In the Grip of Early Winter, part 1

I read somewhere that it takes mere minutes to get frostbite on exposed flesh when the temperature is 0 deg C (32 F). The temperature was - 6 C (21.2 F) in the morning after the snow storm from the previous night. It had fallen non-stop and didn't abate until about 9 AM or so. I'm not a snow bunny by any means, but looking out the window at that winter wonderland, I knew I had to go out and capture some of that magic.

We usually don't get much snow in Vancouver, and the early arrival of this 'snowmaggedon' has taken everyone by surprise. They're blaming it on an arctic outflow, which is a slightly less dramatic term than 'atmospheric rivers,' but that's another storm.

Some readers may come from tropical latitudes, where there is no snow, and the temperatures remain warm throughout the year. So, they might not know what's involved in stepping out onto a bitter cold and slippery environment. The key thing is to stay warm from head to toe, and the second thing is to stay on your feet and avoid broken bones. A good pair of boots with nice thick lining does wonders for one's feet, along with thick warm socks. I have neither because our winters tend to be mild, so I contented myself with my city slicker spring boots that are stylish but questionable in cold weather. While the soles of the boots look grippy, in reality they're as slippery as a fish. I had also forgotten to waterproof them, so I wasn't really ready for this blast of early winter.

I do have a nice thick winter coat that is very cozy and fuzzy inside. In addition, I recently acquired a heated vest that uses a battery and electric wiring that runs through various sections of the spiffy vest. So, I was eager to try those too. But perhaps my most important piece of accoutrement is my long underwear that keeps me and my boys toasty and warm.

Gloves are absolutely important if you value your fingers. I had a bit of a conundrum. Proper winter gloves are thick and make it difficult to manipulate gadgets like phones or cameras. I own a small pair of tight-fitting gloves that I used for snowboarding awhile back. The cloth is thin and doesn't protect me completely from the elements but they do give me freedom to control the dials and buttons of the camera more easily. I also own some cool leather gloves for spring/fall seasons. They're sturdier but bigger, so I brought that second pair along.

My initial idea was to compare snow photographs taken with the Pixel 7 vs the Olympus Tough camera. Once outside, I quickly found out that it would not be possible in light of the cold weather, and the icy conditions on the ground. The last thing I needed was a broken or damaged phone. Thankfully, the Olympus TG-6 is a tough little tank that can withstand punishment and works in temperatures as low -10 C (14 F).

Within 15 minutes of being outside, the tip of my fingers grew numb and burned as if someone was pressing them on a block of ice. I put on my second pair of gloves and was pleasantly surprised at how they filled up nicely with the thinner ones, allowing me to more easily manipulate the camera and keep my fingers warm.

I began to feel pressure on my head from the cold, and the skin on my face was basically freezing. Making facial gestures was uncomfortable as if my skin was brittle and dry.

I decided to turn on my heated vest. Reaching under my coat, I pressed the button on the vest's breast that turned on the heating mechanism. The symbol glowed red and pulsated as it heated. Within a couple of minutes, I began to feel the warmth from the heating elements that had been strategically sewn onto the back, shoulders, neck, and front pockets of the vest. What a relief! The warmth radiated throughout my upper body and brought a bounce to my step as I crisscrossed the streets pointing my camera at all the snowy sculptures generated by the arctic flow. What a fantastic invention this vest. It felt like I was carrying my own tropical beach around my torso. The only downside to the set up is the added weight of the heating mechanism and that of the battery (which can last 3+ hours, depending on use).

I used the Beach & Snow mode for all the shots because fiddling with buttons and dials in cold weather is only advisable if you don't mind losing a finger or two.

Images by @litguru

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