If you use long lenses for wildlife, you know that big glass often comes with an equally big hood. However, if the winds are brisk, sometimes that hood can turn into a liability.
On a windy day, the larger your rig's "sail area," the more movement and vibration it experiences due to the wind. In fact, I've watched the entire scene in my viewfinder vibrate like it was experiencing an earthquake during strong gusts (and that's on a heavy tripod). By removing the lens hood, you cut down on your "sail area" and increase stability. In fact, depending on the angle the wind is hitting the hood, removing it sometimes leads to a substantial increase in overall stability. I've been in more than a few situations with slower shutter speeds where this little trick has saved the day.
Of course, ideally, you want the sun to your back or side when you remove the hood - if it's in front of you it can cause flare and a loss of contrast. Still, I've shot without hoods and from my own experience, the sun isn't a problem until it's almost directly in front of you. If that's the case, you'll have to determine which is worse - the movement caused by the wind or the potential lens flare. If the shutter speeds are slow, then I risk flare. If I have the light, I'll crank up the shutter speed and keep the hood attached.
And of course, no worries on cloudy days.
Finally, remember if you remove the hood to exercise extreme caution - the hood offers a lot of protection.
Still, I've gone "hoodless" countless times on windy days and it can really make a difference, especially with slower shutter speeds.
On a windy day, the larger your rig's "sail area," the more movement and vibration it experiences due to the wind. In fact, I've watched the entire scene in my viewfinder vibrate like it was experiencing an earthquake during strong gusts (and that's on a heavy tripod). By removing the lens hood, you cut down on your "sail area" and increase stability. In fact, depending on the angle the wind is hitting the hood, removing it sometimes leads to a substantial increase in overall stability. I've been in more than a few situations with slower shutter speeds where this little trick has saved the day.
Of course, ideally, you want the sun to your back or side when you remove the hood - if it's in front of you it can cause flare and a loss of contrast. Still, I've shot without hoods and from my own experience, the sun isn't a problem until it's almost directly in front of you. If that's the case, you'll have to determine which is worse - the movement caused by the wind or the potential lens flare. If the shutter speeds are slow, then I risk flare. If I have the light, I'll crank up the shutter speed and keep the hood attached.
And of course, no worries on cloudy days.
Finally, remember if you remove the hood to exercise extreme caution - the hood offers a lot of protection.
Still, I've gone "hoodless" countless times on windy days and it can really make a difference, especially with slower shutter speeds.