Packing for Adventure Travel

 

After extensive experience packing for corporate meetings, and years of trips focused around our nature photography, I have come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible to truly pack light for photographic adventure travel. Clothing and personal effects are a miniscule component of the overall luggage that we take on our adventure trips. We bring multiple layers of clothing to deal with varied weather conditions while simultaneously reducing bulk, and make heavy use of quick-dry clothing, such as that produced by Ex-Officio, to reduce the number of outfits we need (e.g., typically no more than 3 shirts for a multi-week trip).  However, a successful trip requires being flexible and having the right gear easily accessible.  We always have hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and at least a simple first aid kit (for our most extensive first aid kit, see the comprehensive first aid kit we used when we went to Tanzania). Depending on the type of activities we are planning, we could also be bringing snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit), winter clothing (thermals, sweaters, gloves, parkas, snow boots), hiking gear (good boots, poles, refillable water bottles, bug repellant), rain gear (for us and our camera equipment), or any combination of the above.  All of this adds up quickly and we find that we will often be checking one moderately full bag each with just this. 

 

The real weight starts when we bring in the photography equipment. For domestic travel, we have a very large Pelican Case. It is an extremely useful container, because it is practically indestructible, is waterproof, and holds the equipment securely in place with customizable foam padding (important if you have ever watched a baggage handler toss / drop a box marked fragile).  You can also lock the case using TSA approved locks to prevent snooping – since Pelican Cases tend to attract attention. Finally, it comes with wheels and a handle that make moving it around, at least in the open, a lot easier than you would think.

 

This huge container will carry everything we typically bring, including our tripods, but can easily top the scales at about 70 pounds – more than most airlines will let you pack without an additional handling charge.  To get around that, we also have a LowePro Super Trekker backpack. This backpack is large enough to carry all of the lenses and camera bodies we need for a trip, including the large 600mm lens, and will fit in most overhead bins on the larger planes. We then check the tripods and monopods in our normal luggage.  If we are not taking our largest lens, we use a much smaller backpack from Tenba.  It is much easier to carry and maneuver, yet still holds all of our gear, including a tripod.   Note: while the Pelican Case is sturdy enough to adequately protect our gear when checked – and it is lockable --, we never check any backpacks containing camera equipment.  Though they may provide good protection for normal bumps and thumps, when it comes to our camera gear, we only subject hard-sided containers to the rigors of checked baggage.

 

What we bring on any specific trip depends a lot on the nature of what we expect to see and whether we will have a vehicle or will be carrying everything on our backs. Typically, for a longer trip, we bring the following items, and select a smaller subset to carry with us for day-trips:

-          Primary camera body (Nikon D300)

-          Backup camera body (Nikon D60)

-          Water- and shock-proof point and shoot camera (currently a Fuji – yes, we take snapshots, too, plus Jodi needs something that will survive her kayaking!)

-          Waterproof shoot-through dry-bag (note: we do not trust this bag enough to submerge it, but it works well to protect the camera and a smaller lens while shooting in wet, misty, or drizzly conditions)

-          Quick set-up tripod (QSX DigiPro 8500 with a Joby Ballhead)

-          Heavy-duty tripod (Gitzo tripod with a Wimberly head)

-          Monopod (Gitzo)

-          Nikon Nikkor 600mm lens

-          Nikon Nikkor AF VR  80-400mm  4.5-5.6 lens

-          Nikon Nikkor AF-S  18-200mm  3.5-5.6 lens

-          Quantaray  28-200mm  3.5-5.6 lens

-          Quantaray AF  19-35mm  3.5-4.5 lens

-          Nikon AF-S 1.7 Teleconverter (TC-17EII)

-          Quantaray 2X DG Teleconverter

-          Kenko Extension Tubes (12mm, 20mm, 36mm)

-          Nikon SB-600 Speedlight (flash)

-          Sekonic Flash Master L-358 Light Meter

-          Expodisc

-          Circular polarizing filter for each lens size (except the 600mm)

-          UV filter for each lens size (except the 600mm)

-          Graduated neutral density filters (Lee .3 and .6)

-          Solid neutral density filter (Lee .9)

-          Lee filter holder and lens attachment rings

-          Lumiquest Mini Softbox

-          Big Bounce light reflector

-          Two collapsible light reflectors

-          About a dozen memory cards

-          Cable release

-          At least 2 spare camera batteries (charged)

-          Spare AA batteries for light meter and speedlight

-          Sanho Hyperdrive Colorspace (for backing up memory cards; smaller and more convenient than a laptop)

-          Cell phone

-          Battery chargers for everything (including the phone) as well as power adapters

-          Double axis Spirit Level

-          Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly (for cleaning lenses)

-          Visible Dust Sensor Loupe

-          Lint-free towels

-          Lens cleaning fluid (note: if carrying my gear on a plane, this must be in my one-quart liquids bag)

-          Small multi-purpose tool (similar to a Gerber tool)

-          Small container of Krazy Glue

-          Gloves that can fold back to become fingerless

-          Bandana

-          Scrunchy and clips to pull back Jodi’s hair

-          Assorted Ziplock bags

-          Instruction manuals

 

 

 

Terence

City Escapes Nature Photography

http://www.cityescapesphotography.com/

City Escapes Nature Photography Newsletter - July 2010

CITY ESCAPES

Nature Photography, LLC

 

 

Newsletter

July, 2010

 

 

 

 

Should I Choose Regular Canvas or a Gallery Wrap?

 

Last month we discussed the reasons why you might want to consider having your new photo printed on canvas, instead of on traditional photographic paper.  It doesn’t take too much poking around our site to discover, however, that we offer two different versions of canvas: traditional and gallery wrap.  This month, we look at the differences between the two so that you will have a better idea of which would fit your style.

 

There are two main differences between traditional and gallery wrap canvases.  The first has to do with how much of the actual canvas is covered by the image.  While both types of canvas have full coverage on the front of the image, gallery wraps also usually have printing on all four sides of the canvas, while traditional canvases are left unprinted on the sides.  Though there are many choices, the sides of gallery wraps are usually either solid black, solid white, or an extension of the actual image, in which the image itself is wrapped around the sides of the canvas.  In all cases, gallery wraps are fastened to the stretcher bars underneath only on the back of the bars, effectively hiding all staples, etc. from view.  Hanging hardware is also attached directly to the back of the stretcher bars.  This allows gallery wraps to be hung as they are, without the need for an external frame -- which brings us to the second main difference between traditional canvases and gallery wraps: whether or not an external frame is necessary.  Because traditional canvases are attached to the stretcher bars not only on the back, but also on the sides, proper display of these canvases requires an external frame to hide the fastening hardware.  The hanging hardware would also need to be attached to the external frame.

 

So, which style is preferable?  That is by and large a matter of personal choice.  Frames do add a degree of structural support and protection for the canvas, especially on the larger sizes, but they certainly are not required for successful display.  As long as they are treated with care, gallery wraps should have no structural issues.  Frames provide the opportunity to tie the canvas in visually to many different decors, from rustic to homey to sophisticated, and everything in between. They can and should highlight the art contained within, and when done properly, complement the image by defining and delineating its space, accenting its color scheme, and generally giving the image a “finished” feeling.   Framed images also seem “normal” to our eyes – we are accustomed to seeing prints in frames.

Gallery wraps tend to work best in decors that lean toward the modern.  They are clean and minimalist, having no defining border around the front of the image.  Their simplicity is their genius; there is nothing but the image to draw the viewer’s eye.  Of course, this lack of a defining border leaves the viewer open to distraction from whatever may be in close proximity to the gallery wrap.  For this reason, gallery wraps are especially effective in areas where the wrap has a bit of empty space around it, allowing the wall itself to lend significance to the image.

A final note: when considering a gallery wrap, it should be remembered that they, like all of our canvas prints, have a bit of thickness to them, and are not flat like a paper print.   Though the finished piece will not have the depth of a traditionally framed canvas, all of our canvas prints are stretched on wooden stretcher frames.  Gallery wraps, therefore, are still about an inch thick, and this should be taken into consideration when planning their proper placement.

 

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

Barbecues, fireworks, camping trips, water slides, watermelon – it must be the Fourth of July!  On this Independence Day, we would like to take a moment to be grateful for all of the fabulous things that America has to offer, not least of which are the amazing national parks spread throughout the country that are home to so many wonderful creatures and so much breathtaking natural beauty.  We are proud that our nation began the concept of “national park”, and that this wonderful concept has since spread throughout the world.  In light of this great idea, and in celebration of our freedom to do so, we encourage both citizens and visitors alike to go out and explore one or two – or a dozen! – national and state parks this summer.  You’re sure to see something beautiful!

 

 

July’s Fun Facts

 

In honor of Independence Day, we focus our fun facts this month on, of course, bald eagles.

 

·         Adopted in 1782 as the national symbol of the United States of America, the bald eagle was not the first choice: the golden eagle was.  However, the golden eagle was also found throughout Europe.  The fledgling United States, wanting to emphasize its separation and independence from the Continent, switched its choice to the bald eagle due to the raptor’s geographical specificity.

·         Benjamin Franklin opposed the election of the bald eagle to this exalted post, believing the bird lazy, cowardly, and a thief (among other things, bald eagles are notorious for stealing the fish caught by osprey), and therefore not worthy of representing this new country built on the ideals of bravery and honesty.  Franklin’s preference was for the turkey.

·         The largest bald eagle nest on record measured nine feet wide by twenty feet high, and topped the scales at more than 4,000 pounds.

 

If you have any questions, or suggestions for future newsletters, please email us at: relationships@cityescapesphotography.com

 

Become a fan on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Escapes-Nature-Photography/119004291172

 

CITY ESCAPES Nature Photography, LLC

www.cityescapesphotography.com

509-396-5154

 

Announcing the City Escapes Nature Photography Spring / Summer 2010 Release

We are pleased to announce our Spring / Summer 2010 release is now available at

http://www.city-escapes-photography.com/NewReleases.html  

 

Our newest release takes us to the Oregon coast, where we get to see a bit of personality from harbor seals; to Glacier National Park, which is perpetually stunning; and to the Gulf Coast, where the egrets reign supreme.  (The Gulf Coast images were taken only one week prior to oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill beginning to wash up onto the Louisiana shoreline in significant amounts.)  There is also a “lucky” elephant and a rainbowed waterfall that are not to be missed. 

 

Come find a new favorite image!

 

Become a fan on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Escapes-Nature-Photography/119004291172

 

 

CITY ESCAPES Nature Photography, LLC

www.cityescapesphotography.com

509-396-5154

 

 

City Escapes Nature Photography Newsletter - July 2010

CITY ESCAPES

Nature Photography, LLC

 

 

Newsletter

June, 2010

 

 

 

Our Spring / Summer 2010 Release is Out

 

Our newest release takes us to the Oregon coast, where we get to see a bit of personality from harbor seals; to Glacier National Park, which is perpetually stunning; and to the Gulf Coast, where the egrets reign supreme.  (The Gulf Coast images were taken only one week prior to oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill beginning to wash up onto the Louisiana shoreline in significant amounts.)  There is also a “lucky” elephant and a rainbowed waterfall that are not to be missed.  Come find a new favorite image, and, as always, we’d love to hear what you think!

 

 

Why Should I Consider Canvas?

One of the questions we get most frequently is about when to choose canvas prints.  While it is true that the choice of a traditional print versus a canvas one is very much an issue of personal taste, for those who are considering canvas, that particular bit of information is not all that helpful.  Here, then, are some points to keep in mind when debating canvas versus traditional prints.

Canvas adds a beautiful texture and a classic feel to many photographs, especially images of the natural world.   The very slight roughness of the canvas surface lends a certain three-dimensionality to the image, emphasizing textures and depth.  Additionally, many clients and visitors to our shows tell us that canvas evokes the impression of a painting; indeed, several viewers have mistakenly confused some of our canvas-printed photographs for paintings. 

Additionally, no glass is used to frame a canvas print.  Being glass-free has several advantages:

     ~ the necessity for glare control is eliminated.

     ~ the piece is lighter in weight than an identically-sized, framed paper print, and is therefore able to be hung in places where a heavy frame might be too much for the supporting structures.

     ~ no glass means no irritating streaks on glass that are difficult to remove.

     ~ shipping is safer, as there is no glass to break if the box gets dropped or mishandled.  While severe mishandling could still break the frame, broken glass creates the possibility of damaging the print underneath, or more importantly, the person opening the box.  No glass means no glass shards.

 

Canvas prints are also framed without the use of mats, though a frame liner (a smaller inner frame set within the larger outer frame) is often used to the same effect as mats.  The use of this double-frame can impart a sense of greater substance to the canvas print, compared to the same print traditionally printed and framed.  And of course, for the most streamlined look of all, a Gallery Wrap canvas print has no frame whatsoever.

 

We hope this helps in your decision-making process.  If you are still unsure, we recommend visiting a local gallery and seeing the differences first-hand.  Because these are visual media, nothing beats actually seeing them with your own eyes.

 

 

Happy Father’s Day!

 

We want to wish all of the fathers out there (again, especially ours!) a fantastic Father’s Day.  May you have no lawn work or car maintenance to perform on your special day.

 

 

June’s Fun Fact

 

The male Namaqua sandgrouse, a bird found throughout the western half of arid southern Africa, has found a unique way of ensuring that his chicks get enough water to drink.  Every morning, he makes the round-trip flight to a watering hole, a journey of up to 80 km, where he soaks his underbelly feathers.  The feathers absorb up to eight times their own weight in water before the sandgrouse returns to his nest, where his thirsty offspring drink the water directly from his feathers. 

 

 

If you have any questions, or suggestions for future newsletters, please email us at: relationships@cityescapesphotography.com

 

Become a fan on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Escapes-Nature-Photography/119004291172

 

CITY ESCAPES Nature Photography, LLC

www.cityescapesphotography.com

509-396-5154

 

Packing Light For Business Travel

 

All of the travel guides recommend it, and with airlines charging fees for checking bags, everyone is trying to do it – but how do you really pack light? Last year, I flew over 75,000 miles for business meetings and a thousand more for fun. When I travel for meetings, I never check luggage. I pack my carry-on bag and my personal item (laptop bag) and zip on and off the plane. Furthermore, I want my trips to be efficient and that means having everything I need – and some things I just want - close at hand.

 

Most of the time, I use a Costco brand carry-on bag which has several compartments to separate various items and fits in the overhead compartment on all except the smallest of planes.

 

In the large main bag, I pack:

·         Up to 5 shirts, underwear, handkerchiefs, and socks (less if I am staying fewer than 5 days)

·         1 pair pants

·         1 sweater if I am going somewhere cold

·         Electric razor

·         Toiletry bag containing

o   Cough drops

o   Pepto-Bismol, Claritin, Aspirin   

o   Sewing kits, Band-Aids, Q-tips

o   Travel towel, lint-free shoe shine towel

o   Small tape measure

o   Toothbrush, toothpicks, floss

o   Travel hair brush and comb

o   Deodorant

o   Prescription meds and vitamins

o   Breath mints

·         In the pockets, I keep

o   Hands-free cell phone headset and charger

o   Power chargers for my cell phone and camera

o   Small notepad

o   2 Power Bars

o   Thin magnifying card

o   Laundry detergent and fabric softener for 1 load, in Ziploc bag

o   A number of spare, clean Ziploc bags in varying sizes

o   A plastic laundry bag

·         Small point-and-shoot camera

 

In the front pouch, I pack

·         Travel umbrella

·         3 books

·         1 quart sized Ziploc bag with all of my liquids and gels (as mandated by TSA)

o   3 oz toothpaste, in refillable container (much more affordable than the travel sizes)

o   3 oz shampoo

o   2 oz hand sanitizer

o   Newskin liquid bandage, hand lotion, Neosporin, Chap Stick,

o   4 days worth of Dayquil and Nyquil gel caps

·         Snacks (either trail mix or beef jerky)

 

In the small front pockets I pack

·         Electrical tape (smaller than duct tape J )

·         Assortment of pens (different colors and a Sharpie)

·         Power Bar and a chocolate bar

·         Handi-wipes

·         Post-it notes

·         Batteries for headset

·         Breath mints

·         Business cards

 

In my laptop bag, I pack

·         Laptop & power supply

·         Security cable to tie down laptop

·         Wireless mouse and batteries (both AA and AAA)

·         Notepad

·         Power Bar, chocolate bar

·         Chocolate muffin

·         USB sticks, air-card (for network access over cell phone service)

·         Itinerary

·         Book (the one I am currently reading)

·         Business cards

 

I also use carabineers to clip on

·         A small Pelican Case containing my Bose noise-canceling headset and batteries

·         A refillable water bottle

 

That’s it. I wear my jacket and cell phone so I have easy access to them on the plane and they do not take up any space in the luggage. However, unlike those who truly pack the least amount possible, I have everything I need to handle bad weather, extended layovers, and minor problems such as a missing button.

 

For trips where I have to dress up, I switch to a garment bag instead of the carry-on and pack the suit and shoes instead of the sweater.

 

Clearly, this is not a small list – and I could eliminate many items if I had to (e.g., I really only need one sewing kit and probably don’t need the towel). However, it all fits in my carry-ons and I have ready access to anything I need. I have found that rolling clothes helps save room in the suitcase and allows for more items to be comfortably packed – I am not sure why, but it works well.

 

It would be easy to eliminate things you don’t think you will use on a given trip, but I find being prepared for the unexpected has advantages. You can also reduce the number of clothes you pack by using quick-dry clothing that you can wash in your sink. This tends to be relatively easy if you have access to water, however I only do that when I expect to be on the road for multiple weeks without easy access to a laundry (e.g. on our trip to Africa).

 

Of course, for adventure travel, or even trips where you need a variety of clothing options (e.g. from suits to hiking equipment), you will probably need to pack a broader variety of things and therefore check your luggage.  Otherwise, for standard business trips this should work fine.

 

With a little planning, you can enjoy your trips and keep your travel fees down!

 

Terence

City Escapes Nature Photography

 

P.S. – A Woman’s Perspective

 

As a woman and a photographer, I pack differently than Terence does.  For example, I have a greater variety of liquids that must fit into my one-quart bag, from conditioner and hair-styling products to sunscreen and liquid make-up items.  I also take such things as saline solution for my contacts (which does not have to fit into my one-quart bag, but will need special screening by TSA screeners), a hair dryer, a straightening iron, baby powder, etc.  These extra items do not mean, however, that I cannot also still get everything I need to fit into my two carry-on approved bags.  I simply have to be organized and discriminating about what I choose to bring, especially if I am also bringing my camera gear.  (My camera gear takes up a bag all on its own, leaving me with one carry-on sized bag in which to fit everything else.)

 

I often have to bring an extra pair of shoes, either dress shoes for a special occasion, or hiking boots for a shoot.  In order to save room in my suitcase, on the days I fly I choose to wear the biggest, heaviest pair of shoes I am bringing.  This often means that I am wearing my hiking boots on the plane.  Though my everyday slip-on shoes would be less hassle, I choose instead to opt for more room in my suitcase.  This does come at a price, of course: it is easier and faster to go through the security checkpoints at the airport wearing the slip-ons rather than my hiking boots.  Nonetheless, the extra time and effort is worth it to me.  Note, however, that many people make the exact opposite choice, Terence among them.  You will simply have to decide which works best for you.

 

Some people believe that it is impossible for a woman to carry everything she needs for a week-long trip in carry-on luggage, but I am here to say that such a belief is simply not accurate.  It may require a bit of time and planning to get it right, but it most certainly can be done.

 

 A special note on TSA and airline requirements:  all lithium batteries, regardless of size or purpose, must be included in your carry-on luggage; none may be packed in your checked bags.  On the other hand, no knives or multi-purpose tools may be included in your carry-ons; all must be checked.  I keep a multi-purpose tool in my camera bag.  Therefore, if I am traveling to a place where I cannot easily borrow one, I must either remember to remove the m-p tool from my bag, or check a bag with the m-p tool in it.  And, of course, any time that I take a full-sized camera tripod with me, I must check it.

 

Jodi

 

City Escapes Nature Photography Newsletter - May 2010

CITY ESCAPES

Nature Photography, LLC

 

 

Newsletter

May, 2010

 

 

 

Make Time to Enjoy Nature

 

In light of the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the 30^th anniversary of the Mt. Saint Helens eruption, we would like to remind everyone to go out and actually enjoy and experience the beauty of the natural world.  These events are reminders that our landscape is constantly changing, literally overnight in some cases. Such landscapes are rarely destroyed forever; Mother Nature is nothing if not resilient.  They are, however, deeply altered for long stretches of time, in some cases requiring hundreds of years to return to their previous state, in others becoming something entirely new, never returning to their previous state. 

 

Many disasters are so devastating that the ecosystem affected is fundamentally destroyed.  While another ecosystem will eventually take the original’s place, what was once there is gone forever.  This is the most serious danger of the oil spill, and why so much effort is required to stop the oncoming devastation.  With other disasters, while the damage is extensive, the changes are not always entirely negative, and do not result in the complete devastation of an entire ecosystem.  The Yellowstone fires, for example, while destroying a great deal of forested land, also reinvigorated and renewed that same land, clearing the way for new growth and fertilizing the soil.  And they left in their wake a completely different kind of beauty.  Nonetheless, those who might have wanted to see the Park in its pre-fire glory suddenly found themselves out of time.  Were you one of those people?

 

You do not, however, have to take a long trip to a far away place to enjoy natural beauty.  Wherever you are, there are bound to be some elements of the wild, even if they have now been tamed.  Trees, shrubs, and/or cacti are ubiquitous, finding their way into cities and towns as well as the countryside and deserts, and all offer their own unique version of splendor.  A multitude of superbly hued and wonderfully smelling flowers are common, even if only in your neighbor’s yard.  Birds of all sorts roost, nest, and migrate all around us, filling the air not only with the colorful flutter of their graceful wings, but also the musical notes of their calls, songs, honks and tweets (the original tweeters!).  I have seen herds of deer in the middle of a city as large and bustling as London, been amazed at the size of a resident flock of swans in Hamburg, and eyed coyotes mere miles outside of Houston.  And yet, I have also met people living in Salt Lake City, a town that is closely bordered by glorious mountain ranges, who never notice the mountains on their daily travels.  They know the mountains are there, of course, they just never pay any attention to them – which means they miss seeing the peaks light up at sunset, and dramatic storms getting caught on the jagged edges of the mountain rims, churning in place. 

 

We urge you to pay attention to all of those natural wonders that you see, not only on vacations, but perhaps especially in your day to day life.  Nature is full of wonders and beauty, and it waits only for us to notice and appreciate it.  Don’t wait until a disaster forces you to notice it; you will miss so much if you do.

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

We would like to wish all of the mothers out there (ours in particular!) a wonderful Mother’s Day!  We hope that your families spoiled you rotten in celebration, as you have so often done for us.

 

 

May’s Fun Fact

 

Think nine months is a long time to be pregnant?  Try being an alpine salamander: they are pregnant for up to 38 months!  The average gestation period for this 5.5 inch salamander is two years, but the higher up on the mountain slopes the female salamander lives, the longer she carries her young before birth.  It is thought that the higher altitudes provide less food, as well as shorter periods of warmth for the salamander to be active.  This requires her to remain pregnant until she has had enough time and nourishment to completely develop her young, which are not laid as eggs, like most amphibians, but born as fully-formed salamanders.

 

 

If you have any questions, or suggestions for future newsletters, please email us at: relationships@cityescapesphotography.com

 

Become a fan on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Escapes-Nature-Photography/119004291172

 

CITY ESCAPES Nature Photography, LLC

www.cityescapesphotography.com

509-396-5154