Photography challenges for thru hikers

[bigcranky]

Originally Posted by volleypc

I think you will be surprised at how few pictures of nature and wildlife you will take per day. I started taking pictures of other hikes later in the hike, but wish I had started earlier.

I was going to mention something along this line in my earlier post, to the effect that there really aren't that many great scenic photo opportunities every day along the trail. Frankly, the trail in Georgia in March looks pretty much the same every day. Lots of trees with no leaves, brown and gray everywhere. Many of the great scenic overlooks don't look all that great in blah midday light.

Because I'm not a nature/landscape photographer, I held off, figuring it's not my specialty.

No matter what kind of gear I take on a hike, I am always much more interested in shooting the people I meet along the way. That's the kind of photography I do anyway, because that's what interests me off trail, too.

My approach would be much more documentary, with the occasional scenic shot, but mostly about the daily life on the trail. Whenever I look back at photos from my hikes, I always wish I had shot more photos of the people I met and the things I did each day, and fewer photos of the views.

[Jim Adams]

Originally Posted by volleypc

I think you will be surprised at how few pictures of nature and wildlife you will take per day. I started taking pictures of other hikes later in the hike, but wish I had started earlier.

Good luck.

1990 I shot 9,000+ frames. All on film.
2002 I shot 4,800+ frames. All on film.
2007 on the PCT I shot 380+ frames from the Mexican border to Kennedy Meadows and 2000+ from KM to Yosemite all on digital.

geek

[Lyle]

So Geek, do you attribute the fewer frames in '07 to less interest in the photos, realizing that you over-did the earlier trips, refining the type of shots you really wanted, being more certain of the shots you took since you can review them somewhat with digital, or something else?

Certainly couldn't have been less spectacular of scenery.

Just wondering.

[Jim Adams]

Originally Posted by Lyle

So Geek, do you attribute the fewer frames in '07 to less interest in the photos, realizing that you over-did the earlier trips, refining the type of shots you really wanted, being more certain of the shots you took since you can review them somewhat with digital, or something else?

Certainly couldn't have been less spectacular of scenery.

Just wondering.

No, in 1990 I was very into landscape shots and manipulating the light as much as possible. I got to the end of the trail, had a great hike and realized that I had made about 500 new friends that I had no photos of. I thought about what photo gear to take in 2002 and decided that since I had alot of the landscape shots already that I would take gear that was far more conducive to getting easier, quicker and more plentiful photos. I used a small Nikon film camera with zoom and flash built in and photographed EVERYONE on the trail in all types of situations. I missed the challenges of the landscape photography but ended up with tons of snapshots of friends to show everybody back home.....totally different types of photography but a much more broad perpective to look back on by combining the two different hikes.
As far as quantity difference....2002 I had to pay for my own film!

geek

[Connie]

I like to check dpreview, when considering a digital camera purchase.

I tend to agree with the 2 lens camera systems for hiking. I have seen excellent trip photos made with an Olympus Camera and 2 zoom lenses.

I have two Canon digital camera systems I like reasonably well.

I haven't found my ideal hiking camera outfit.

Right now, it is a Canon digital camera w/swivel viewscreen, 12x zoom, a monopod hiking stick and I think I will add a Stickpic.

Look into HDR.

I use one of these for kayaking. Maybe help in a downpour?

Maybe you could rig an Aquapac SLR camera case on the pack straps where the chest strap is located, using the attachment points? I had heavy elastic webbing rigged for holding navigation binoculars close to my chest for sailing.