Photography and Filming in Antarctica

Image © Frederique Olivier

Keeping things warm

Keeping your equipment warm will provide more reliable operation and better photographic results.

In bitter cold, O-rings shrivel, lubricants in cameras and tripods seize up, LCD screens freeze and everything is brittle and fragile. Lenses that use composite materials, for instance, can have real trouble in extremely cold environments. Plastic, metal and glass all shrink at different rates when exposed to cold conditions.

Whenever possible, carry film, cameras, lenses, and other accessories under your clothing, where they will stay warm and be protected from the wind. Don’t have equipment out in the cold longer than necessary. Be careful not to breathe on your equipment, because your breath will form a layer of frost.

Avoid taking an unprotected camera from the cold, dry Antarctic conditions into a warm room. Condensation will form on both the outside and the inside of the camera and possibly inside the lens, causing problems, particularly for electronic equipment. The key is to minimise rapid changes in temperature, or allow your equipment to warm up gradually.

Before entering a warm room with a cold camera, place the camera and lenses in a plastic bag, squeeze the air out, and seal the bag tightly. Allow the equipment to warm up to room temperature (an hour or two) before removing it from the bag. The colder it is outside, the more important this routine becomes.

Camera equipment

If possible, use a manual camera with a built-in meter instead of an automatic camera. If you use a fully automatic camera, make sure it allows you to override automatic exposure and focusing systems so that you can operate it manually.

Cameras can be professionally “winterised”, an expensive process in which all lubricants are removed from the internal workings, but this is not recommended for short-term visits to arctic regions as it will render your equipment unusable in normal conditions. Older style tripods that operate without liquid lubricants will cope better in the cold conditions.

A wide-angle lens will help you to capture the enormity of the Antarctic landscape. Don’t forget the smaller details however – an ice crystal on a window can be just as spectacular as a huge iceberg so consider bringing along a macro lens.

It is strongly recommended that you take spare or back-up equipment in case your standard equipment doesn’t function as expected in the cold.

The extreme cold of the Antarctic environment can stress cameras, film, and other equipment. Antarctic conditions can also stress the photographer through the challenges and difficulties encountered when working in this unique environment.

Careful preparation will help you to deal with these difficulties.

Image © Chris Wilson

Batteries

Batteries need to be warm to function properly. They lose efficiency and deliver only a small portion of their power under cold conditions.

Bring extra batteries – many more than you think you may need – and keep your day’s supply warm, such as in a pocket close to your skin or with the use of small chemical hand-warmers in an insulated thermal bag.

Lithium batteries or rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries tend to work better and last longer than alkaline batteries in cold climates.

You may be able to use an external battery pack that connects to the camera battery housing by means of a long cable, allowing you to keep the pack warm in your pocket. Some people also attach a small chemical hand-warmer to the outside of the battery housing to keep the battery temperature within the operating range.

Practical considerations

Protecting your hands from the cold presents a special problem. Hand coverings must provide warmth and still allow you to manipulate the camera controls. One practical solution is to wear windproof liners or thin silk, polypropylene, or woollen gloves under heavily lined mittens. You can take off one or both mittens to manipulate your equipment, then your hands will become warm again quickly when you put the mittens back on. Attach mittens to your clothing with clips so that they won’t get lost.

Another handy item of apparel is a photographer’s vest. You can wear it under a parka, and its many pockets will provide safe and convenient spaces for film, batteries, filters, lenses, exposure meters, and other items that you can keep warm with body heat. If carrying equipment in a bag or backpack, a plastic or all-weather cover will protect gear from blowing snow.

When operating in sub-zero temperatures, your face may stick to any metal parts of your camera when you look through the viewfinder. A simple solution is to cover these parts of your camera with gaffer or electrical tape.

Due to the dryness of the Antarctic air, static electricity is an issue that will increase the amount of dust finding its way into your camera. Try to minimise the number of times that you change lenses and consider packing a good quality sensor cleaning kit.

Stock up on plenty of batteries, film, memory cards, and everything else before you leave. Once you are in Antarctica, there’s no chance of dropping into a shop or racing back to the office to pick up what you need!

Underwater filming can add to a story’s appeal but the paperwork and logistical support required is extensive and should only be undertaken if the underwater vision is vital to your story.

Imag

e ©

Chr

isto

phe

r R

Cla

rke

Filters and camera settings

Neutral density filters are useful if you are shooting or filming in the ice in very bright conditions. A UV warming filter will reduce the blue cast of diffused Antarctic sunlight, allowing whites to remain white and flesh tones to look accurate. Some people recommend polarisers which are useful for cutting glare off water.

You may find that most of the time you can shoot without filters, but consider that if it’s bright enough to wear sunglasses, perhaps your lens should as well!

Some photographers recommend that when shooting snow and ice, as a rule you should overexpose in order to show detail in the landscape. You will need to experiment with the exposure of your shots, depending on the ambient brightness, how much of the scene is snow and ice and how you intend to process your images.

If you shoot RAW files, it’s easy to adjust exposure levels as part of the file conversion process and you don’t lose image quality. Shooting JPEGs is more risky. RAW format is usually preferred for quality prints to be used for publication.

It’s also a good idea to regularly review your images or film to ensure you are happy with your results and the settings that you are using.

Expectations and flexibility

For a photographer or filmmaker used to working in Australian conditions, it may be difficult to accept that things can take four times longer to shoot in Antarctica than anywhere else. Packing of equipment and safety gear, getting to the location and waiting for good weather conditions all takes time. The weather dictates everything – you have to be flexible and be willing to adjust your plan to suit the conditions. It’s not possible to walk very far with camera gear plus all the safety gear that you need to carry. A survival pack weighs 20 kg and even if you keep your gear to a minimum, it may require multiple trips in a helicopter to get anywhere off-station.

Transport is always at a premium, so patience and flexibility is key. Creativity helps too! One film crew’s strategy was to stand by at the helicopter landing pad with all their gear ready to go. The pilots didn’t have time to wait around for passengers, so if they really wanted to get somewhere they had to be prepared to hang around and then be ready in a few seconds.

It’s important to understand that the scientists and people on station all have a job to do, and accommodating your needs will probably not be their priority. You need to respect this and learn to work around them. Patience, politeness and understanding are definitely good qualities to have, as well as persistence of course!

More information

This fact sheet provides more technical information:http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/c9/c9.jhtmlPlease feel free to contact the AAD multimedia unit if you require further information.

Acknowledgements

Christopher Clarke, AAD; Chris Wilson, AAD; Marie Davies, Network 10; Jill Brown, AAD; Jessica Fitzpatrick, AAD

Image © Chris Wilson

Some of the ways your images could be used?

> Media - local, national and international> Annual Parliament House Photographic Exhibition > AAD magazine and promotional publications> posters, banners and other interactive presentations> educational websites and schools

Why should you submit your images?

> What a fantastic way to share your experience and help educate colleagues and the community - through media, promotional material, exhibitions...

> It’s an important personal contribution to the historical collection of Antarctic imagery> Excellent exposure to some of the World’s major media publications, galleries and photo agencies> You’ll be in great company - check out ImageAntarctica ‘s SPOTLIGHT section to see other recent

contributors.

What about © Copyright?

> You retain © where requested > You will be credited at all times> Any commercial requests will be forwarded directly to you for negotiation.

For more information please contact Jessica Fitzpatrick (x3313) in the multimedia unit.

Image Antarctica is the AAD’s online image library. It holds over 200,000 hires digitised images, but we still need more.

We encourage expeditioners to please send us your best hi-res pics throughout the year to be added to the library and to also be used in some of the Division’s projects:

Image Antarctica can be found on the AAD intranet site under “Quick Links”

we need your pics...

Image © Christopher R Clarke