No such thing as the wrong weather........
12th October 2011
.....only the wrong clothes.
I don't know who first coined that expression but it is so true, and for the hockey photographer it is a very important subject. If you've seen my images from Mulheim you will have seen that the weather was really foul. What is not so apparent was the temperature drop that took place over the course of a couple of days. It was not far below 20c in Southern England when I set out, but it had fallen to 4c when I reached the Ruhr Valley.
I've written something here before about protecting your camera, but what about protecting yourself? People apply various tests to spot the difference between the professional and the amateur, but in my view fleeing the pitch at the first sign of rain is a sign that you are not very serious about what you are doing. And it is unecessary too. Have the right gear with you and you can shoot through a hailstorm.
There are two things you should try to get hold of. One is a pair lightweight waterproof overtrousers that you can slip into your camera bag. It is possible to buy some that will fold up really small, but they tend to be slightly more expensive, although worth it. Secondly, get yourself a lightweight rain jacket - again, one that can be folded up. These will see you through most of the year and the jacket will keep the cold off your arms if the weather is unseasonally cold in the Spring, Summer, or Autumn. Make sure both of these items are available whilst you are out on the pitch. Quite obviously, don't put them back in your camera bag wet!! If you have an outside pocket to your camera bag, that's great, but make sure any dampness cannot soak through into the camera compartments.
Always take some sort of headgear with you. It will keep the sun off your head, and there is nothing more miserable than getting rain falling on an uncovered head.
The above is what I consider is the basic stuff, but a lot of hockey is shot during some of the coldest weather of the year, so lets look at some of the stuff to keep us warm. Fingerless gloves are a real boom. Camera bodies and monopods can get amazingly cold in February and it will transfer itself into your fingers. I recently acquired some golfing gloves, which appear great. They also have the facility to insert warm packs inside them, although I have not tried that yet.
One of my greatest finds on the clothing front was the discovery of showproof thermal trousers. These are a bit heavy to wear (and I wear braces with mine for addtional comfort) but they realy do keep your legs warm. Long socks can also help in very cold weather. Many shops don't seem to stock these anymore, but they are available on-line.
The standard advice that more thin layers are better than one thick layer seems very sound. In the coldest of weather I usually wear a vest, with a polo shirt and a thin fleece over the top. Over that goes a warm and waterproof coat. The interesting thing is that none of these items are that expensive. Although you can spend several hundred pounds on clothing, the coat that kept me warm and dry in Mulheim cost me £20.
I don't know who first coined that expression but it is so true, and for the hockey photographer it is a very important subject. If you've seen my images from Mulheim you will have seen that the weather was really foul. What is not so apparent was the temperature drop that took place over the course of a couple of days. It was not far below 20c in Southern England when I set out, but it had fallen to 4c when I reached the Ruhr Valley.
I've written something here before about protecting your camera, but what about protecting yourself? People apply various tests to spot the difference between the professional and the amateur, but in my view fleeing the pitch at the first sign of rain is a sign that you are not very serious about what you are doing. And it is unecessary too. Have the right gear with you and you can shoot through a hailstorm.
There are two things you should try to get hold of. One is a pair lightweight waterproof overtrousers that you can slip into your camera bag. It is possible to buy some that will fold up really small, but they tend to be slightly more expensive, although worth it. Secondly, get yourself a lightweight rain jacket - again, one that can be folded up. These will see you through most of the year and the jacket will keep the cold off your arms if the weather is unseasonally cold in the Spring, Summer, or Autumn. Make sure both of these items are available whilst you are out on the pitch. Quite obviously, don't put them back in your camera bag wet!! If you have an outside pocket to your camera bag, that's great, but make sure any dampness cannot soak through into the camera compartments.
Always take some sort of headgear with you. It will keep the sun off your head, and there is nothing more miserable than getting rain falling on an uncovered head.
The above is what I consider is the basic stuff, but a lot of hockey is shot during some of the coldest weather of the year, so lets look at some of the stuff to keep us warm. Fingerless gloves are a real boom. Camera bodies and monopods can get amazingly cold in February and it will transfer itself into your fingers. I recently acquired some golfing gloves, which appear great. They also have the facility to insert warm packs inside them, although I have not tried that yet.
One of my greatest finds on the clothing front was the discovery of showproof thermal trousers. These are a bit heavy to wear (and I wear braces with mine for addtional comfort) but they realy do keep your legs warm. Long socks can also help in very cold weather. Many shops don't seem to stock these anymore, but they are available on-line.
The standard advice that more thin layers are better than one thick layer seems very sound. In the coldest of weather I usually wear a vest, with a polo shirt and a thin fleece over the top. Over that goes a warm and waterproof coat. The interesting thing is that none of these items are that expensive. Although you can spend several hundred pounds on clothing, the coat that kept me warm and dry in Mulheim cost me £20.
