I’m of the firm belief that our cameras are tools not jewels.  They should be used in pursuit of our photography objectives without undue concern for the cleanliness exposure of the cameras.  These are tools for us as photographers to use in pursuit of our art.  We need to use them without too much worry or concern in the field…the final image is the goal, not preserving the cleanliness of our sensors, lenses and camera bodies.  A simple analogy might be with fine art painters.  The painter may save up and buy some amazing brushes that have the finest bristles and ergonomic handles and look amazing by themselves.  In this analogy, would it make sense for the painter not to use the brushes because they didn’t want to get them dirty?  Or, not use them because they will have to clean them?  No, the painter will use the brushes to paint without regard for the wear that will normally occur.  Of course they won’t abuse the brushes, they will clean them after each use and store them appropriately, but in the end, the painter views their brushes as tools not jewels and will use these fine tools to paint!

Most modern cameras are built with use in mind, they are not built as a museum piece.  As such, most have some degree of moisture and dust protection built in to protect the sensitive internal components.  Higher end cameras have wonderful weather sealing, meaning that you can use them without worry in moist environments without any moisture entering the camera body and ruining the electronics.  For years I have used my cameras in a light rain or snow without a rain cover, trusting the manufacturer that the product they built and they claims they make stand up to real world use.  Likewise, when I’m out in the Palouse or the Desert Southwest with dust blowing around, I am not afraid to change lenses to get the right lens/focal length for the shot. I know that these are tools not jewels and I need to use them to capture my creative vision for the image.

Too often I see folks in the field scared to change lenses because of the potential for dirt to enter the camera and get stuck on the sensor, or unwilling to unpack their camera in a light drizzle in fear of damaging the electronics.  The result is they have to compromise on using the preferred lens for the shot, or not getting the shot at all. I get it, I really do.  We’ve invested a lot of money in our cameras and lenses and we don’t want them to become damaged.  We don’t want to hassle with trying to clean sensors or deal with cleaning up dust spots in post processing.  I get it.  But I’m here to urge you to not be afraid of using your camera in harsh conditions!  Modern cameras are built quite well to withstand the elements and they will take a lot of mis-use before they suffer any significant impacts.  I’m not saying go out and abuse your camera, instead, I’m urging you not to be too afraid to use it in the elements!

Even when things go wrong, your camera most likely won’t be “ruined”.  You can get it fixed.  My worst disaster happened one day when I was photographing a waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge.  My tripod was set up on a trail, just wide enough for one person with a hillside on one side of the trail and a drop off on the other side. My buddy was behind me and we were talking as I set up the shot.  I turned to him to make a point and right after I turned, I heard crashing in the brush down the slope.  When I turned back around my camera was not where I left it on the trail!  It had decided to jump off the trail and tumble down the steep slope!  After the shock wore off, I climbed down the trail to see if I could rescue it.  When I made it to my tripod, my camera was still attached, but the lens was gone.  After 5 minutes of searching through the brush, trees and dirt, I found the lens barrel.  When I looked, I saw that the lens had snapped in half.  The mount was still attached to the body, but the rest of the barrel and glass elements were in my hand.  Argh.  As you can imagine, I was distraught. My shooting was ended for the day and during the drive back I was fretting over having to buy a new camera and lens.  Dirt had managed to pack itself in to the camera body and the lens and I thought they were ruined.  Long story short, I was able to send the camera and lens back to Canon for servicing and all told, it was less than $500 to fix both of them.  It proved the point to me that whatever happens, I can probably get it fixed and deal with it.  The only caveat to this is submersion in salt water…that will likely ruin any and all electronics.  So when I’m near the ocean, I take extra caution with my electronics.

The reason I am thinking about tools not jewels is that during the winter, I always take my camera bodies in to a local camera shop for a professional cleaning.  I do this once a year as part of my “winter routine” when I’m not out shooting as much and can be without my cameras for a few days.  Because we’ve spent so many dollars on our gear, it’s in our best interest to take the best care of them that we can.  Just like our homes or cars, we perform regular maintenance on them and our cameras should be no different.  It’s just part of owning a piece of high tech electronics that brings so much joy and produces amazing visual imagery.  I want my cameras running in tip-top shape, partly because it’s my business but partly because I want them to perform at their best.  I do perform regular cleanings throughout the year which I’ll talk about below, but no matter how good I do, the professionals will do better and ensure that my sensor is spotless.  As part of this shops service, they use a microscope and deliver pictures with the camera of the sensor before and after cleaning so I can see the dust spots before and how there are no spots after!  It’s a nice little bonus that I enjoy receiving.  I would encourage you to seek out a reputable camera shop that performs cleanings.  Try to stay away from the big chain stores and instead a small business, locally owned, focused on the art and craft of photography.  Oftentimes these shops are big film shops and are passionate about photography.

If you are not that familiar with the subject of sensor cleaning, you can check out this article from PetaPixel.  It does a pretty good job of describing the scenarios and how to do it.

You may be wondering about why you should care about sensor cleaning?  You’ve been using your camera for years and haven’t noticed anything that bothers you about it, why go to the extra work of cleaning your sensor?  Well, for me, it’s a two part answer: 1) I don’t want to spend a ton of time at the computer cleaning up dust spots in my images 2) Attention to detail!  If there are dust spots in my images, it shows a lack of attention and perhaps a lack of caring about my images.  If I won’t clean up my “mess” in the image, then anyone who sees this might infer that I don’t care about what I’m doing and don’t care about my images.  Part of my goal as an artist is to impart my love, care and attention in to each and every image and cleaning up dust spots is part of what I do on every image (assuming I have dust on the sensor).

You may also be wondering if you can avoid getting dust spots on the sensor or dirt in the camera.  Yes you can if you seal the camera in an airtight pouch and never bring it out!  For those of us who want to take pictures, dust and dirt is part of the game.  And if you subscribe to the tools not jewels philosophy, you may pick up more dirt because you are using your camera in the elements, changing lenses, etc.  For everyone who regularly takes pictures, dust is just something we need to contend with.  Are you with me so far?    The next logical question is “Ok, I want to use my camera, how do I deal with the dust/dirt/elements and not have to have it professionally cleaned after each outing?”  Here are a few tips and tricks I use to keep my camera “as clean as possible” during the year to minimize dirt and dust.

Rain

Dealing with photographing in the rain is a chore sometimes. You are wet, your fingers are wet, everything is wet and it makes it harder to focus on the creative side of photography.  However, being out in the rain can also produce some amazing images!  The drama of the skies, the flat light across the landscape, the way the moisture brings out the rich colors in the foliage…all plusses for shooting in the rain.  Our cameras have some degree of weather sealing to keep out light amounts of water.  In mid-higher end cameras, there are thin gaskets to prevent water from seeping in.  I will trust this sealing TO A POINT!  Water and electronics don’t mix well and I try my hardest to keep as much water off of my camera as possible, however, I still want to be free to use my camera and not be burdened or restricted by protecting it.  I have a couple of techniques I use when shooting in wet conditions

  • Light Rain/Snow – I carry hotel shower caps in my camera bags and when I’m out in light rain, I will put a shower cap over my camera while I’m scouting or mentally working out a composition. When I think I’m ready to shoot, I’ll remove the shower cap and take the shot, putting the cap back on when I’m done. This limits the cameras exposure to the light rain.  I will also often wipe the excess water off with a rag before putting the cap back on.
  • Heavy Rain/Snow – When it’s really nautical out, I will use a dedicated camera rain cover to protect my camera and allow me to shoot with the cover on.  There are a lot of complicated contraptions on the market, try not to over-complicate yourself!  I chose a simple one called Storm Jacket and it has served me well over the years.

Once I’m done shooting a location, or at the end of the day, I will take my camera out of the bag, open the various doors on the camera, maybe even take the lens off, and let the camera air dry fully before putting it back in the camera bag.

Dust

No matter where you are, there is dust and dirt in the air. Fine particles floating on the winds that are looking for a place to land.  Our camera sensors are electronically Fields of canola during sunrise in the Palousecharged and even when the camera is off, carry a small residual charge in them, which acts like a dust magnet. Dust on your sensor is inevitable if you use your camera outside.  Add in the fact of when you change lenses, your sensor is more exposed to the elements and well, you’ll eventually end up with dust on it.  But that’s OK. Remember, these are tools not jewels and like any tool, they will get dirty if they get used.  When I’m in the field, there are a couple of tricks I use to try and minimize the dust…

  • Change lenses in the car, or tailgate, to have a more sheltered environment.  If you are away from the car, I will sometimes kneel down and work “in” my backpack to change lenses
  • Minimize the time a lens is off of the camera!  When changing lenses, I will have the new lens cradled in my arms or squeezed between my legs, the protective cap is unscrewed for easy removal.  I will then remove the old lens, take off lens cap of new lens and install it.  Sometimes it feels like I need 3 hands when doing this.  Get a friend to help you if you need!  The less time the sensor is exposed, the less chance of dust!
  • If the wind is blowing, even slightly, I’ll turn my back to the wind to create a wind break and a hopefully “cleaner” situation to change lenses.  I will also be conscious of not holding my camera without lens pointed in to the wind.  I will try to keep the open camera pointed towards the ground to minimize falling dust or wind-blown dust coming in to the camera

 

Clean-Up

After every photo outing, I have made a habit out of cleaning my tools before putting them away, whether that’s in the hotel room at the end of the day or when I return home after a daily outing.  By performing a regular cleaning of my camera body and lenses, I can minimize the chance for errant dust to be on or in my camera when I use it next time. Here are a few of the things I do and some of the tools I use.  I clean my camera after every photo outing as well as do a more thorough cleaning once every month or two.  This doesn’t take much time at all and will save you time in the long run not having to spend a ton of time in post processing cleaning up your dust spots.

After Every Shoot – I will wipe my camera and lens with a microfiber cloth to pick up the majority of dust/water on the exterior surfaces.  I will then take off the lens and begin cleaning the camera body and all lenses I used during the shoot. I typically use a combination of blowers or brushes to do this quick cleaning.

  • Blowers – I’ve been using a couple of USB rechargeable blowers from Nitecore recently and been very happy with them!  Much better than the traditional squeeze bulb blower which never blows hard enough or accurate enough for me.  With a powered blower, you can direct the air exactly where you need it to move the dust away.  Nitecore makes a heavy duty version which is feature packed as well as a smaller version which is lighter. NEVER EVER USE CANNED AIR!  These often contain other chemical propellants that can gunk up the camera internals.  And, always be cautious blowing around the sensor.  I don’t blow full force on the sensor, I’ll dial down the speed or move the blower away from the sensor so it doesn’t put too much force on the sensor.
  • Lens Pens – I also carry a LensPen as a small portable brush/cleaner.  These are handy for cleaning lens elements and contact points.  DO NOT USE ON SENSOR!
  • Moist Cleaning Wipes – I also carry a few moist wipes if there are spots on the lens element that need cleaning.  I’ve had good results with the wipes from Zeiss.  Again, not for the sensor!

Deeper Cleaning – Every couple of months, depending on usage, I’ll do a deeper cleaning on my camera and lenses.  I do this in the comfort of my home where it’s cleaner than being on the road and I have all of my tools available.  A deeper cleaning involves a few steps beyond what I listed above

  • Clean All Lenses – Even lenses that I haven’t used in the last couple of months will get cleaned.  Being in the camera bag as it opens/closes in the environment will bring dust and dirt to the lens.  So everything gets a wipe down and blow-off.
  • Clean/Service all accessories – I’ll go through my filters and clean those, shake out my camera bag, clean tripod, etc.  You get the idea
  • Clean Sensor – Depending on usage, I may do a cleaning on the camera sensor itself.  This can be a scary idea for someone who hasn’t done it before, but trust me, it’s easy to do and the risk to the sensor is small if you follow instructions.  This is typically a “wet” cleaning, meaning I use a cleaning solution specifically designed for sensors and a swab.  Slow gentle strokes with the swab across the sensor, only moving in one direction, helps me to pick up dust and not drag it across the sensor.  There are a couple of great kits out there to help you with this.  This one from VSGO works well and is inexpensive. Or you can check HERE to see more options.

Our cameras are tools not jewels.  They are designed to be used in the elements and we should feel free to use them vigorously in pursuit of our photographic vision.  Don’t be afraid of getting them dirty!  Our cameras are built tough and are resilient and can withstand a lot of punishment.  Yes, we should admire, covet and enjoy the beauty of the technological marvels in our hands, but don’t let that inhibit you from using the camera to the fullest.  Besides the tools and tips I list above to keep our gems in tip-top shape, there is a phalanx of folks who can clean and repair anything that we can’t.  Our babies will be good as new if we push it too far!