Overnight hikes

[Tzetsin]

Lol sounds like you've done this before. I'll be going specifically for photography though, so I must have a fair bit more camera gear.

Dlambert, Tripod goes with me always. I shoot a lot of night time shots so a tripod is manditory.

[Islandcrow]

Originally Posted by Tzetsin

Lol sounds like you've done this before. I'll be going specifically for photography though, so I must have a fair bit more camera gear.

Dlambert, Tripod goes with me always. I shoot a lot of night time shots so a tripod is manditory.

Although the majority of my hikes are simply to get out and get some fresh air and exercise, I certainly do quite a few specifically for photography. When that's my sole purpose, I've actually usually hiked out to the place already just to survey the area. This can be extremely helpful since after doing this, you should have a pretty good idea in your head what you're hoping to capture, and specifically what gear you'll need to do it. On the initial trip, you don't even need to bring your SLR. Sometimes I'll just bring my outdated, pocket sized point and shoot. I'll snap a few pictures, not worrying too much about lighting (it's easy enough to imagine what it will look like with the right lighting), and when I get back home, I'll look through the pictures and decide where my shot needs to be. It's also very helpful to bring a GPS and a compass, because I'll then plot the location on Google Earth, or another program I really like called The Photographer's Ephemeris (or something like that), so I can see where my light will be at different times of the day so I can really plan my trip. And seeing that you're including a machete in your gear, it sounds like you may need a GPS where you're going

Basically, if you want to be a landscape photographer, I think you'll have to develop at least some love of hiking. Even after all of this planning, it's very common that I get to my location and the weather's not right, or I've misjudged the lighting, or I simply decide the scene would look much better in the Spring than in the Fall. In other words, it's rare that all the stars align on the very first try, so it's nice to be able to say after a failed attempt that at least I enjoyed the hike.

[ssssnake529]

Originally Posted by Tzetsin

Lol sounds like you've done this before. I'll be going specifically for photography though, so I must have a fair bit more camera gear.

Dlambert, Tripod goes with me always. I shoot a lot of night time shots so a tripod is manditory.

How much camera gear do you need?

A tripod, camera body, wide angle lens (prime or compact zoom), telephoto lens (prime or compact zoom,) fast prime normal lens (35 or 50).

That camera gear should get you by under just about any circumstance. Add an MEC Genie daypack to put it all in for excursions out of base camp, and you're good to go.

Rather than burden yourself with a ton of gear, I really think you are better off bringing only the stuff you really need. That way, you can travel faster, will be less tired, and can use your energy on taking pictures, not schlepping heavy gear.

If you ditch the fishing gear that's on my list (waders, water shoes, rod, net, and tackle), the weight of your additional camera gear would be offset by the weight of the fishing gear you aren't taking, and you still can come in under 25 pounds.

Trust me on this. I spend a lot of time outdoors. Pare your equipment (camping and camera) down to the bare essentials and you will be much happier. A light pack really will improve your photography. Carrying 50 pounds, you will be much less willing to run around to the other side of the mountain lake to take advantage of better lighting than if you are carrying 25 pounds. With a heavy pack, you will arrive at your destination later, with less time to take photos.