How many of you folks do it in the wild??

[Screamer]

I know...funny. :D

I mean shooting...I spend a *lot* of time in the mountains. I live between the Olympic Mountains and the Cascades...flying to the Rockies this weekend...and always have my gear with me. Today I went pack shopping and picked up a Granite Gear pack (replacing an old Marmot Pack) to compliment my Manfrotto 055MF3..

If so how long are your excursions? I've seen a lot of mention here of hiking, but not much in the ways of backcountry wilderness. I'm just trying to see who else combines "a long day" or longer hiking with photography.

I usually try to cover about 9-15 miles a day and anywhere upwards of 4500 feet in elevation. Here is a shot 7 miles up a trail on Bandera Mountain looking south to Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier is 14,410 feet for reference.

http://www.pmacino.com/rainier.jpg

[lostdoggy]

Really Nice shot

[robertwgross]

There are a few of us around who combine photography with backpacking, cross-country skiing, and mountaineering. The problem is that loads get pretty heavy, and we either have to abandon half of our lenses and take to the field with the minimum, or else we take all of the lenses but cut down the wilderness adventure.

The good news is that wildlife can get interesting as you get deeper into the wilderness, so some kind of photography keeps me going.

---Bob Gross---

[Screamer]

Bob, You said it well.

I think it is the challenge that keeps me going too. Planning a backcountry trip requires planning and work of its own...add gear decisions to it and it becomes a mess. A good rewarding mess though. It is a challenge of research and execution, but regardless of planning or intent...you're still at the mercy of Mother Nature and there will be things you didn't think of before stepping off.

I remember once I decided I wanted to get a shot of the Sun setting behind the Olympic Mountains from the Cascades. This would have been in early July. For those of you not familiar with how far north we are (Seattle), I'll just say the Sun sets very late in the summer. I started a 3800', 4 mile, ascent at 5:30 PM, had plenty of time to summit and waited a couple hours before giving up. The Sun didn't set from that altitude until near 10:50. I had figured it might be a few minutes later, but not that much. I would of had a 4 mile descent after that down rough rocky trails in the dark, putting me home about 1 AM. I would have stayed but I had am 8:00 meeting the next day.

Surprisingly, the thing I fight most isn't choosing the photography gear, it's finding the lightest possible combination. Honestly, it's not too tough to find light gear, it's just really expensive! :D . You need to have the bases covered. The last thing you want is the weather to turn on you at high altitude and be stuck in shorts and shirt only.

I've gotten to the point now where the tripod is always along and usually 2-3 lenses, plus the other usual stuff, filters etc... Outdoor gear wise, I almost always carry my sleeping bag with me, in case I need to hunker down for the night...stove, gas, water pump and filter, first aid, Gortex shell etc...compression sacks weight distribution strategies become your friend!

Anyways, I hope to bump into a few more here who go for the long walk and want to swap stories and images. :)

[mkh]

I wish I could join you guys but there aint no mountains in Florida. I also need to get in a little better shape.

Will be spending a week in the mountains of North Carolina later this month. Family and friends wil be there so my photo ops may be limitted. Hoping for the best.

When in the mountains which lens do you use the most? Telephoto? Wide angle for panorama shots? Something else?

[robertwgross]

I wish I could join you guys but there aint no mountains in Florida.

There's Mount Dora.

Well, that is not exactly a wilderness experience.

---Bob Gross---

[Screamer]

When in the mountains which lens do you use the most? Telephoto? Wide angle for panorama shots? Something else?

Really none more than the others...On the shot above Mount Rainier was about 55 miles away, so I definately used a telephoto to get in that tight. While on the trail in overgrowth, I like to use my 50mm 1.8. Overgrown trails tend to have tree canopies on them that limit the amount of light coming down, so a fast lens works well. The 1.8 is also nice to have along for wide aperture for flowers, insects etc...A wide angle is always nice to have around for landscapes.

After I break through the growth and up to the topside of the mountains, I usuallly go for my polarizer. The amount of light both seen and UV is magnified at high altitudes. Haze and clouds (for exposure reasons) are a challenge, because they have direct light hitting them, especially if you focus to infinity for that landscape. The polarizer helps out a lot. Here are a couple more shots that illustrate the challenges...

Clouds (exposure):

http://www.pmacino.com/clouds.jpg

Haze:

http://www.pmacino.com/haze.jpg

Depth of Field and harsh light: (notice the white road below? That is a 5 lane Interstate)

http://www.pmacino.com/cliff.jpg

Anyways, have fun in the mountains of NC and be wary of haze! I know it can get pretty bad out East with the humidity.

[nat869]

Doing it in the wild? Sure, there was this one time I was at the beach and we............

Ok, seriously I love to take my gear hking and camping. I build wood strip canoes and have paddled extensively throughout British Columbia, often out on the water for a week to 2 weeks at a time. Unfortunately, all my best trips were before I had decent gear. Lately I hike the Sierra's and Santa Cruz Mountains. Nothing better than being in the outdoors.

Great pics by the way, wish I was there instead of here at work.

[mkh]

There's Mount Dora.

Well, that is not exactly a wilderness experience.

---Bob Gross---

Mount Dora is a beautiful little town and only about an hour and a half drive for me. I've been there but it was before I got back into photography.

Not much elevation but some beautiful lakes and some great bass fishing in the area.

[Loki1117]

Since I just recently finished a post-graduate degree, I haven't really had much time for photography, BUT back a few years ago a buddy and I climbed Cerro Aconcagua. He had his little P&S, but I lugged my Elan IIe and a basic lens all the way to the top. Unfortunately, the clouds were moving in so I didn't get many good shots, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. On previous back-packing trips I have continually confused my father by bringing my camera rather than fishing gear. Unfortunately though, my camera gear does weigh more than his fishing gear.

[robertwgross]

Cerro Aconcagua

Back in 1996, an expedition of 14 of us went there to climb the mountain. One guy was carrying about ten pounds of a Nikon rig. I had doubts that he was going to make it up with that much camera weight. I left my SLR rig down at Plaza de Mulas and carried only a P&S film camera up, so I got a summit shot that way. Nikon didn't make it.

---Bob Gross---

[Loki1117]

Well Bob, Ten pounds of gear is a "little" more than what I had with me. I might be crazy, but I'm not psycotic. :rolleyes:

[robertwgross]

Well Bob, Ten pounds of gear is a "little" more than what I had with me. I might be crazy, but I'm not psycotic. :rolleyes:

Yes, like I said, "psychotic" did not make it to the summit.

All I had was the P&S 35mm film camera, a micro-tripod, a spare battery, and a spare roll of film. That made for a "peak" experience in more ways than one.

---Bob Gross---