The Problem: In recent times, I have both recorded podcasts and blogged about the ongoing difficulties of photographing in heavy snowfall with mirrorless cameras. Mirrorless cameras (regardless of brand) have a tendency to move between the falling snow and the subject, with an inability to lock onto the subject without distraction. This can be incredibly frustrating as the focus bounces between the subject and falling snowflakes, resulting in missed shots. As a polar photographer who frequently shoots in snowfall, I have been continually frustrated by this phenomenon and have witnessed it among other photographers using everything from Canon and Nikon to Sony mirrorless cameras.
The Technology: In Canon cameras, the EOS 1DX MK3 was the king at ignoring falling snow and staying on target. Mirrorless cameras such as the EOS R1 are a different beast, though, and use different AF technologies (phase detect) that are highly tuned by manufacturers to be as sensitive as possible. This results in better AF performance overall. But it also means the focus points are more likely to latch onto extraneous objects or subjects, such as falling snow.
The Customisation: I have tried tweaking the various autofocus settings in both the Canon EOS R1 and EOS R3 to ignore falling snow, with only mixed results. In the EOS R1, there are three AF adjustment options: Auto, Manual, and Special. Most of the time, I just leave the AF set to Auto, and it does a superb job. I have played extensively with the Manual setting in falling snow and tried all the different combinations for sensitivity and tracking, with nothing but mixed results and no combination that reliably ignores falling snow.
The Solution: During my recent Svalbard ship expedition, I had a bit of a light bulb aha! moment one evening when I was unable to sleep. Laying in bed and pondering the problem (my head is obviously a scary place to be) What about the Special setting? The Special setting is designed specifically for sports photographers shooting through Soccer nets behind the goal, and it had never occurred to me to even try this in falling snow. But the more I pondered it, the more I realised there are a lot of similarities, as both situations require the photographer to shoot ‘through’ something. The following morning, I jumped online and read up on the Special setting in the Canon Auto Focus Guide found HERE.
The Special Setting: There is some key wording above that reads: “This setting tends to focus on the background more than other options.” This made me super curious and eager to try how the Special setting performed when photographing wildlife in heavy snow. Fortuitously, a couple of days later, I got my chance and switched my EOS R1 to the Special setting with the RF 600mm f4L IS USM lens and an RF 1.4TC when photographing Walrus in heavy snowfall.
The Results: Fully expecting to encounter the exact same problem of the focus bouncing between the subject and falling snow, I was absolutely ecstatic when the EOS R1 locked onto the Walrus and remained locked on – completely ignoring the falling snow! Over the next ten minutes, I took over 300 photographs of the Walrus, losing focus only when the subject became obscured by ice. Using such a long combination of focal length of the 600mm F4 with the 1.4 TC (effective focal length 840mm) ensured that there was a lot of falling snow between the camera and subject making this an ideal test.
Further Testing Required: The above is an isolated example; further field testing is required to ensure ongoing, predictable, and repeatable results. However, the initial results from using the Special case setting in heavy snowfall are extremely encouraging and give me real hope that this may be the ideal solution for snowfall situations. Unfortunately, I am now headed back to Australia for three months and will not have an opportunity to shoot in the snow until later in the year. If you are shooting an EOS R1 and have a chance to test this yourself in snowfall, please let me know how you find the Special case performs. There may be a strong case for Canon to change the wording of this to “Case Special”. Characteristics suitable for shooting through Nets and Snow.
In April of 2026, I led a private 5-day winter snowmobile expedition to Svalbard for wildlife photography. The purpose of this expedition was to explore, on land, the landscape and wildlife within a day’s scooter drive of Longyearbyen. Svalbard is vast, and there is much to discover on land on a winter trip. Exploring by snowmobile on land meant we could stop wherever we wished to photograph wildlife as we found it. Using snowmobiles also means we can get much closer to wildlife than is usually possible on a ship. Staying in Longyearbyen also meant we had a warm base from which to operate, with hot showers and a choice of restaurants in the evenings.
At this time of year, the days are getting longer in Svalbard, with sunrise around 5:30am, sunset around 9:30pm, and last light around 10pm. This provides a huge amount of time for photography, but also means it is early starts and late finishes to catch the best light. During our five-day trip, we experienced temperatures ranging from -30º Celsius on the sea ice along the east coast to just a few degrees below 0º. Temperatures were generally unseasonably warm for this time of year, with most of our days being around -10º Celsius. Snowfall was also sparse compared with recent years, although the coverage was still good outside Longyearbyen. We also had starts as early as 5am departure and finishes as late as 10pm.
On day one of our expedition, we kitted ourselves out with snow scooters and snow suits, headed toward Svea for a valley (Reindalen) I know is home to a great many Reindeer. Reindalen is situated in Nordenskiöld Land on the main island of Spitsbergen and is roughly a 45-minute scooter ride in good conditions. This is a wide, flat, and open valley that offers excellent opportunities to photograph Reindeer in a clean, white snow environment.
On day two, we left Longyearbyen at 6am for the East Coast in the hopes of finding a polar bear on the sea ice. Although we did not find a bear on this day, we did have some wonderful opportunities with both Ptarmigan and Reindeer en route to Monbukta. This was our biggest day’s drive, covering over 298 kilometres in total and more than fourteen hours in the field. This whole east coast region of Svalbard contains some stunning scenery and is where much of my Ghosts of the Arctic film was shot.
On day three of our expedition, we took a slightly slower morning start and instead had a late afternoon and evening exploration of the Templefjorden area. This proved a boon, giving us our best Reindeer experience during the trip and one of the best I have ever had. With an abundance of fresh, clean snow on the mountains and lower valley in this area and more than a dozen reindeer, the opportunities were ongoing, and we spent several hours photographing them as they curiously approached us and retreated against the mountains.
On day four, we left Longyearbyen super early at 5am and headed for Monbukta on the East coast. On arrival at Monbukta, we headed south and encountered a large male polar bear in superb condition on the sea ice. Photographing a polar bear on the sea ice from a snowmobile is a very special and very different experience from shooting from a ship. On the ice, we are in their environment, with excellent opportunities to photograph the bears at eye level.
On day five, our last day, we departed Longyearbyen at 5am, at first light, and drove to the Russian settlement of Barentsburg. Barentsburg is approximately sixty-five kilometres from Longyearbyen and is a wonderful scenic drive along the coastline, past the abandoned Coles Bay settlement. This is a region I know is inhabited by many Arctic Fox, as well as Reindeer and Ptarmigan.
On the way, we had a superb encounter with Ptarmigan before taking breakfast in town. We then spent over an hour photographing Arctic fox on the town outskirts in superb conditions and soft light. With the town of Barentsburg close by, the foxes in this area are more accustomed to humans and easier to approach, making it an ideal location for fox photography.
Over the course of the five-day expedition, we covered more than 1,000 kilometres of driving, including two visits to Monbukta on the East coast, which provided a wonderful and varied portfolio of arctic wildlife photographs. Private workshops such as this, with my company, Wild Nature Photo Travel, are available by request. Please get in touch to discuss your needs, and we can tailor a trip to suit your requirements.
A few days ago, I received some absolutely wonderful feedback and a quite extensive review from a participant from a prior year’s Arctic Fox workshop in northern Iceland. They have told me they are more than happy for me to share their review here on my blog (thank you, Andrew).
Hi Josh, what can I say? The trip with you to the Arctic Fox surpassed all my expectations and then some. I didn’t tell you, but I did a lot of research before I chose to join your trip. It was not just your photographs (which are so much better than anyone else’s from this place, and now I understand why), but also the recommendations and word-of-mouth about your professionalism and approach.
For me, spending time in the field with you defined what the workshop experience should be.I have been on over twenty wildlife workshops around the world in the last ten years with nearly as many different workshop leaders, and what immediately sets you apart is your intimate understanding of the wildlife (in this case, the Arctic fox). I don’t mean just where to find them, but how they behave, how they move through the landscape, and how to position everyone to get the best possible photographs. Your professionalism in positioning and ensuring everyone gets the best images is unmatched. Most leaders care only about their own photographs. I watched you stand back many times after positioning everyone to ensure everyone maximised the moment. That is a testament to your professionalism.
From a technical standpoint, your guidance is exceptional. Whether it’s about exposure in the snow or making the most of conditions, you have a way of simplifying complex decisions in the field so that the camera gets out of the way. More importantly, you teach why, giving participants like me the confidence to adapt when conditions inevitably change.
But what truly elevated the experience was your fieldcraft. Every detail, from approach routes to time spent with a subject, was handled with a level of care that prioritises the welfare of the wildlife above all else. It’s a philosophy that not only leads to better images but also leaves all with a deeper appreciation for the environment we were working in.
I also noticed a quiet intensity to your own workflow. You don’t rush, you don’t force situations, and you don’t rely on luck. Instead, you create the conditions in which luck can occur. I can see that this comes through preparation, knowledge, and an extraordinary level of patience. Being around that mindset is as valuable as any photograph you come away with.
In a place as raw and unpredictable as Iceland, your kind of leadership makes all the difference. You didn’t just guide me to a location. You showed me how to truly see it. Thank you.For anyone serious about photographing Arctic fox in Iceland, it’s hard to imagine a better person to learn from.If anyone is on the fence about joining one of your trips, please have them contact me anytime. In the meantime, please sign me up for next year. I can’t wait to go back! Andrew from Australia
In March of 2026, I ran my annual Winter workshop to Kviar in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve in far northwestern Iceland to find and photograph Arctic foxes. This is a workshop I pioneered and have been running for more than ten years now. This year, our workshop was scheduled to run from the 7th of March until the 12th of March. However, the weather in early March this year in Iceland was erratic and wildly variable, and we ended up being delayed a day in Isafjord due to strong winds that made the boat crossing and landing at the beach at the cabin impossible. This one-day delay did not dampen our spirits, and early the following morning, we were safely on our way to our cabin in the Nature Reserve. As it turned out, the one-day delay would really pay off in terms of the conditions we would have for the duration of the trip.
With strong winds creating a large shore break that made landing at the cabin difficult, we decided to land a little down the coast at a small sheltered spit area, which necessitated a roughly 1km hike to our cabin. Thankfully, we were able to land our luggage at the cabin so it was only ourselves and camera gear that we had to carry. This is only the 2nd time in over a decade of travelling to this location that I have been unable to land directly at the cabin. The strong winds the day before had whipped the ocean waves up, and the breakers on the beach meant it was unsafe to land a zodiac with people. On arrival at the cabin, the foxes that live in the area were already curious and could be seen and photographed close to the house.
Our workshop accommodation was a cozy but rugged haven where we enjoyed a great atmosphere after a day out in the cold, photographing Arctic Foxes. The house was originally built in 1921. In 1948 (just 27 years later), the last inhabitants left this isolated arctic peninsula for a better life. The cabin was abandoned for many years and has recently been restored. Although no one lives here permanently, the cabin was a great getaway and the perfect place to accommodate us whilst we searched for and photographed wild Arctic Foxes. Curious Arctic Foxes frequently stopped past the cabin to investigate. We often photographed them from right outside the cabin.
Thank you to Jerry Weimar, who participated in this year’s trip, for the landscape photograph above. The cabin includes a bathroom, toilet, and hot shower. Bunk-bed accommodation with duvets provided, a full kitchen (chef to prepare meals and clean), and Hydronic and log-fire heating. There is power for laptop battery charging (generator provided) and an outdoor sauna.
Over the course of the workshop, we photographed four different blue-morph foxes, including three first-year cubs that I had photographed last year, a few days after they came out of the den (Read the Trip Report). This was one of the few opportunities I have had over the years to photograph multiple foxes together, and although the fight looks serious, it’s mostly play between siblings and no harm, no foul.
The weather on our second trip also continued its wild variation. We began with good snow cover on our first day, which melted during warm-front rain in the evening, only to be replaced the following day with non-stop snow that continued right up until our departure. This non-stop snow made for absolutely superb, albeit challenging conditions to photograph the Arctic Foxes.
Days three and four, we had continual, intensified snowfall and strong winds, making for incredibly dramatic photography. These are my absolute favourite conditions in which to photograph wildlife in this part of Iceland. The flying snow can make photography a little more difficult, but the results are absolutely worth the effort, and everyone made incredible photographs over the course of the trip.
On our scheduled day of departure, Iceland threw another of its winter weather curveballs at us, stranding us an extra day out at our cabin. This turned out to be a blessing, making up for our lost day at the beginning and providing us with more wonderful photographs in the dramatic winter snow conditions. Although it would have been possible to land at the beach on our scheduled departure day, the wind in the channel would have made the crossing impossible.
The Hornstrandir Nature reserve continues to serve up both an incredible experience and a continual opportunity to create powerful, evocative photographs of the Arctic fox. In my many years as a specialist polar photographer, I have yet to find or encounter a location that offers more reliable and better encounters in a winter setting.
We are returning again in February next year, 2027, to photograph these amazing Arctic survivors and will take a small group of just five photographers with us. To reach this unique location, you will first fly to Keflavik International Airport in Iceland, followed by an internal flight to Isafjordur, the official starting point of the workshop. From here, we will take a privately chartered boat to Hornstrandir. This trip also offers a unique perspective of the dramatic coastline, characterised by towering cliffs, deep fjords, and pristine natural beauty. If you would like to join us, please get in touch as places are extremely limited. Reserve your spot on this expedition and return with a portfolio of extraordinary images that few have had the privilege of capturing.
Introduction: There is no such thing as the perfect cold-weather boot for photography, as much depends on your needs and the prevailing temperature and conditions you are working in. Likewise, there is no perfect camera bag and no perfect cold-weather gloves. Such things simply do not exist, as different temperatures, shoots, and conditions (and personal tolerances) necessitate different boots, bags, and gloves for optimal performance and comfort. This article (the first of several – Gloves and Bags to come) includes the boots I have found that offer the best performance for a given temperature and condition range based on my experience shooting and working in cold weather climates over the last 25+ years. There are many more boots I have tried over the years that I have ultimately been dissatisfied with. The following represents the best I have tried in cold environments, where I photograph most of the time. You can also listen to Podcast 144, which has a deep dive on this topic.
Transparency: For the sake of transparency, you will not find affiliate links here. The internet is awash with websites that tell you, ‘we have reviewed X products, and these are the best‘. Such websites and reviews are nothing more than thinly veiled attempts to advertise products and make money through affiliate links. I have no interest in selling boots, bags, or gloves under the table to make extra money. What you will find here are my straightforward recommendations based on my experience – nothing more.
How We Experience Cold: It is important to note that we all experience cold differently. For me personally, my feet are the most important part of my body to keep warm. When I get cold feet, my entire body gets cold, and that’s a very uncomfortable experience. Your tolerance for the cold may very well be different to mine, and you should keep that in mind when making any buying decision. Another important point is that Nature photographers (I include landscape and wildlife in that genre) are typically not all that active in the field. We may hike to a location that requires some degree of activewear, but we often spend a long time waiting outdoors for wildlife or the right light. Thus, the choice of footwear is critical to our comfort level in the field. Many products from active-wear companies are simply inappropriate, in my experience, for cold-weather photography because they do not account for the significant time photographers spend inactive and just sitting or standing around in the field.
Battery Heaters: All of the boots below can, of course, be paired with battery-heated socks or insoles to extend their temperature range. Personally, I find battery-heated socks and insoles a real nuisance. The batteries rarely last a full day of fieldwork and require daily charging (I have tried a few different brands over the years). Battery-heated socks and insoles that are ‘app-controlled’ or ‘remote-controlled’ are even more of a nuisance in the field. Have you ever tried to get your phone out of your jacket in -25ºC during a blizzard, remove your gloves, open an app and to try to turn up your socks or insoles? Clearly, the designers of these products have not. Likewise, reviews that espouse the virtues of heated socks and insoles rarely actually review them in any sort of real-world situation where you are likely to actually want or need them. Wearing them around the house to review them like most YouTube reviews? A total joke. At this point, I feel I just don’t need or want anything else in my life that requires daily charging or requires me to open an app to make an adjustment. Chemical toe warmers are a far easier (and cheaper) option if you want to extend the temperature range of any of these boots. You can purchase either a full chemical sole warmer or just a toe warmer and they reliably last 8-10 hours provided they have not passed their used by date.
My Cold Weather Experience: Over the last 25+ years, I have tried nearly as many boots for cold-weather photography as I have gloves and camera bags. It has been a never-ending search for the right product that fits the genre of Polar photography I love so dearly. With more than 100 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic under my belt, these are my top four boots, based on my own experience with cold-weather photography.
Most hiking boots on the market today fall into this temperature category. It is therefore the most contested for ‘best boot’ and the category in which most people will buy boots. After years of trying different boots from many manufacturers, I have found that the Härkila ATAAMIK GTX boots are my go-to hiking boots for any sort of photography where temperatures may vary from +20º Celsius to 0º Celsius. I use them daily in Sweden when I am walking through the forest, and I have probably walked and hiked more than 500km in my current pair, and they are still going strong. They are dam near indestructible, extremely comfortable and pretty much waterproof. I have walked through ankle-deep water with them on many occasions, and my socks and feet have never gotten wet. They also offer excellent ankle support. My feet feel warm and protected inside these boots down to temperatures at or just below 0º Celsius. They have a super easy twist wire-lacing system, which means they are quick and easy to put on and take off. I have used these boots in Iceland, Mongolia, Sweden, Africa, Australia, Chile, Argentina and Finland and have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone looking for a warm hiking boot for photography.
When temperatures drop below 0º Celsius, the Irish Setter IceTrek are my boot of choice. These boots are incredibly warm and durable, offering outstanding ankle support and an uncanny ability to keep snow out when the going gets deep. They are a taller boot than the Härkilas that comes well up the leg, which helps keep out water and snow. I like to wear my base wool-layer pants with wool socks tucked into my boots, then my outer layers on top. Like the Härkilas, these boots use a wire-lace system, so they are extremely quick to take on and off. The boots are marketed and sold as waterproof and, in my experience to date, are exactly that. I have used these boots getting on and off zodiacs in Iceland in Winter and never got wet socks or feet. I have also used these boots in temperatures as low as -38 °C in Winter in western Mongolia while hiking for Snow Leopards. In these extreme temperatures, I did get cold toes when standing around for long periods, so I recommend these boots for temperatures down to -25º Celsius. These boots are built with 1600 grams of Primaloft insulation, so they are suitable for temperatures much colder than the Härkilas. At -25º Celsius, I have no hesitation in recommending these boots for standing around in a non-active state, and if you are active, you can take them into even colder temperatures. I find my feet don’t sweat much in these boots, but I still remove the insoles at the end of the day as a precaution to dry out any residual moisture from sweating. I have used these boots in Winter in Iceland, Mongolia, Sweden, Svalbard, Greenland and Finland and have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone looking for a warm boot suitable for photography in temperatures down to -25º Celsius (and below if you are active). I like them so much, I will often pair them with chemical toe warmers for use below -25º Celsius.
When temperatures really plummet, I reach for the Baffin Eiger boots. These boots are suitable for extreme cold, including temperatures below -25º Celsius, and I have personally used them in temperatures as low as -52º Celsius on Ellesmere Island in Winter. At temperatures above -25º Celsius, my feet just sweat in these boots to the point that I end up with wet socks, so I only reach for them when it gets really cold outside. I tend to sweat through my feet, so I always need to remove the inner liner at the end of every day and dry them thoroughly. Failure to do so always results in frozen toes the next day, as residual moisture freezes, ensuring a cold and uncomfortable experience. The Baffin Eiger boots are not waterproof (though the soles are) and are not suitable for getting on and off zodiacs. But then, in the sort of temperatures you are likely to be wearing these boots, you are unlikely to encounter running water. The marketing material on Baffin’s website says these boots are tested down to -60º C. Whilst I have never experienced a temperature this low, I can tell you that at -52º Celsius on Ellesmere Island in winter, I needed a chemical toe warmer inside these boots to keep my toes from getting cold. The Eigars are quick and easy to put on and take off thanks to the velcro straps, but they do not offer very good ankle support (especially compared to the Härkilas and Irish Setters). I have weak ankles and a tendency to roll them if I am not careful, so I always tread a little more cautiously in these boots than in the other two. They are also not as effective at keeping out snow in deep conditions as the Irish Setter IceTrek boots (despite the inbuilt snow gaiter), but they are warm. It can also be difficult to pull your outer-layer pants over the top of these boots because they are so wide at the opening. I have used these boots in Winter in Iceland, Mongolia, Greenland, Svalbard, Finland and Canada (Ellesmere Island in -52ºC) and have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone looking for a warm boot for photography in the most extreme cold weather.
If I know I am going to be working in extremely wet weather, walking through a lot of water, or getting on and off zodiacs frequently, then my boot of choice is the Arctic Sport Muck Boot. These boots are waterproof right up to the very top and are warm in temperatures down to about -10º Celsius. Muck Boots do not specify a temperature range for these boots, but in my experience, they are warm above -10ºC. I do tend to sweat in them quite significantly, so I have to be careful to dry them at the end of the day. These boots are not as easy to take on and off as the others, but what you lose in time spent doing so, you gain in waterproofing. They offer reasonable ankle support (better than the Baffins, but not as good as the Härkilas or Irish Setters). They can be a bit tight around the calves, and if you have larger lower legs you may want to opt for the ‘wide version’. These are an ideal boot for a summer expedition to Antarctica, where temperatures will hover around 0º Celsius, but you will be stepping in and out of water a lot with shore landings. They are also ideal for photographers working in boggy, wet environments or in the Arctic in Summer, especially if you are working in and around water. The only shortcoming I have experienced is that they tend to develop leaks around the seals after heavy use and thus need replacing from time to time (I have been through about half a dozen pairs over the years). They are exceptionally easy to keep clean, however, requiring nothing more than a hosing off and little to no maintenance.
Boot Considerations: When assessing the suitability of a boot for my type of photography, I consider comfort and warmth for the intended purpose, ease of getting on and off, and long-term durability amongst the most important factors. The ability to withstand water (depending on the intended use) and to keep out snow also plays a major role in my decision-making. Lastly, manufacturer support also plays a role in addressing potential issues. I do not consider price when assessing the qualities of boots for cold-weather photography since it’s folly to try to save a few bucks at the expense of cold toes.
Conclusion: Ultimately, the choice of boot is a personal one based on your needs, preferences, and tolerances for the environment in which you work. There are many more boots on the market that I have not used or tested, and they may or may not deliver great results, depending on your personal needs. There are other boots I have tested that I feel fail to live up to their claims, so I won’t name, review or recommend them. The above are products I will stand behind as offering superb performance in their temperature range for cold-weather photography. If you are interested, I dive deeper into this topic and discuss each of these boots in more detail in Episode 144 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast.
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