Lights, Camera, Camping and Airplanes

Camping on the Rim

As a photographer, I plan many distant location shoots throughout the year.  Some I drive to and some I fly to.  Either way, I choose to forgo the luxury of hotel living and choose instead to camp.  Over the years I have gained a bit of practical knowledge and earned some experience, albeit trial and error may be my best teacher, about how to pack light for these trips.  So, I thought I would share some of what I have learned here in this post.  Because the expeditions that require air travel are generally much more challenging from a gear perspective, I figured that I would write a blog post that lists the gear that I have selected for this upcoming trip and some details about their use and selection.

Even for the most adventurous outdoor explorer and photographer, camping is a lot of work.  As with anything that requires a good amount of effort, the rewards are tremendous.  While on an expedition that is far away from home, spending the entirety of your time in the outdoors means just that, you are outside the entire time.  While you have the opportunity to marry yourself to the landscape and become intimate with your natural surroundings for a few weeks, you are also required to accept what ever Mother Nature throws at you.

Traveling to a location where the weather is expected to be very warm to hot during the day and then change to cool to cold at night can be especially challenging.  Such is the case with photographing the American southwest during springtime in the high desert.  My approaching trip to photograph the emerging wildflowers at the middle and higher elevations requires me to give a bit of thought to the clothing that I will need to not just survive, but to ensure that I am quite comfortable.

Because I will be traveling several thousands of miles to arrive at my chosen shooting location, and I have only a couple of weeks to shoot, I will be leaving on a jet plane!  This presents an added challenge to gear selection as money is always an object and I like to save!  Therefore, I need to pack in a manner that my checked luggage is under the size and weight requirements that trigger the outrageous airline baggage fees.  Generally this means that I check a duffel bag that is under fifty pounds.  I use either a High Sierra 28-inch wheeled duffel bag or a The North Face Large Expedition Duffel bag, depending on the location and the elements that I expect to encounter.

Here is the complete gear listing with details following.

 

Camera Equipment           

I did not list my camera gear here, as everyone’s camera equipment is different.  You already know what you like to shoot with, so just insert those items that you use here!

 

 

 

 

Photography Expedition Packing Guide For Air Travel

 

Other Equipment

Ipad

Iphone

Ipod

Charger Cable for I devices

Apple Camera Connection Kit

Earphones

Motorola Walkie Talkies

Delorme GPS w Spot Communicator

Solar Charging Panel w Battery Pack

Notebook w Pen & Pencil

 

Camping Gear

High Sierra Wheeled Duffel Bag

Kelty Black 50L Hiking Pack

Northface Black Back Pack

Nemo Tent

Sleeping Pad

Summer Sleeping Bag

Large Gerber Knife

Swiss Army Knife

Cricket Folding Knife

Short Bic Lighter

Long Bic Lighter

Small Coleman Lantern Fuel

Small Coleman Lantern LED

Large Mag Lite

Small Mag Lite

Solar Shower (3)- 5 gal capacity

Lashing Straps

Hiking Poles

Head Lamp

Back Country Chair

Aluminum Water Bottle (2)

Small First Aid Pack

Large Bath Towel

Washcloth

Sea to Summit Dry Bag

 

 

 

 

Cooking Gear

Kitchen Cloth

Silverware Set

Cookware Set

Yellow Plates (2)

Primus Pot w French Press

Small Iso Butane Stove

MSR Stove w Bottle

Cutting Board

Wooden Spoon

Coffee Mug

Tongs

Wash/Rinse Blue Bucket Bags

Gallon Size Zip Lock Bags

Quart Size Zip Lock Bags

 

Clothing

Ditty Bags

Kavu Orange Hiking Hat

Marmot Beanie Cap

Headband

Work Gloves

Asolo Hiking Boots

Keen Sandals

Flip Flops

Socks

Underwear

Under Armor Dry Wick T-shirt SS 3

Under Armor Dry Wick T-shirt LS 1

Columbia Dry Wick Warm LS Red

Under Armor 2.0 Comp. Top & Bottom

Shorts- Columbia Light Weight

Shorts- Cargo Camo

Pants- Columbia Cool Creek Dry Wick

Pants- Columbia Passo Alto OmniHeat

T-Shirt- Prana Lightweight Orange

Button Up LS Prana Lightweight Shirt

Fleece- Columbia Green

Jacket- Columbia Blue Soft Shell

Toiletries Bag

 

Descriptions-

Other Equipment

Ipad

This handy device is really only used for entertainment while on the airplane.  I use the flight time to catch up on some photo magazines that I have downloaded using Zinio.  I use the Photographer’s Ephemeris App quite extensively.  If you are not familiar with it, check it out.  It is an amazing and indispensible app for any outdoor photographer!

Iphone

Of course you need your cell phone!  I primarily only use mine while traveling to call my girlfriend each evening to learn about her day and share some of mine.  Yes, I do prefer it when she accompanies me, which is most of the time.  In that case, I just use my phone when I need to know what time it is.

Ipod

Tunes!  You gotta have em’!  I predominately listen to Reggae and enjoy some down tempo/ lounge stuff at night.

Motorola Walkie Talkies

Communication is very important.  Cell phones most often do now work very well when we are in the field in most of our backcountry locations.  And since you NEVER hike alone, and you really should maintain good communication with your partner, a good set of walkie talkies are just the ticket!

Delorme GPS with a Spot Communicator

Again, good communication is key when it comes to personal safety.  The Spot can send a satellite signature to first responders giving your exact Lat and Long location address.  If you get hurt in a remote area, the helicopter is only one button away.

The GPS device is loaded with maps of the location of our shoots.  We use this little gadget to know how to get there, mark our location for further reference, and keep from getting lost.

Solar Charging

Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Charger.  Get one.  Remember there are no hotels and you may not always have the rental car charger handy when in the field.  Photography now a days require some battery juice.  OK, a lot of battery juice.  I carry six camera batteries with me in the field and this solar panel keeps them juiced up.  And the phone to!

Camping Gear

A lot of this stuff is pretty self explanatory, so I will try not to bore you.  The manufacturers of the gear in this department are pretty important.  I tried to list the make and models of the gear that I use in an effort to show you what works well and works for a long time.  When choosing gear, the cost is always a consideration for me, but so too is its value.  I use my gear all year round, for hundreds of days.  If you go only once or twice, then the cheap stuff is fine.

I use a good duffel as my checked bag.  A good quality duffel is critical here as the airline baggage handlers will do their absolute best to ruin it for you!  This duffel also serves as my base camp organizer for clothes and equipment.  I keep this bag in my tent, so I never ever pack food in it.

Kelty 50 liter Hiking Pack

I use this bag as my carry on luggage.  It fits perfectly in the overhead bins and you can pack quite a bit in it.  When I get to base camp, this bag is repacked with the items that I will need for backcountry treks.  A good bag is critical here as well.  The bag needs to be of good build quality, but more importantly, it needs to fit you well!  You will be attached to this thing for many, many miles.  Comfort is King!

The North Face Optimus Back Pack

This bag serves as my personal item that I carry onto the plane.  I use this bag to carry my photo equipment.  I can wear this pack on the front of my body (like a baby carrier) while my larger hiking pack is on my back.  This pack will fit under the seat in front of you and gives you easy access to things like the Ipod and Ipad, etc. while keeping the expensive photo equipment (camera and lenses) with you at all times.

Nemo Tent

I typically use a Marmot 2 person tent because it is small and light.  With one person and gear, it can feel a bit small.  I had some room to spare in my bag so I decided to go five star for this trip and take a 3 person tent.  This will give me some additional room to move around in, which is a luxury.

Sleeping Pad and Sleeping bag

This is totally personal preference here.  I don’t require much in this department because once I fall asleep then its literally “lights out”!  My only requirement is that the bag keeps me warm.  I use Marmot sleeping bags because the bang for your buck is great!  Not too pricy, but great quality.  I use down bags because they compress down to a very small size and weigh very little.  I use a folding Zmat  by Featherlight.  It is a minimalist pad that gets the job done, but I would not mind something a bit more posh!

Solar Showers

They are awesome.  Just fill them up, place in the sun for a few hours and you have hot water.  I am using three of them with five gallon capacity each on this trip.  Perfect for taking a shower, washing my clothes and cleaning the dishes.

Lashing Straps

Indispensible.  Grab a few of these and keep them in your pack.  I use them to create a clothes line, for hanging food from a tree (in bear country), hanging a lantern, attaching things like a sleeping bag to my pack, for tying back branches, and much more.

Hiking Poles

I use these on every hike.  Once you start using them, you will never hike empty handed.  These poles offer great stability, especially on rocky and steep descents.  I recommend a really good pair.  I use the Black Diamond men’s aluminum poles.

Back Country Chair

Yes, this is a luxury item!  It is a small, very light weight folding chair that easily fits in your hiking bag.  It is a great item to have when you reach the top and go for celebratory summit beer!  Of course, sitting and waiting for the right light is much nicer in a chair as opposed to the ground.

First Aid Pack

Because you don’t leave home with out it!

Washcloth and Bath Towel

Two weeks in the wilderness should definitely be interrupted a few times with a shower.

Cooking Gear

This category is pretty straight forward.  Cooking utensils are a must, but should be kept rather simple.  We actually cook pretty well while we are out.  The MSR stove that I use is a great piece of equipment.  It works using a variety of fuels, but I try to stay with using only the white gas because it burns cleaner.  I use a Primus pot that includes a French press for making coffee in the morning and for boiling water for cooking.  I have an REI cookware set that consists of two pots and two pans that have been going strong for many years.  I have two collapsible bucket style bags that I use for washing dishes and doing laundry.  One is for washing and the other is for rinsing.

Clothing

This may be the toughest category of gear to pack.  I try really hard to keep it simple and take only what I will need and no more.  I pack the clothing in my carry on bag so that I can save space in my checked bag for the other gear.  When I pack my clothes, I organize the items into separate ditty bags to compress them to the smallest size possible.  One bag for underwear, bag for shirts, etc.

Because of the temperature shifts between day and night in the high desert, I really need warm weather clothes for the day and cold weather clothes for night.  This could really make for having to take a lot of items in order to have two different wardrobes, but not necessarily.  One trick that I have learned is to wear the heaviest clothes on your body while traveling.  This frees up space and weight in your pack and you really don’t get them dirty on the plane.  For example, I will wear my hiking boots on my person and pack the Keen sandals.  I will wear a t-shirt, a button up shirt, and the fleece.  If it is not too warm, I will also wear the jacket.

In order to stay warm at night, I am bringing compression gear.  I can put this additional layer on under my other clothes to give me a great amount of warmth.  The Omni-Heat soft shell pants, the fleece and the soft shell jacket will pretty much be worn each night and should take care of me just fine.  I don’t use cotton shirts because when they get wet they are just miserable to wear and take forever to dry. I use Under Armor Dry Wick shirts that are a blend of polyester and some other man made material.  They are very lightweight, compress well and I can sweat in them all I want and still feel dry.  I generally will take two or three short sleeves and one long sleeve.  I am packing two pairs of shorts.  That way I can wear one while the other is drying out after washing.  I am taking two pairs of lightweight pants for the same reason.  I will only have to pack one pair, because I will be wearing the other pair on the plane!  You may notice that I am a fan of Columbia clothing.  For outdoor clothing value, you just can’t beat Columbia.

To keep the sun at bay during the day, I wear a Kavu wide brim hat.  It is bright orange and makes me look like a rice farmer, but it works to keep me cool and dry when it rains.  I am taking a beanie cap to wear at night in case it gets really cold.  The work gloves are the Mechanix brand leather and nylon medium duty gloves.  These are great to have while gathering firewood, and doing general campsite chores.  They are also nice to have while hiking in rough terrain where you may have to do some scrambling.

This may just be the longest post that I have ever written.  If you made it this far, then I suppose I did not bore you to death.  Hopefully some of this information was new and helpful.  I think that the best way to capture wonderful outdoor photography is to get outdoors and stay there.  It is always so nice when shooting late into the night to be able to jump into your sleeping bag to catch some ZZZ’s rather than getting into the truck and driving back to the hotel.

Good Night Yall!  (zzziiippp)

Another Beautiful Day

 

Here I am, squeezing out a post for October!  Where does the time go? Oh, wait, it doesn’t go anywhere because it doesn’t exist! Whew, for a moment there I thought that I had lost something.  It is a rainy and gloomy sort of day today, hence, I am finally inside after five consecutive long weekends of camping, hiking and photographic fun.  I must admit, I am looking forward to a recovery weekend to rest my muscles and organize my gear.

We found ourselves at the summit of Sharp Top Peak in the Jefferson National Forest, deep in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, this past weekend.  We hiked up late in the afternoon so that we could hang out to enjoy the sunset and then hike back down under a clear moonlit sky.  The view was breath-taking.  With a 360 degree panorama of sky overlooking awesome Autumn foliage, I really had a hard time choosing which composition that I wanted to commit to shooting as the sun dipped down over the mountain.

As a landscape photographer, I am often presented with a myriad of opportunities when looking through the lens for a winning composition.  I have to ask myself, what exactly am I feeling at the moment and how do I wish to express it.  I consider what frame am I going to choose exactly, because once I do, then that is going to be it for the shoot.  Or at least until the sun goes down!  It is very easy to become distracted by the beauty before you when shooting a landscape.  You may even find yourself trying to capture everything in sight.  I encourage photographers to resist this urge.  Just as our parents taught us that “you can not have everything”, I am going to reiterate this point and say that, “you simply can not shoot everything and shoot it well.  I encourage photographers to commit to a scene after careful study.  Once you select your shot, stay with it!

I believe that my approach is a proper one if we stop to consider all that we must do to prepare for that perfect photograph.  To begin with, we must find all of the elements that create a pleasing composition.  This is certainly not easily done on the fly!  Secondly, we must consider how we are going to expose the photograph.  We do not do this just once, but many, many times over as the light changes.  By committing to your scene, you are actually simplifying your approach to the final photograph and getting into a “zone” with the tasks at hand.  Now, by comparison, consider how distracting it would be trying to shoot everything in sight.  By eliminating the distraction, you are left to focus on your chosen composition, to practice getting the exposure just right, and keeping the frame tack sharp.  The result, is that prize-winning photograph and not just a stack of snapshots!

Out into the open

I currently live in Virginia, as I have for my entire life.  While I do spend quite a fair amount of time traveling, I spend the majority of my days in a tree shrouded land that is anything other than an open plain.  Our mountain range is the Appalachians, a series of baby mountains that crawl their way up the eastern side of the state.  If I want some bigger mountain fun, I can always drive down to the Smokey’s in North Carolina and Georgia, but even so I find myself day dreaming about the Rocky Mountains and their 14,000 foot elevations.  It is a classic symptom of wanting my ‘here’ to be ‘there’, but I understand that once my ‘there’ is ‘here’ I will want another ‘there’ to again be my ‘here’.

I embrace my ‘here’ and make good use of all the beauty that this land has to share.  I am excited about some upcoming time-lapse projects that I have planned for the Spring in Shenandoah National Park.  While I enjoy the forested land of my backyard, I often think about my travels out west and its offering of big skies and wide open terrain.  The other day I flipped through some photos of hikes made last year.  I like to revisit shots that I never processed, for what ever reason, thinking that I may find a new perspective in a few of them.  While it is rare to find that hidden gem that was previously neglected, it is fun to process a couple of old shots, if only to seemingly spend time out west again in my mind.  The photo that I share with you today is one such shot.  It is from the rim of the Red River and was taking during an afternoon hike there.  It is not the “wow” landscape photograph that was shot during the “golden hours”, in fact the lighting was quite harsh.  I remember being captivated by the moss-covered rock cliffs and the grass lands above.  I remember framing this shot so that the deep cut of the river through the land would lead the eye up and to the distant mountain.  At any rate, I hope that you enjoy this little piece of New Mexico!

less is so much more. when the cold brings warmth.

Early this month I camped in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona.  The air was dry and warm.  I thought that it was just beautiful and perfect.  This past weekend I camped in the Virginia Forests.  The air was cold and wet.  I thought that this too was beautiful and perfect.  Of course, I understand that as different as these two places were and as beautiful as I thought them to be, that neither of these locations were perfect.   Neither were the experiences that I associated with them.

While I hold a preference to the warm temperatures, sunny days and clear nights,  I understand that it is a preference.  I enjoy this preference in part because it seems to exist for me at the moment.  This appearance is possible to me because of the non existence of cold temperatures, cloudy days and snowy nights.  Both can not exist, or appear to exist, at the same time.  This is the nature of duality.  I am able to compare one against the other, see the contrast, judge the merits of each, and formulate an opinion about which one of the two is more pleasing to me.  This is the nature of preference.

On the surface, this action of thought would be accepted by most as being quite normal.  We all do it all of the time.  We make choices many times a day, selecting one thing over another based on how it makes us feel and what we would want more of.  Our preference with regards to what we want drives us to make decisions about many things, such as what we purchase, what we want to do for a living, etc.  Advertisers and Marketers know a whole lot about how this works.  They use this their knowledge about this little facet of human behavior to their advantage, charging their clients big bucks to promote and sell products and services.  This nature of want is powerful, but it is also very dangerous.

The nature of duality, the nature of preference and the nature of want are all false.  None of these phenomenon have anything to do with what we need, and have nothing to do with what is ultimately true.  What we want and we need here on earth are very different and which one we choose to place our concentration upon cultivates the path that we travel through in this life while we are in this world.

In the hot desert sun we may need some shade, darkness, water.  In the frigid forest with snow poring down we may need shelter, fire, food.  The more extreme the situation, the more our mind focuses on need instead of want.  When we become cold we may want to be warm, then the moment becomes we need to get warm.  This is the point when we choose need over want.  We also call this survival instinct.  There are many in this world that are never presented with the opportunity to shift their focus in this manner.  Let’s face it.  If your basic needs are taken care of and then some, you are comfortable and live without the treat of becoming harmed from the Earth’s elements, then you are pretty likely not going to pay much attention to what it is you need.  Instead, your mind becomes a residence for thoughts about what you want.  I can almost promise you that the man building a shelter and hunting for food in the hours before darkness on snow covered terrain is not thinking about how nice a Ferrari would look in his driveway.  Nor would he give any thought to what others would think about it.

For most of us, we live in a day and age where extreme survival skills are not necessary.  We generally have it pretty good in that our basic needs can be met relatively easily.  We are comfortable.  This state of being opens the door for us to place our focus on what we want.  I understand this and do it myself from time to time.  I also understand that in my search for ultimate wisdom that this is not the most beneficial use of my time.  The most wonderful thing about this world is not the fantastic places that are fun to visit and photograph, it is the power educational resource that it represents.  Every day that we are here is an educational opportunity.

This life that we lead is a learning experience.  It is as simple as that.  In this dualistic world yes, there is love and hate, white and black, hot and cold, so on and so on.  It is this way, nothing more and nothing less.  In being so, perhaps so much more can come from so much less.  Perhaps the extreme cold can assist us with refocusing our mind on what we need rather than what we want.  Extreme contrasts such as sleeping in the desert and then sleeping in a freezing forest help us to pay attention to exactly what it is that is around us.   To live in it first hand without the comforts that we have created for ourselves through our wants and desires, we enter the realm of less.  We all can pay close attention while in Earth School and learn from the experience.  We just need to take the opportunity.  Such as during the cold Winter months, we can choose to drop the weight of our possessions, if even for a small length of time, get out of our warm houses and into the elements.  When we do so, we can then face the cold, accept it and find peace in what is the moment.  We can enjoy the opportunity to shift our focus away from want and possibly find a new understanding about the difference between the two.  With much practice we can learn that from an enlightened mind flows the warmth of Truth.

Indian Land and Monsoon Sky

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I have been gone for a while.  I am not really certain whether or not I am back yet, but that is a relative thought at the moment.  Crista, Cameron and I recently flew out to Denver Colorado to participate in the Jah celebration festivities at the Red Rocks park and amphitheater.  I must say that this is absolutely the coolest music venue that I have ever visited.  The fact that we enjoyed twelve hours of Reggae music while drinking craft brewed IPA beers made it even better than I could have ever imagined.

While I reluctantly had to return Crista to the airport on Sunday, I could not stop thinking that the next two weeks were going to be spent hiking and camping our way through southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.  Cameron joined me on this trip and was ready to roll.  We packed all of the necessary gear that we would need and checked it onto the plane.  We were each limited to fifty pounds of essentials that included clothes, tent, pack, cookware, sleeping bag, and miscellaneous items.  We did purchase a couple of luxuries once we picked up the rental car, such as a cooler and two camping chairs.  We purchased these on the cheap and donated them to fellow campers whom we met during our last night’s stay on the Rio Grande.

Enough words for now.  I have lots to write about now that I am back to a computer, but I know you don’t care to read anymore because there are ninety photos in this slideshow!  Enjoy!!

River of Life

For me, there is no better place to be on earth than on the river.  Of course that is just my humanly take on things.  If I were, then I would surely be a river-man.  Few things in this life can beat a wet day on a river that is followed by a dry night sitting by a fire.

It matters very little where you may go to enjoy the river’s beauty.  Whether it be floating the rapids in a kayak or simply sitting upon a rock at the water’s edge in Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Utah, etc.  It is all river life at its finest.  Those who spend time on the river are familiar with the lifestyle’s unique laid back and carefree disposition.  Outside of the practice personal and group water safety, there is little formality with regards to river life.  There is never a need for flashy jewelry or makeup and clean clothes fall secondary to dry clothes.  In this kingdom there are gravel roads, campfires, star filled skies, gentle sounds and plenty of beer.

What I find most enjoyable on the river is the peace that surrounds it.  It feels like an environment where love abounds.  In contrast to more urban settings, when one is in need, assistance is immediately available.  From someone falling out of a boat or raft to a fine fellow without a beer, there is always someone willing to help out.  There is certainly a brotherhood on these waters that serves as a reminder that we all really are connected.

Today I had a wonderful time on the river.  I again find myself in the beautiful wild that is West Virginia.  I am currently sitting by a campfire enjoying the last rays of the afternoon sun.  While I feel the warmth of the fire surround my body, I watch out as the light turns golden-yellow, piercing through the tree canopy above me at a low angle and casting long shadows upon the ground.  These last shadows of the day are the first settling in of darkness.  A preamble to nightfall when the fire on the ground and the moon and stars above become the light show of the hour.  I place more wood onto the fire and then sit back into my chair, relaxing.  I breathe calmly and allow the flood of relaxation to flood over my body.  I consider the wonderful day that was had on the water and I think about how this moment is a wonderful place to be, and that life is indeed good.

Want to see a waterfall?

If so, then follow me!  I totally dig waterfalls.  I like them so much that I am seriously thinking about learning to ice climb this winter so that I can climb one!  Frozen of course.  A few weekends ago I found myself in the New River Gorge in beautiful West Virginia.  It is funny how I just find myself places.  It works like this……I start thinking about something fun to do outdoors, I then close my eyes, and poof!  There I go!  I had so much fun here that I am actually going back next weekend for a bit of White Water fun on the Lower New River.

Crista and I were out exploring late one morning and happened to find this awesome waterfall just past the Gauley River Bridge.  We hung out for about a half an hour, as I was waiting for the sun to climb a bit higher so that the rays would hit the water just right to make it glow.  Photography is a patient man’s game and it pays off if you can just wait it out.  If I had not waited, then the entire waterfall would have been in the shade.  Can you say boring?!  But just the right light makes all of the difference in the world.  Maybe I should post one of the boring and dim pictures so that you can see the difference.  Well, maybe not.  I like this one just fine.