Equipment

The choice of photographic equipment is a personal matter and isbased on individual preferences; experience and brand loyalties andthis checklist should serve only as a guide.

Whether you are working digitally or with film, a workshop or tourwill be relevant to both mediums, however photographers workingdigitally are likely to benefit more from the accelerated learning thatthe technology has enabled. The ability to preview images in real timeand have instant feedback and to participate in evening critiquesessions are some of the advantages of working in a digital environment.

Cameras – one body or two? On a tourit makes sense to have some sort of backup should your main camerafail. Your backup camera may be a film body where your primary camerais digital.

Lenses – wide-angle, telephoto,macro? Depending on the tour and intended subject matter, it’s good tohave your bases covered by carrying a range of zoom lenses such as a24-70mm, 70-200mm and perhaps a 100mm Macro lens. These three lensescould cover the vast majority of photographic subjects encountered on atour and if wildlife photography were envisaged, something a bit longerbetween 300mm-500mm would be recommended.

Exposure meter – if you have a manualcamera such as a Fuji GX617 or a view camera, make sure to pack anexposure meter together with a spare battery.

Filters – polarising or graduated neutral density if appropriate.

Flash unit – a flash is invaluable for ‘fill-in’ of foreground shadow areas.

Film – bring adequate film along onyour trip, as there will be no opportunities to source it locally andbecause of the remote nature of our locations we have no access to filmprocessing.

Storage – ensure that you haveadequate memory cards or a larger storage device to down load andbackup images such as a Multimedia Storage Viewer or portable harddrives.

Laptop – it is recommended that youbring your own personal laptop which will facilitate the ease withwhich the day’s images can critiqued and will allow images to beprocessed and archived.

Storage Viewer Device – an increasingnumber of photographers are traveling with these devices rather thancarrying a laptop which offer an alternative way to extend storagecapacity and display images and whilst away from their computers.

Camera bag – a suitable camera bagcapable of carrying your equipment over rugged terrain for shortdistances. A rucksack type is most desirable such as the Lowepro Natureor Photo-Trekker, which distributes the weight between your shouldersand hips and is designed for use in wild places. These bags feature anall weather cover giving protection against rain and snow.

Tripod – as important as your camera,a tripod is essential equipment for all photographers. The model is apersonal choice, which needs to be robust enough to give solid supportwhilst being light enough to carry. Whilst carbon fibre tripods byGitzo and Manfrotto are expensive they offer the best stability in alightweight construction. Equally important is the tripod head, whichneeds to be fit for purpose – I often see photographers struggling withtripods and heads, which are not fit for purpose.

Cable release – again essential equipment - either manual of electronic to eradicate camera shake on long exposures.

Spare batteries – rechargeablebatteries can be ‘topped-up’ at our accommodation, however it isrecommended that photographers bring a spare camera battery or anadequate supply of AA batteries for flashguns.

Chamois cloth - a chamois or lens cloth is invaluable for removing rain or sea spray if it finds its way onto a lens.

Any other accessories, which you normally depend on when working.

This list is intended solely for guidance and as an equipment checklist.

Some items are common sense whilst others are optional accessoriesand not mandatory and it is ultimately for you to decide what to bring.

Remember, packing for every eventuality is not the answer either.Less is often more and if your camera bag contains lenses andaccessories, which you seldom use, your experience may be overwhelmedby the effort required to carry the excessive weight.