Mark South said:I hear you. Thing is, camera stuff is heavy, good and
versatile equipment is even heavier. So here's my best
solution: DON'T CARRY
IT.
Or, to amend that, don't carry it unless you need it to
take a picture that you KNOW will be there.
On the whole I disagree. Many of my best shots are of scenes
that I didn't know would be there.. Of course, when I say
"scenes", I really mean the weather and lighting, which is
never the same twice. You can't go back and photograph those
amazing clouds tomorrow. Many great shots IMO depend heavily
on weather and lighting. You can never be 100% sure of when
the best situations will happen, and you can never go back
and take the same thing again.
Those recent shots I posted from Whiteford Burrows were a
good example. Started out as a normal sunny day, then it
clouded over and I thought the photography was over. Then I
got those dramatic cloud, sunset and ponies on the marsh at
high tide shots. I didn't even know it was one of the
highest tides of the year and that I'd be in the right place
at the right time. But I did have my camera, and the 300mm
zoom lens.
Quoted message said:Instead, carry a compact digital camera and a notebook on
your day outings and use that to scout the pictures that
you will want to come back for.
I can't agree with that. Okay, if the weather and lighting
is dismal then maybe you've got a point, but even then,
unexpected things can happen. I was once walking near Carreg
Goch in atrocious November weather - gales, sleet and
hailstones shrouded in thick dark clouds. Hardly took my
camera out all day and when I did the photos were [censored]. But
at one unexpected moment a hole appeared in the clouds and
amazing rays of warm sunlight burst through lighting up one
particular crag. It looked absolutely stunning surrounded by
all the grey murk. You just can't plan to take photographs
like that. Unfortunately it only lasted a few seconds so I
failed to capture it, but I photographed it in my mind. :-)
You're obviously thinking in terms of scenery and
composition, but I'm thinking more in terms of weather and
light, and weather and light are so unpredictable that you
can't really plan those kinds of photographs. Planning works
best with predictable weather, but predictable weather is
usually the least dramatic. Many of my attempts at planning
photos have met with failure, whilst many of my best photos
have been completely unexpected and unplanned.
Another problem with your approach is the fact that you have
to come back. Easy enough if it's a local area, but not so
easy if you've travelled a long way to get there. Even if
it's not that far away, I prefer to visit different
locations when I travel, so as to cover a wider area. There
are many locations that I've only visited once, so I've had
to make the best of them.
Quoted message said:Because you will not be loaded down you can range further
and you will be able to lift your head to look at the view
occasionally.
I understand what you're saying, and there are definitely
days when good photos are very unlikely (although not
impossible) but I prefer not to spend such days looking for
photos. My current thinking is to define different types of
walks and pack appropriately for them.
1. Exercise walks. Typically these are done primarily for
exercise. Typically the weather is [censored] (that includes
the so called "wonderful" hot hazy summer weather that
is totally naff for photography) with very little
chance of improvement. Usually I will choose an area
which isn't particularly scenic, so that the lack of
good lighting won't bother me since there won't be
anything decent to photograph anyway. These are the
days when it's best to travel light. A digital compact
is ideal, but preferably a decent digital compact and
with some form of support (light tripod, beanbag etc.)
just in case. Currently I'll take my 300D but a Pro1
would be better.
2. Normal walks. These are done primarily for the sake of
having a good walk. They involve some distance and good
scenery, and the weather is usually reasonable to good.
There are photo opportunities but I don't want to spend
too much time over them since walking is the main goal.
For these walks I carry medium weight photo gear,
sufficient to take good photos but not heavy enough to
affect the walking. Current ideal gear is the 300D, 18-
55mm & 55-200mm digital lenses (all very light) plus the
lightweight tripod & bean bag.
3. Photo walks. These are aimed at photography, with
specific locations and compositions in mind. The
distance involved is usually quite short, but not
always, depending on how accessible the location
is. The weather must of course be suitable (if not
necessary "good" - suitable weather for waterfalls is
overcast IMO). Very often these walks are done very
early in the morning or late in the evening, to take
advantage of the best light, but may be done in
whatever circumstances are appropriate - gale force
winds for example. For these walks plenty of gear is
taken, multiple cameras, heavy lenses, decent tripod
etc. However, depending on distance and difficulty of
terrain, equipment carried will be modified to suit.
Carrying a heavy tripod and MF gear a few hundred flat
yards to photograph Worms Head is no big deal, but the
weather would have to be particularly good to make we
want to lug that lot up to the top of Tryfan.
Similar considerations apply for backpacking trips. Wild
base camps are ideal for "photo camping trips".
Quoted message said:I know that there will be disagreement but this is the way
that most really good outdoor pictures get taken.
Not necessarily. Yours maybe, but not mine. The thing is,
we're all individuals, we have different preferences, we buy
different equipment and we have different working methods.
What works for one person may not work for another. There is
no single right or wrong way to do things. Variety is good,
that's how different photographers produce different types
of photos.
My philosophy (belief?) is that it's theoretically possible
to take good photographs in almost any weather and lighting
condition, provided you choose appropriate subject matter
(crashing waves in gales, waterfalls during torrential rain,
strange rock formations in mist and so on). Even darkness
doesn't prevent you taking photographs.
Since I believe that good photos are always possible, and
that weather and lighting are often more important than
subject matter, that gives me a good reason to carry good
photo gear at all times. However, that's not to say that I
always want to carry it all, sometimes I just want to go out
for a walk and I'm not too fussed about taking photos.
For me the bottom line is that I should always carry a
camera capable of taking high quality pictures, and some
form of support for slow shutter speeds. Ideally this will
mean a good digital compact (like the Pro1) and a mini
tripod at the very least.
Paul
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