Cold Weather?

It'll be OK I'll find a place to park as close as I can leave the heater and engine running, poke the camera outside with a longer lens, and run off a few snaps. The gear won't get wet and I'll be warm and comfortable. A flask of coffee and a few biscuits and I'll be fine.

I avoid booking location shoots etc. at this time of year because many models seem to be averse to bad weather. If I did book a shoot and the weather turned bad I would offer the option to cancel or reschedule, but wouldn't cancel if they were happy to proceed.

If I could be reasonably certain something interesting to shoot outside, such as snow, then I'd try booking something in near my farm based shoot space so that if the worst happens there's a backup plan - not that the shed gets much warmer than outside even with a load of heating running, but is reasonably dry and has a coffee machine.

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Edited by Orson Carter

I hate the cold so outdoor shoots in the cold are just never that fun! As a photographer as well, I tend to make shoots very short if outdoors when I know it's gonna be super cold.

I'm surprised people have cancelled shoots recently though, as it's been quite mild.

Hi Mercia

It is not so much the 'chillier' weather perhaps, as a much greater risk of a combination of poor light, much shorter days, and rain. All these impact whether it is a clothed or nude shoot. The best thing at this time of year (and early spring around March) is to have a loose arrangement about the actual date where that is possible so one can grab the opportunity at short notice when the weather works for the shoot in mind. This is much more difficult with most models and photographers.

The point about some models not liking getting cold and wet should not be dismissed of course, or photographers getting nervous about their equipment.

Alan

Edited by Wavepower

indemnity said

It'll be OK I'll find a place to park as close as I can leave the heater and engine running, poke the camera outside with a longer lens, and run off a few snaps. The gear won't get wet and I'll be warm and comfortable. A flask of coffee and a few biscuits and I'll be fine.

Makes sense. And if you need a wider angle for a picture you can just reverse the car a little. 

I tend to avoid shoots around Xmas, often as it’s tradition that I get some kind of horrendous cough as soon as I’ve booked a nov-jan shoot. I also find that whilst I don’t always feel the cold, the poor models freezing to death, as I shoot larger format films the model needs to hold still a lot longer. 

Rains the biggest issue, I now try to look for models that can be flexible up to the last day. Covid didnnt stop my photography for years, 3 £200+ ish shoots in a row being a complete washout in 2019 did. It doesn’t work for all models but I guess a model that can be flexible I’ll be booking them, ones that aren’t I won’t be, so that’s an advantage to them.  I basically packed it in after that rain and I’m now restarting again very, very cautious of rain. I hate studios which is inconvenient. I don’t think everybody knows just what’s a huge financial hit you can take with some unexpectedly rained off shoots.

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Very few models would model in that weather and it can affect both model and photographer. They could be cancelling in anticipation that the model would or most likely its just the risk to their equipment.

Getting old and having a wide mix of ailments including Arthritis doesn't go well with cold weather and I recently posted as such on FB saying my shooting from Nov would be indoors for the foreseeable. However it's still quite mild I would say, but the weather can turn so quickly these days...

I tend to run hot so cold weather doesn't really bother me.. I also tend to shoot clothed images and plan outfits with my model that suit the weather so chilly days aren't really a deal breaker for me as long as my model is also happy to do it.

In 2023 all my planned outdoor shoots were postponed at the models' choice due to adverse weather conditions. And that was late spring/summer.

If photographers are precious about their shoots then it wouldn't surprise me if they avoid outdoor shoots altogether outside summer, simply because they fear losing a shoot opportunity. Personally though, if I could find a model that was game for a 'nude in a stormy landscape' shoot, I'd be up for it. She could always postpone if the weather is anything short of awful.

Edited by FiL

Huw this I love. Great outcome!

indemnity a flask of coffee on hand certainly sounds sensible. Those heat packs you tear open and that begin to get warm once they're exposed to oxygen have become a staple of my winter shoot kits over the years!

I've shot on location all year round in all sorts of weather.  Rain can produce rather nice reflections:

Some models don't like to be cold and wet, some don't mind. The key, as ever, is communication between photographer and model.