Lets finish packing the camera bag
We have the camera, we have the lenses, we even have all the required accessories to make a successful digital photo safari in Africa.
If you are missing any of these then you may want to read the following posts:
What do I take on a Photo Safari in Africa
Have camera will travel but what else do I need?
So whats left??
Any guesses? What have we forgotten?
Now its time for the little things, the bits you may not use but you can be sure you will if you do not pack them.
Lets jump right in.
Lens cleaning cloth/tissue: We have brought the sensor cleaning gear but the front of the lens will need attention to. Of course if you prefer a lens pen is also an option. Also good for cleaning the body and viewfinder. I usually clean the body and used lenses each night. This check also includes a sensor check for dust.
Lens cleaning solution: Sometimes you manage to get stubborn grime on the glass, and the trusty old breathe on the glass doesn't do the trick. Of course pack this along with any sharp implements in your booked luggage.
Blower: These days my blower gets used more for charging up my Visible Dust brush but its still handy to have with you. If you were bad and didn't get a sensor cleaning solution you are going to need the blower to try and dislodge the dust.
TIP: Preaching to the choir maybe but always hold the camera with the lens opening facing down when playing with the blower in the chamber. No point dislodging the dust to have gravity plop it back down on the sensor.
Flash: If you have a decent flash for your camera take it. Fill flash is what sets apart amateur wildlife shots from the pros (other than composition, timing and light). Well executed fill flash will give you the catch lights in the eyes and diminish the shadows on your target critter. Obviously in the Africa situation you may not be in range with your flash so look at getting a Better Beamer. Basically a light weight fresnel lens for your flash, which extends its viable range considerably. I finally got around to getting one (they are hard to get in Australia) so I will be trying it out on the Kenya trip.
Filters: I will avoid the quasi religious war over UV filters and their use with digital cameras. I still have mine on all lenses but its more out of habit from the film days than anything else. From the protection angle, on safari the hood is always on the lens which protects the glass from most things.
What other filters do I take:
- Polariser: If you are out in the harsh daylight, you will need this. Try a Moose Peterson Warming Polariser to help remove the coldness that a polariser brings.
- 81b: Yes you can add this afterwards in Photoshop but I prefer to do it on camera. This filter gently warms the scene, thus extending that magic light in the morning a little longer.
Remote: Why bother I hear you ask. Well its only small and you may get a chance to do some landcape work braced on something at the end of the day.
Hot shoe Bubble Level: Same deal as the remote, its tiny and weighs next to nothing, so why not. Yes you can also fix croooked horizons in Photoshop or Lightroom but its yet more to fix. Get it right in camera and save yourself some time.
Small NoteBook: Your mileage will vary on this one but given myself and partner shoot its handy to keep track of who shot what. Every card downloaded goes into a unique folder, after a month in the field it gets hard to remember whose is whose. Its also handy to record what animals you saw each day and in what order. Makes file captioning easy if you do it back home. Hopefully on the upcoming Kenya trip the laptop will make this all alot easier. On the pluis side a small notepad and pencil is way lighter and smaller than a laptop.
Camera manual: You are bound to have a thin zippered area on you camera bag that is pretty useless for most camera gear. Thankfully Canon manuals are small and you can generally shove it in. Yes you should know how to use your camera before you go but the downtime between game drives gives you plenty of time to read up and try new things.
Camera Support: The need for this depends on the type of vehicle you are doing your game drives in. In Southern Africa where open landrovers are the norm you will have space to use a monopod. You could also get away with a clamp device as there is usually a decent steel tubing in front of you supporting the seat. In areas where you cannot use open landrovers you generally have either poptops or open windows for these a bean bag is essential.
TIP: Fill your beanbag when you get to your destination, rice or split peas or even beans do the job well. These are cheap and can be given away at the end of the trip.
So thats about it, by now you camera bag is full and weighs far more than is allowable for hand luggage. The secret here is to make the bag look light. Of course it has to fit in the overhead but if you are struggling with it, they are going to weigh it.
This leads to the next topic, which in hindsight might have been more appropriate before this. The camera bag itself.
Have an must have item that I have neglected then let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment