RPCrowe
15th of October 2008 (Wed), 00:00
I have just completed a very enjoyable photographic trip to Uah and Northern Arizona to shoot such areas as Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon and Zion National park in Utah and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I'd like to share three accessories which I consider requisite for Mountain West photography. I am not sure whether this should be posted in the accessories forum or in the travel forum. Moderator plese feel free to switch this to the appropiate forum.
These are thee pieces of equipment that I consider necessary for photography of the United States Mountain West. I am talking about states such as: Utah; Northern Arizona; New Mexico; Colorado; Montana; and others.
A circular polarizer is, IMO, absolutely necessary for mountain vistas. The polarizer not only darkens the sky (when the sun is at a correct angle) but will cut haze and can enhance the colors of foliage and rocks. The CPL will often turn a mundane image into an exciting image. Darkening the sky will also reduce the exposure ratio and can often prevent a blown out sky as well as if you are using a GND filter. I recommend getting the highest quality CPL you can possibly afford. Good ones are expensive but, are well worth the cost.
Use a stable tripod that is light enough to be carried to where you want to shoot. A good tripod will improve the image quality of any lens and will allow you to get the best quality possible out of less expensive lenses. Additionally, a good tripod will allow you to shoot multiple images which can be combined into HDR imagery or panos.
HDR: HDR technique can be very important when shooting in the high contrast light of the higher Western elevations. It is often impossible for a digital sensor to register the range of shadow and bright areas without using HDR. However, if you bracket exposures using a tripod, and combine these into an HDR image, you can gain shadow detail without burning out highlights.
PANOS: Our West is VAST! Shooting a vast Western States vista using a wide angle lens often results in a very uninteresting image with more foreground and sky space than a photographer wants. Shooting the same vista with a considerably longer focal length lens and combining the images into a pano will often improve the composition drastically. Additionally, the longer focal length will compress distances. Shooting in the portrait position will allow you to use even a longer lens for increased distance compression.
A tripod needs to be stable enough to support the heaviest camera/lens combination you will be using. However it also needs to be light enough that you will carry it over the sometimes rugged terrain of the West. A tripod that you have left at home or in your car trunk will not improve any imagery no matter how expensive that tripod is. I have a full-size extremely sturdy Giottos tripod that, despite being made of carbon fiber is too heavy for me to carry comfortably when “boonie tromping”.
Instead, I carry a modified SLIK 330 Pro with the shorter accessory center column replacing the longer standard issued column. This reduces the weight of the SLIK 330 Pro leg-set to exactly 2-pounds. I have replaced the standard SLIK pan-tilt head with an Adorama Magnesium F-1 Arca Compatible ball head. This head, weighing only 11-ounces, supports my 30D with 70-200mm f/4L IS lens very adequately. The SLIK/Adorama combination is fairly short, so I will often use my right angle finder. Since I am an old twin-lens reflex user, I am perfectly comfortable composing my image looking down. This is not a great detriment since I now have a reasonably priced (about $135 total) lightweight (2 lb 11 oz) tripod/head combination which will support my gear.
Lens and camera cleaning kit including a blower, brush and soft rag is essential! Our West is beautiful but, it can be extremely dusty. Using a lens cap (I use an OPTECH Hood Hat right over my lens hood) can protect the lens somewhat but, I have often been shooting when a sudden rogue gust of wind covered my gear with a film of dust. This is not something you can prepare for or prevent.
By the way - when hiking or driving (especially in the early morning or late afternoon hours) I recommend that you carry your camera with your longest focal length lens attached and ready to shoot! If you come upon a beautiful vista, you will have the time to switch to a shorter length lens, if needed. However if you are carrying you camera with a short focal length lens and come upon a majestic Mule Deer, Elk or Antlope, you will often not have the time to switch to your telephoto lens.
These are thee pieces of equipment that I consider necessary for photography of the United States Mountain West. I am talking about states such as: Utah; Northern Arizona; New Mexico; Colorado; Montana; and others.
A circular polarizer is, IMO, absolutely necessary for mountain vistas. The polarizer not only darkens the sky (when the sun is at a correct angle) but will cut haze and can enhance the colors of foliage and rocks. The CPL will often turn a mundane image into an exciting image. Darkening the sky will also reduce the exposure ratio and can often prevent a blown out sky as well as if you are using a GND filter. I recommend getting the highest quality CPL you can possibly afford. Good ones are expensive but, are well worth the cost.
Use a stable tripod that is light enough to be carried to where you want to shoot. A good tripod will improve the image quality of any lens and will allow you to get the best quality possible out of less expensive lenses. Additionally, a good tripod will allow you to shoot multiple images which can be combined into HDR imagery or panos.
HDR: HDR technique can be very important when shooting in the high contrast light of the higher Western elevations. It is often impossible for a digital sensor to register the range of shadow and bright areas without using HDR. However, if you bracket exposures using a tripod, and combine these into an HDR image, you can gain shadow detail without burning out highlights.
PANOS: Our West is VAST! Shooting a vast Western States vista using a wide angle lens often results in a very uninteresting image with more foreground and sky space than a photographer wants. Shooting the same vista with a considerably longer focal length lens and combining the images into a pano will often improve the composition drastically. Additionally, the longer focal length will compress distances. Shooting in the portrait position will allow you to use even a longer lens for increased distance compression.
A tripod needs to be stable enough to support the heaviest camera/lens combination you will be using. However it also needs to be light enough that you will carry it over the sometimes rugged terrain of the West. A tripod that you have left at home or in your car trunk will not improve any imagery no matter how expensive that tripod is. I have a full-size extremely sturdy Giottos tripod that, despite being made of carbon fiber is too heavy for me to carry comfortably when “boonie tromping”.
Instead, I carry a modified SLIK 330 Pro with the shorter accessory center column replacing the longer standard issued column. This reduces the weight of the SLIK 330 Pro leg-set to exactly 2-pounds. I have replaced the standard SLIK pan-tilt head with an Adorama Magnesium F-1 Arca Compatible ball head. This head, weighing only 11-ounces, supports my 30D with 70-200mm f/4L IS lens very adequately. The SLIK/Adorama combination is fairly short, so I will often use my right angle finder. Since I am an old twin-lens reflex user, I am perfectly comfortable composing my image looking down. This is not a great detriment since I now have a reasonably priced (about $135 total) lightweight (2 lb 11 oz) tripod/head combination which will support my gear.
Lens and camera cleaning kit including a blower, brush and soft rag is essential! Our West is beautiful but, it can be extremely dusty. Using a lens cap (I use an OPTECH Hood Hat right over my lens hood) can protect the lens somewhat but, I have often been shooting when a sudden rogue gust of wind covered my gear with a film of dust. This is not something you can prepare for or prevent.
By the way - when hiking or driving (especially in the early morning or late afternoon hours) I recommend that you carry your camera with your longest focal length lens attached and ready to shoot! If you come upon a beautiful vista, you will have the time to switch to a shorter length lens, if needed. However if you are carrying you camera with a short focal length lens and come upon a majestic Mule Deer, Elk or Antlope, you will often not have the time to switch to your telephoto lens.