Shooting in the snow.

[Aschu]

My first winter coming up with the DVX. Any tips on shooting with snowing conditions? I shot today while it was snowing, but it didn't last to long because the snow was soaking my equiptment. I don't have a rain cover for the dvx, but is it correct to assume that those are used for snow as well? Any recommendations on what to get in the rain cover/snow cover area?

 

[Tim Joy]

If it's really snowing hard, you might need a rain cover, but light snow should be fine. You can use a clear trash bag instead of a fancy rain cover, does the job just as well.

If it's really cold and you'll be out for a long time, you might need a 'jacket' for the cam to keep it warm.
And when you bring it back inside it will tend to fog up, so best to let it warm up slowly, or leave it in a *colder* room if you'll go right back out. The batteries won't last as long when they're cold too, so be prepared.

The main thing about shooting in snow is the blinding contrast when it's sunny. Start with a polarizer and use a white board or some sort of reflector to bounce some fill light onto your actors, using the sun as a backlight is most common.
Have your zebra function on and make SURE the snow or any highlights don't over expose, because once they do, you'll never get that detail back.

Relating to contrast, a sunshade for the lcd is your friend, because you'll tend to expose too high without one. The LCD in bright light exaggerates the contrast and will make things look darker than they are. I saw someone once who made a DIY sunshade from one of those neoprene beer can coolers that looked pretty good. Might have even been on this site...