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Hot and Sticky is not Always Sexy…Humidity and DSLR Photography

Being that I’m currently a mere 10.5 degrees north of the equator, this seems to be the proper time to discuss how humidity can be a major pain when shooting in tropical regions if you don’t recognize the issue and plan ahead. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose run out from a nicely air conditioned room with my camera in hand to get a quick shot, and all I came back with was a hazy, blurry mess or a missed opportunity…

Considering that before residing in the arid city of Los Angeles, I was a long-time resident of the muggy and sticky Miami, Florida, and though when shooting in wonderfully dry southern California, humidity is an afterthought, my current trip to Trinidad has renewed my bad memories of shooting in humidity before I learned from my mistakes. To be perfectly clear, I must say humidity in and of itself, is not the biggest problem. The problem lies with the extreme temperature changes that are frequently experienced when moving from the comfort of an air conditioned building or vehicle to the disgustingly sticky outdoor environment of a place like Trinidad or Miami.

Please keep in mind I bring you this information out of experiences….well…mistakes I’ve made and not as an expert in shooting in humid environments. That said, I present you 5 tips to avoid the humidity monster:

1. Plan ahead for severe temperature and humidity changes

Keep your gear as close to the temperature you will be shooting the night before. If thats not possible, allow at least twenty minutes to an hour for your gear to come up to temperature before shooting. Though an hour might seem a bit much to some, keep in mind that the internal parts of the camera are sealed……..If you neglect this step, you will find your lens completely unusable for a decent period of time, with fogged internal and external glass elements.

2. Never, EVER try to clean your sensor if your camera has not fully adjusted to temperature

Duh! I know this is a no-brainer for most, but I made the mistake in my early days of DSLR, so it’s worth sharing for all the other newbies out there. I bring this out of learning from a big mistake I made during a trip to Tobago last year. Not only did i remove the lens, I tried to use a blower to remove some dust from the sensor. OOPS! I thought the camera was up to temperature, because the front of the lens was no longer fogging up, (this was prior to me learning to follow #1) but being that the internal parts of the camera had been sealed with the lens, they were still significantly cooler. When i switched the camera to sensor cleaning mode, the sensor and everything inside the locked-up mirror were quickly coated with a layer of condensation. This is BAD. I not only let moisture into the most critical area of my camera, which electronics and sensors tend not to like, I was out of commission until I could equalize the temperature and get the moisture to dry. Luckily, I was able to get into some air conditioning and let the camera sit for a while. Afterwards, the condensation left some streaks on the sensor plate, so I then had to take the time to swab the sensor. All in all, i was on hold for over an hour.

3. Be more careful than normal when switching lenses

Although I am extremely careful to avoid dust entering the camera any time i swap lenses, in humid environments I’m pretty obsessive about it. Why? Because in humid environments dust and debris tends to be sticky, meaning if debris get inside the camera body and makes its way to the sensor, a hand blower or brush likely will not remove it all. This means you’ll have to swab your sensor, a more intrusive cleaning method than most people are comfortable with. Another issue with swabbing when traveling, is that the highly flammable, ethanol-based cleaning solution you must use is a big no-no on planes, therefore you either have to buy it on location, which can be a pain, or do without.

4. Keep your kit cool and dry when not in use

In humid environments,especially if you live in one, this is key. Aside from the fact that electronics do not like moisture, long term moisture exposure to your lenses can lead to lens mold and fungus. Yuck. If this happens, you will have to have your lenses sent away to be professionally cleaned, and there is always a chance it can return. To avoid this store your camera and lenses in as dry an environment as possible and throw a couple of those silica gel packets or dry rice into your bags.

5. After shooting in humidity, let your gear “dry out”

After a trip to a tropical area, or a lengthy shoot in any humid environment, I try to let everything dry out. My method is simple. Prior to storing everything away in a closet or bag, i let the gear sit out in a cool, air conditioned environment to insure that any remaining moisture left over from the humidity has enough time to dry, usually just to be safe, I let it go for a day or two.

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Well I guess that’s about it, hopefully it has been useful and my past mistakes have been able to give some insight in what not to do in humid environments with expensive camera gear. If you have a humidity story to share, or any additional insight, let us know in the comments