How To Take Pictures In Extreme Conditions

Modern technology has made the world a much smaller place. The average person with the right motivation can travel seemingly anywhere in the world. Not only has technology made the most faraway and exotic places more accessible, its made documenting our traveling experiences and sharing them with the world possible almost instantaneously.

While it doesn’t take any special precautions for a traveler in France to take a picture of the Eifel Tower and upload it to their social media platforms, travelers to locales with more inclement weather may want to familiarize themselves with strategies to ensure their camera or smartphone not only isn’t damaged by the elements, but is able to take the highest quality photos and video possible.

Cold Weather

Perhaps the most important thing to be aware of as it relates to using your camera or smartphone in cold weather is the potential for condensation to accumulate. Condensation forms on your camera when you move it from cold weather conditions into a heated house or car. This condensation poses several problems. If it forms, you will need to open the compartments of the camera, take everything out and keep them open until everything is dried out. If it is your smartphone, you’ll simply need to make sure it dries out. If you attempt to bring your camera or phone back outside in freezing conditions, the condensation that may still be present on the equipment may freeze and damage or completely break the device.

One solution to this problem involves a simple plastic bag. Before transporting camera or phone from one temperature to another, place it in a plastic bag. This ensures that any condensation will form on the bag and not on your equipment.

Extreme Heat

Extreme cases of heat will impact the functioning of your phone or camera. High temperatures damage the internal components of the device which can cause data loss and can even in extreme cases cause batteries to explode. Most modern digital cameras and smartphones have a warning screen—that you may have seen if you’ve ever left your phone in a hot car—well before this happens to let you know to move your equipment to a cooler location.

If you’re a professional or amateur photographer, though, moving your equipment to a cooler location may risk losing the perfect shot or perfect footage. For these folks, several companies have begun to offer thermally-protective cases, some specifically for smartphones, that protect it from extreme heat. Some cases even provide dual protection against both extreme heat and extreme cold.

Water

Waterproof smartphone cases are certainly considered an important innovation by anyone who has ever had to cover their phone in rice. Waterproof cameras are also a necessity for any trip that may involve a pool or water activity.

But more extreme image-capturing capabilities are offered to travelers interested in the possibility of taking pictures and video underwater. Of course, professional photographers working for travel and nature magazines have been able to capture underwater photographs for years; but these days, many recreational photographers—and even those same professional photographers—are taking advantage of cases that allow users to capture underwater images with their smartphones. These cases, called underwater smartphone housings, fit around smartphones and allow travelers, photographers, divers and water sports enthusiasts to utilize all the advanced functionality of their smartphone cameras at water depths down to a hundred meters.

It seems to be only a matter of time before we’re scrolling through pictures of our friends’ freeze dried feasts as they vacation in orbit!