Nov 25 2007
Stupid Trick: Photographer’s Frostbite Prevention Kit
Living in Colorado affords me plenty of opportunities to photograph winter landscapes. The problem with winter landscapes in the mountains, though, is that the temperature can get beyond just cold. Frigid temperatures are a particular problem for me because I lug around an aluminum tripod that practically freezes skin on contact. Here’s an awesome solution I put to the test a few days ago on hike through Red Rocks park. It cost me four bucks.
This is a two-part trick. The first part involves six feet of copper pipe insulation that you can get at Home Depot for less than $2. Simply measure the legs of your tripod, cut pieces of the insulation to the appropriate length and wrap the pieces of insulation around the legs . The insulation comes in different diameters for different size pipes. My tripod legs are one inch in diameter, so the one-inch pipe insulation worked for me. I recommend the kind that is pre-split and has adhesive to connect the sides after you wrap the insulation around the tripod legs. The adhesive will stick a little bit to the aluminum and prevent the insulation for sliding around. Nevertheless, you could save a buck by buying pipe insulation that is not split and then just split it yourself. You’ll just need to use duct tape to keep the insulation from sliding around.
As an added bonus, the pipe insulation is perfect padding for when you want to carry your tripod over your shoulder on hikes. It weighs next to nothing so I plan on keeping it on my tripod permanently.
The second part of this two-part trick is a no-brainer: gloves. I’m a big fan of the $2 pair of cotton gloves that you find in the clearance bins at Walgreen’s every spring. The trick is to find thin gloves that provide enough dexterity to operate your camera in really cold weather. I wear them under my regular winter gloves on really cold days and just take off the winter gloves when I operate my camera. The added bonus of the gloves is that they make good padding for gear in the camera bag when you’re not wearing them on your hands.