ve been on deserted beaches at sunset without even a boat to spoil the scene.  At moments like that, you swear that sunset must have been custom made just for you!

I live in New England, so that means its cold six months out of the year, and really, really cold for three of those, so good outerwear is a must.  Winter photography has some special demands.  You need to be able to move freely over perhaps difficult terrain while carrying heavy loads.  Maybe for long distances.  Then set up for a shot and wait, immobile, until the light is perfect.  So your clothing needs to protect you during physical activity and the totally opposite condition of remaining stationary.  Most importantly, it has to keep you dry.  Getting wet can literally kill you, and this includes perspiration from the aforementioned physical activity.

You’ve heard it a million times, and for a reason, but the key is layers, layers, layers.  And the RIGHT layers too.  Let’s get one thing straight, as comfortable as it is, cotton is a lousy layering material.  Remember all those times you had a sopping wet cotton t-shirt?  Or moved around a little bit in your street clothes and your t-shirt got damp and took hours to dry out?  Cotton absorbs moisture, but doesn’t breathe readily or dry out quickly.  Start with one of the high tech base layers like polypropylene, which are available from a number of outdoor suppliers.

The mid layer should be a jacket made of Polartec fleece.  It comes in different weights, designated 100, 200, and 300, with 300 being the thickest.  Fleece breathes well, dries quickly, and provides terrific warmth versus weight.  Since you got it in a jacket, you can adapt to the weather conditions by zipping up to your neck in the cold, or opening up if it gets warmer.  Polartec jackets also can be used by themselves under dry conditions and sometimes come with an outer layer or treatment to repel wind and/or water.  You can get them a lot of suppliers.  I personally like the Grid Fleece jacket from L.L. Bean, but L.L. Bean is not the company it once was.  The customer service is a shadow of what it was in years past, and my last ordering experience with them was very, very poor.  They had problems processing my order which I had to straighten out for them, then they shipped a full week later than originally promised without explanation.

Speaking of L.L. Bean, those “barn coats” they sell might be okay when dashing between the Volvo and the croissant shop, but not for the woods in winter.  For the outer shell, I like the very high tech Mountain Hardwear Exposure II parka.  It’s windproof, waterproof, and surprisingly warm even all by itself.  It’s as rugged as a Hummer, damned sharp looking, and has a lot of nice design elements.  I particularly like the front slash pockets with zipper and Velcro storm flaps that are large enough and slippery enough to get your hands into AND out of with gloves on.  And the front “Napolean” pocket, which is a great place to stash your wallet or travel documents.  The zippered opening is accessible between the overlapping front storm flaps, but OUTSIDE the parka’s main zipper.  So while it stays nice and dry, you can still access it without opening your parka and letting the cold in.  Nice!

It’s especially important that you keep your hands and feet warm.  I’ve got several pairs of gloves now, and I’m still looking for that perfect balance of protection and mobility so I can still work the camera.  I don’t have a recommendation there yet.  But for boots, I like Columbia Frost Burners.  There are comfortable, easy to walk in, and very good looking.  They will keep your feet warm to -25 degrees Fahrenheit, and have a nice grippy tread.  The only downside is that that same deeply lugged tread that  gives you such great traction does tend to pack up with snow.  You don’t notice it or have a problem with it in the soft stuff, but the minute you transition to hard surfaces, you have to knock them out.  When you’re ready to go indoors, plan on spending a minute or two kicking them clear or you’ll track stuff all over the place.

Don’t overlook a snug, insulating hat since most heat loss is out through the top of your head.  And think about the dreaded “ski pants”.  I think it’s funny how while we go to such great lengths to protect our torsos and would never consider going out shirtless in a denim jacket.  We do it all the time in jeans.  Get a wind blocking pair of pants that don’t look too dorky.  Trust me.

Keep in mind that a lot of this is what works for me and is still under constant development.  Don’t go outside without proper protection.  Think of it as more equipment that is every bit as important as your photo gear itself!