Toronto. Photography in the far north was rugged for most of the year. Exposed to the elements, camera shutters froze; lenses misted over; and the cold could only briefly be tolerated by the photographer.
This was eased for the few brief months that were without snow and chill. Camera makers offered special models with low temperture bearings and greases to assist shutter operation in very cold weather.
Photographers regularly kept their camera snug under their warm coat, next to their body, briefly exposing body and camera when a shot was taken. The photo above was snapped well below the arctic circle in what would be described as the balmier part of the far north. It records construction of a communications receiver/transmitter facility using klystrons and billboard sized antennae.
While some rugged souls regularly took outdoor photos in the cold, it was not especially favourable country for professional photographers. Some companies a few decades earlier touted the use of their products on expeditions to the far north as a means to attest their camera’s ruggedness and reliability.