Wilderness Photography

Canon 20D, 500mm f4L w/ 1.4tc, 1/800th sec @ f10, ISO 200

I made the image above on a photography trip I was leading for the excellent wilderness outfitter Arctic Wild in 2007. It was a custom trip, which basically means that the two clients wanted to have a trip designed to their needs. I was fortunate enough to be their guide. In mid-June I met my two clients in the remote village of Kaktovik on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. From there we flew out to a wilderness airstrip on the Canning River for a few days of shooting, then moved north to the mouth of the Canning for the final days of the trip. Bird photography was the goal of the trip, and I did my best to put the two clients in the best situations I could muster. I think I was fairly successful. But shooting in these areas is not easy. There are a lot of considerations from memory cards to charging batteries, to packing light for small-plane travel. I regularly get questions about what I carry on a wilderness photography trip, and here is my answer:

I take what I need. There now we can all go home.

Of course it isn't that straightforward. Needs and wants are often confounded so its important to understand priorities. First and foremost, I carry what I need to stay warm, dry, and well-fed. It is impossible to take good photographs, if my hands are too cold to hold the camera because I decided to leave behind my mittens in exchange for an extra lens. I won't go into the details of my personal packing list, because it varies so much from trip to trip. From there I can start thinking about camera gear.

On most flights into the bush, passengers are limited to 50-60lbs of personal gear. On backpacking trips that amount will also include your share of the food and group equipment. So packing light is key. I can generally get all my non-photographic equipment including tent, clothing, sleeping bag, pad and such down to 25-30lbs. That leaves 25-35 lbs remaining for camera gear. Here is my photo equipment list for a non-backpacking, photography specific trip:

2 camera bodies (a backup is vital)
500mm f4
1.4x TC
17-40 f4
70-200 f2.8
30mm f1.4 (this one is optional, and can be left behind if things are tight)
Carbon fiber tripod
Memory card wallet with about 25 gigs of memory
Camera backpack
2-3 extra batteries
Solar panel and battery charger
2 stand-alone battery powered hard drive/card readers
Small bag of filters, remote triggers and other accessories

Total camera gear weight: about 30lbs.

Backing up images is vital. A good friend and fellow Alaska photographer, Hugh Rose, recently lost his compact flash card wallet overboard in Prince William Sound. I'm not sure he had his images backed up or not, but the lesson is clear: cards are replaceable, but your images aren't, so backup. Several companies make external, stand-alone, battery-powered hard drives that can be used to back up your images no matter where you are. Jobo, Sanho, Nexto, and Epson are four. I carry two in separate waterproof cases so everything is in duplicate.

Battery charging- With some luck, your time in the backcountry will include a few sunny days and the sun is an excellent source of electricity if you've got the right tools. Brunton manufactures several varieties of compact and foldable solar panels. With the right attachments and chargers, you have all you need to keep shooting. I won't go into the technical details here, but check out their website for some ideas. You can purchase chargers made to work with a variety of camera batteries (using adjustable contact points on the charger) which are compatible with solar panels. A visit to your local battery supply store will get you going in the right direction.

So the summary is this: extended photo trips to the world's wild places can be full of hurdles. But none of them are insurmountable. If you have more questions about this, or anything else, leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

Canon 7D- thoughts

So a week or so ago, I promised you all some more detailed thoughts on Canon's new 7D. This is in no way a detailed technical review, there are more than enough sources on the internet to find that information if you want it. Rather, I'm going to give you some of my thoughts on the camera, how I think it handles, what I like and what I don't. Here it comes, beware the faint of heart:

1. First of all I like the look of the camera. From the XXD line it upgrades a bit on the design end. The sharp lines where the pop-up flash rises in the XXD series is smoothed in the 7D, emulating to some degree, the contours of Canon's professional grade cameras. It is perhaps a touch heavier than my 40D without the battery grip. I also very much like that Canon dispensed with the silly pre-set options on the dial (landscape, portrait, close-up etc.) I never used those, and nor should any serious photographer. It is nice to see them gone. I wish it came equipped with a vertical grip such as the 1D and 1Ds series but that, I realize, is asking too much in a mid-line camera. There are also substantial upgrades to the body material, full magnesium alloy which should make it substantially more durable than the XXD line and more equivalent to the 5D.

2. I LOVE the resolution on the screen. It is far and away better than the 40D. Great colors, and sharpness with enough detail to get a solid idea of the noise in an image. An excellent upgrade.

3. I even more love the fact that this camera can shoot full HD video. This opens up a world of possibilities for new creative endeavors, expanding my work into the realm of multi-media. I'm no expert in this regard so can't say how it compares to other cameras, but it is hard to imagine a better image, the files are huge, sharp and detailed. One nit is that I can't seem to get the camera to autofocus while shooting video, I may just not have the settings right, but this is something I need to explore more.

4. The autofocus is an improvement over the XXD line, but the user interface to select among the 18 sensors is a bit cumbersome. Again, maybe I just need to play with this, but so far, I'm only able to figure out how to select a focus point manually by clicking the select button then moving the multi-controller. On my 40D I only had to adjust the multi-controller which took less time. The autofocus does suffer from Canonitis. That being, it is a bit slow and unreliable in low-light conditions.

5. I love that the pop-up flash (otherwise useless) can be used as a commander for off-camera flash. With the click of a few menu selections I can separately control three groups of flashes. The camera seems to seamlessly communicate with both my old Canon 420EX and my new 580EX II. For general portrait and studio work, this saves the hassle and expense of dealing with Pocket Wizards.

6. Noise. This camera is 18+ megapixels in an APS-C sized sensor. That is PACKING them in there so I'm not surprised there is a bit of noise. Low ISOs (100-400 or even 800) are quite acceptable and require relatively little clean-up in Lightroom. However at 1600 and above it starts to get messy. I've gotten decent results at 1600 but that was starting to push it. With good noise reduction software on your side, or small reproduction sizes you might be able to go higher.

Well there you go. As you can see, in general, I like this camera a lot. It isn't perfect, the noise and auto-focus could be improved, but for the bucks, I think its the best camera on the market.

The Last Days of Autmn

Since I acquired my Canon 7D last week I've been experimenting quite a bit with video, and mixture of video and stills. This is video, which I hope will become the first of a series, is the outcome of my initial experimentation. Enjoy. By the way, the music is by A.A. Bondy. He's great, you should really buy one of his albums.

Alaska: The Last Days of Autumn from David Shaw on Vimeo.

A few words on gear

For all my ranting in previous posts about how much gear doesn't matter, I still own and use a lot of it. And because "What kind of camera/lens/tripod/filters/memory cards/backpack/toothbrush do you use?" is the one question I get most often, I thought I'd answer that right away. Here is a quick list and some thoughts on my gear:

1. Tripod- Gitzo GT5540LS- (carbon fiber 4 section legs)/Kirk Ball Head/Wimberly Sidekick
Let's start with the most important piece of equipment in a photographer's quiver. No I'm not talking about the camera (that is assumed) I'm talking about the TRIPOD. If there is one tool that will improve your photography it is this. Now mine is particularly good. I finally got around to buying the best because I got sick of messing around with and being frustrated by cheaper models. But even an inexpensive one will greatly improve your shooting. If you don't have one, go get one. Now.

2. Camera bodies: Canon 40d and Canon 20d and a Canon G9 point and shoot.
I carry two bodies on most of my adventures. It gives some comfort if one of them croaks to have a backup. Plus when the shooting is fast and furious I can mount them both up with different lenses. The 40d is a good mid-level camera, I have very few complaints. Good noise reduction up to about 400 or even 800 ISO, big screen and live view. The 20d is a bit out-dated but it has been very reliable for several years now and I refuse to get rid of it until I can afford to upgrade. The G9 is a great little camera to carry around. It gives publishable results and is RAW capable. Most importantly it goes everywhere.

3. Lenses
A. Canon 70-200 f2.8L - This is my all time favorite lens. Great range, sharp, fast, good bokeh and works for everything from portraits to landscapes to wildlife. Worth every dime of its hefty price tag.
B. Canon 17-40 f4L- My wide angle. When I'm not shooting wildlife I keep this lens mounted up on one of my two cameras with the 70-200. Good, sharp, but I wish it was a stop faster.
C. Canon 500 f4L- The big lens in my quiver and my standard for wildlife. It is big so draws a bit of attention which can be a problem when I'm trying to concentrate on something, but is a good conversation starter at slower moments. It is sharp, fast and takes the 1.4x or 2x Canon teleconverters for extra magnification (though my bodies won't focus automatically with the 2x).
D. Canon 100 f2.8 macro- As much as I love to shoot macro shots this lens doesn't get a lot of use. When I'm packing light, this one stays at home. Still, it has great bokeh, works as a surprisingly good portrait lens and easily magnifies to 1:1.
E. Sigma 30mm f1.4- Since I bought the 17-40 this one also sees less use. I still like the lens a lot. It is sharp, very fast and proves that you don't have to have Canon lenses to have good glass. Plus it was fairly inexpensive for this good of a piece of equipment.

4. Flash- Canon 420 EX Speedlight.
This is a notable weak point in my gear list. It does fine, but just that, no more.

5. Accessories
A. On-flash soft box for portraits- useful in the right circumstances.
B. Flash extender/magnifier for telephoto work- Useful for fill-light on wildlife.
C. Polarizers for every lens but the 500mm- These are on my lenses almost all the time.
D. Cabled remote trigger- Vital for long exposures, and for maximum sharpness.
E. Cable flash extender- Useful for adjusting flash direction.

6. Packs
A. Mountainsmith Paragon- This is mostly my storage pack at this point.
B. Crumpler Brazilian Dollar Home- This is my main bag. It can handle all my photo gear minus the 500, my laptop and accessories. It organizes strangely from the top which makes quick access to stuff lower down a bit tricky, but it is a shoulder bag which allows me to work out of it when needed. Also, because it is a shoulder bag, I've never even gotten a sideways look from airline personnel when carrying it on.
C. Custom made Apocalypse Design case for the 500- This is a basic rectangular padded case with handles and a shoulder strap. It can hold the 500 with camera and teleconverter mounted on it. When I travel I carry this and and the Crumpler as my carry-ons. I've never had a problem, though it all gets a bit heavy on long walks between gates.

D. Many pocketed waist belt designed for archery- This is large enough to hold a wide angle lens, filters, extra batteries, a small water bottle, snacks and other knick-knacks when I'm shooting in the field. I attach the case that came with the 70-200 onto the belt to hold that lens when not in use. It provides easy access to all my stuff without having to take off a backpack. This is a much cheaper though perhaps somewhat less functional alternative to the excellent system made by Think Tank.

That is the bulk of my gear. The fact is that no matter how much crap you own it is you that makes the images. The cool lenses, tripods and bodies are tools to get the images you want but tools only. They cannot replace the photographer's eye, artistic sense, or emotion. Start with the art and then start worrying about stuff.

Point and Shoots

There is a definite elitism among those of us who carry big, cameras, big tripods, big lenses, and even bigger backpacks and shoulder bags in which to carry around all of our big equipment. There is the belief, or perhaps hope, among many photographers starting out. that these tens of thousands of dollars of gear is what is required to be a good photographer. This belief runs so deep that an entire industry is built on getting people new to the hobby to upgrade and upgrade and upgrade until they too are carrying around 60lbs of gear in a backpack the size of a small studio apartment.

There is however a solution. It's called a point and shoot. After many years of hauling around a huge SLR and some collection of lenses to every event, last year I bought a little, though fairly high quality, digital point and shoot. (The Canon G9, not that it really matters). Now instead of hauling around the big glass, or (as often happened) carrying no camera at all when I'm headed out for a ski, run, or walk with the dog, I carry my point and shoot. It is simple, easy and has put an end to the times when I'd wished I'd brought a camera but hadn't. Another side effect is that the camera has rejuvenated some of my photographic creativity. Shooting with the SLR, I often feel as though there is some obligation to make good images, but I don't feel that with the point and shoot. I am free to make hundreds and hundreds of photos of complete crap and I don't feel at all bad about it. So I explore and experiment and just fiddle around with it when I find a subject.

So if you are a new shooter or haven't yet been able to afford dropping the dollars on the big cameras, stick with your point and shoot and remember to play with it. Carry it with you, take, make, and create pictures. That is where real photographers come from, not out of big bags of camera stuff.