What are the main considerations when choosing gloves for Photography?
You need access to your hands – This sounds obvious but as much as you'd like to keep your hands in your pocket, the fact is that you need your hands and fingers to open your camera bag, set up your camera and tripod, chose a composition and also to change camera settings quickly when the light is changing.
You'll be tempted to take your gloves off – Wearing gloves feels unnatural and cumbersome, and you will want to remove your gloves to do whatever you need to do more easily.
Hands get cold… fast! – Your hands and more specifically your fingers get cold fast. For this reason, fingerless gloves aren’t really of much use. The reason your fingers get cold so quickly is that there is a large surface area from which to lose heat. With fingerless gloves or no gloves at all, the cold has full contact all around and so any heat you have gets sucked away and the freezing process begins.
It’s hard to use your hands when they're cold – Once your hands get cold, your fingers stiffen up and you begin to lose fine motor skills, and numbness and pain set in.
It's hard to warm back up – When out in the snow or howling wind without gloves, it becomes very difficult (And takes ages) to get the heat back into your fingers and hands. The best solution is to avoid them getting too cold, to begin with.
The Joy (Not) of touch screens - Trying to send a text message or post to social media with stiff and numb fingers is not fun! Most liner gloves now have some sort of ‘Touch-screen friendly’ material which allows you to use touch screens, these are not always the best, but they are certainly better than frostbite!
Fine controls aren’t great either – Most buttons on modern cameras and command dials/lens switches are very small and not easy to work whilst wearing gloves, this is usually when the temptation to remove your gloves kicks in!
Why do you need Photography Specific Gloves?
Most gloves are designed for people spending just a short amount of time outdoors (Such as when walking around town) or for winter sports, where the level of physical exertion creates heat and pumps warm blood to your extremities. This is very different from standing in the snow for hours on end waiting for the Northern Lights to show up!
So what is the solution?
The typical ‘warmest’ solution is a big puffy mitten, but like oven mitts, they are absolutely useless if you need to do anything with your hands at all - Spoiler Alert - Landscape Photography does require the use of hands quite a bit!
Limited Options
If you search the internet for ‘Good Outdoor Gloves’, you will be inundated with gloves designed for winter sports. All outdoor clothing brands have plenty of different types of gloves, but many of these are absolutely useless for Photographers, because most winter sports do not require the levels of fine motor skills required to change camera settings or finely adjust composition with a ball head.
Wrist straps
Make sure any gloves you buy have elasticated wrist straps, these are great because they allow the gloves to dangle when you removed them. Theres nothing worse than removing your gloves and not knowing what to do with them, especially if you end up putting them on the ground or snow.
Gloves are a compromise
Yes its much easier to change settings or adjust your composition when you are not wearing gloves, but you won’t last long without gloves on a cold and windy night. This is why The Heat Company has created the layering system. This is a simple system with different layers of gloves, each with a specific purpose.
The Heat Company’s layer system
1st LAYER: Liners
This is the first layer of the Heat Layer System. This thin layer provides some warmth, but most importantly allows you to perform most functions unencumbered. The thin material minimises the loss of dexterity for fine motor skills like changing camera settings or adjusting the ball head when composing an image. There are loads of different options for liners, some made of synthetic materials, others from Merino Wool, and each has its own specific intended use.
The liner layer produces 10 - 20 % of the total warmth.
2nd LAYER: Mittens
The second layer above the Liners is the extra-warm mittens.
The mittens can easily be folded down and your fingers can still be used, albeit with a little less dexterity. The mitten layer is made of Primaloft and is what provides the most warmth. The Mittens are breathable, windproof, and water-repellent.
3rd LAYER: POLAR HOOD
This is the outermost layer of the Heat Layer System. This is the most windproof and water-repellent of all 3 layers, it is made of Nylon and is used for the coldest environments. These mittens do not allow you to use your fingers, ideally used once you have set everything up and are shooting a timelapse or just waiting around for the Northern Lights to make an appearance.
Tips for buying gloves for Photography:
Measure twice / order once – Make use of the size guide for each type of glove that you are interested in ordering. Getting the right size is critical for comfort, warmth, and functionality. If need be, get someone to help you measure your hands.
If unsure, choose a smaller size - It’s better to get a slightly smaller size that gives you a tighter fit and good control than to have extra space or a loose fit in a pair of gloves, especially with modern cameras having so many small buttons and controls!
Order early – The Heat Company’s gloves are all handmade, which means they take longer to produce than mass-produced gloves from other brands. If you are planning a trip, don’t leave it to the last minute to order your gloves as it is possible that with an influx of orders at the start of winter, there may be delays in getting your order sent out to you.
Don’t buy generic gloves - This one is self-explanatory, I have tried so many gloves in the past and none of them come close to the functionality and warmth of photography-specific gloves like The Heat Company’s layering system.
Handwarmers - Order plenty of hand warmers with your order of gloves, they make long cold nights outdoors much more bearable!
Footwarmers - Don’t forget toe warmers or The Heat Company’s special warm insoles if you often get cold feet!
Chose the right gloves - The Heat Company has a vast range of gloves, each with a different intended purpose, make sure you chose the right gloves for your need, and if in doubt, ask them for advice. If you have any questions, you can email them at office@theheatcompany.com to ask for support or advice!
Free shipping - All orders to EU countries above 25 Euros qualify for free shipping!
Save money - Take advantage of a 10% discount by using the code: SSP23 at checkout!
The Heat Company® gloves have, without doubt, exceeded the field test, and have earned a permanent place in my camera bag! I have written a comprehensive review of their layering system here.
Use code SSP23 at checkout for a 10% discount from The Heat Company’s online store.