Camera Nerds - The Lost Coast

Choosing what camera gear to carry on a long distance bike trip is always a challenge.  Over the years I have spanned the gamut from the simplicity of a smart phone to the complexities of DSLRs and mirrorless bodies.  Often for me, the over-arching theme is what types of images am I hoping to capture and what is my intended goal for said images.  Am I shooting to simply blog or am I looking for large print worthy images?  Am I traveling in a capacity that allows me to carry a bit more gear or am I very much constrained by size and weight.  

Since adopting a purely Bikepacking style of traveling, size and weight have often been key components in any decision that I make.  An exception to this was my trip last year to Alaska where I knew that I would have to use rear panniers in order to carry the amount and type of food needed for a self supported tour.  That decision opened up the opportunity to carry a D800E DSLR and a set of larger Zeiss lenses with a small NEX-7 as my point and shoot body.

You can barely see the little Hubba Hubba bag on top of my roll bag.  That is how nicely it fits up there.

For the recent Lost Coast trip, I knew that I needed to travel light, so I opted for a very minimal kit, at least minimal in size and weight.  I chose to carry my little Nikon V1 with 10/2,8 lens as my go to  on the bike 'grab' camera.  For a bit higher quality imagery I carried the Fuji X100s and the Fuji X-E1 with a XF 35/1,4 and the XF 60/2,4.  This entire kit, with batteries, easily fit in a Think Tank Hubba Hubba Hiney pack that was attached to my handlebars with velcro straps.

What was so interesting to me about the choice of camera gear was the distribution of both the images that I shot and then the distribution of images that made the final cut for my Lost Coast Photo Essay.  To say it was not what I expected is an understatement.  Here are the final stats:

Images captured on the entire trip: 3527 images

• Nikon V1: 1603
• Fuji X-E1 w/35: 196
• Fuji X-E1 w/60: 268
• X100s: 1460

That proved to be a fairly reasonable result given that the Nikon V1 was my go to camera on the bike.  It was the camera that was most easily simply grabbed and shot while cruising along on the bike. At camp or for more methodical shooting I would turn to the Fuji's to do the job.  As you can see, I really did not like the X-E1 very much otherwise I would have used it way more than the little X100s.  The X100s is just a lovely little camera to hold and shoot.  I look forward to seeing what Fuji does with that little guy.

However, what was really amazing to me, although I guess not totally unexpected, was the distribution of images that I used to tell the story.  These were images that I selected not only for their meaning to the story, but also because I felt they were nicely crafted images from a Image Quality (IQ) perspective.  Now, before this trip, I was shooting almost exclusively for a year with a Nikon D800E and Zeiss glass.  Widely considered to be one of the finest cameras ever made.  So my definition of IQ is a bit biased in one direction.

The final image selection: 118 images

• Fuji X100s: 43 images
• Fuji X-E1 w/35: 9
• Fuji X-E1 w/60: 20
• Nikon V1: 46

Folks, the Nikon V1 can be had for a little more than $200 on the used market w/10mm lens, which is exactly how I acquired mine.  This little camera and those image distribution numbers just blow me away. I want to beat the crap out of Nikon because they have allowed this little guy to be pummeled by the media when the reality is, if your target is the web or small (11x14) print, this camera just rocks.  It still  has the fastest, most reliable, AF of any small camera.  Yes it has a few warts, but it produces absolutely solid B&W images. 

I admit, I am not a fan of its color, but as anyone who follows my efforts these days knows I am turning almost exclusively to B&W imagery, and the little V1 does B&W beautifully. This camera at the current price points, should be in every adventurers bag.  The V1 uses the older Nikon batteries and they just last, so you can take a little V1 with the 10/2,8 lens, two batteries, and go shoot forever.  To say I am a fan is really an understatement.

Other than promoting the little V1, which really was not my main intent, I wanted to highlight how you can go create a compelling visual story with just about any camera out there today.  They all take great pictures, which means, like it always has, it is about the person behind the lens, the one that chooses when to push the shutter button.

Learning to see, before you pull the trigger, is what it is all about.

Defining Your Vision

I love this quote:

"You have to perform your own visual signature, you cannot get anyplace imitating the work of the people you admire" -- Ralph Gibson

It is a theme or a message that I struggle with all of the time.  Not so much in that  I am trying to imitate anyone else, but that I am often concerned about what others think to the detriment of what I see.  A subtle shift, but one that can have the same affect on your creative work. 

It can cause you to photograph in a way that is not true to yourself and your own vision, instead playing to what you believe others want.  I believe that this can have the same detrimental impact on your personal vision as what Ralph was talking about.  A subtle difference, but still an impact on the purity of your own work. 

Below is the interview where he talks about this and a few other things.

Motion

This weeks challenge is to capture motion.  I love trying to capture motion that adds a bit of drama to an image or to a story.  This image was from the Old City in Morocco 2 years ago where speeding mopeds would brazenly wind their way through the tightly congested paths full of people, street vendors and the occasional animal. 

This week I am going to challenge myself to a B&W motion image, something that I have not done much with.  My preference has always been to have color be the defining motion element, so for me, this is a chance to push myself.  I will post my results next week.  Feel free to post links in the comments sections to your images.

Portland Photo Walk - 2/08/14

I am planning a photo walk, this coming Saturday, 2/08 in downtown Portland Maine.  The goal is to simply walk the city, sample some of the local beers, and have fun taking pictures.  Any and all are welcome to join in.  Start time will be 6:00 and we will meet at Eventide.  Please email me or comment here if you are planning on attending. 

Below are some images captured on my last Portland Photo Walk.  A beautiful city to photograph at night.

Into the Light

I through out a challenge the other day to push yourself as a photographer and try shooting into the light.  Most amateurs tend to shy away from this style, instead opting to shoot the safer route, with the sun over your shoulder.  Shooting into the light can create drama in your images especially those destined for Black & White. 

My shot above was captured in downtown Bangor Maine.  I located a small park bench that had the light coming directly into my face.  I could see that the tree and the other bench would provide some very compelling contrast, but it was not enough to make a worthwhile picture.  Instead, I sat patiently waiting for something interesting to enter the scene, something that would add meaning to the image.  

Monochrome Detail

There is a lot of chatter about how the Leica Monochrome files come out of the camera 'Flat'.  I would tend to agree that the DNG default curve applied to these files is definitely of a linear nature.  However, I have found two things while working with these files for the past month.  First, they are very, very workable, either in LR alone or a combination of LR and Silver Effex Pro.  Second, the amount of detail in these files, especially in the shadow areas is nothing short of amazing.

Here is a before and after image with the before file representing my standard MM Lightroom Import settings.  A small amount of contrast, a slight curve, clarity and sharpening are all applied on import.  From there I do my basic adjustments in the LR development module and then import the files into SEP where I have tremendous control over the entire B&W file.

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File as imported into Lightroom w/base adjustments applied

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Processed in Lightroom and Silver Effex Pro

Not always about sharp

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You hear a good deal of internet chatter these days about the concept of sharpness.  While sharpness can be important, it is often more critical that an image have impact, feeling, or some form of energy.  Sometimes these require sharpness, but more often than not, they don't. 

1,000 Miles Across Alaska - My Photo Kit

Life is full of trade offs and the same applies to traveling with photography gear. Questions like do I go ultra light? What camera will give me the best image quality?  How will I carry my gear in a safe and accessible manner?  All of these questions are key elements in choosing what camera gear will accompany me on each of my trips. Once gear is chosen the questions of processing, sharing and backing up, not too mention power, need to be addressed. For my Alaska trip, everything became more complicated by the fact that I would be traveling by bike, in the middle of winter, across south central Alaska, with incredible photographic opportunities at hand.

I am now 4 years and more than 17,000 miles into this little adventure of mine and my entire photographic thought process continues to evolve. I have traveled with multiple DSLRs and a wide selection of lenses by kayak and gone uber light with nothing more than an NEX and two lenses on a bike.  While the smaller cameras and their lenses are getting better every year I have still yet to find a small solution that matches the quality of my Nikon bodies and my Zeiss MF lenses (barring a $40K investment in a Leica M9 and Leica Glass, something I am happy to do should Leica wish to make a small donation…). At the end of each and every trip where I have opted to not bring my larger bodies and lenses, I have been disappointed with the overall IQ of what I captured.

With those memories in mind I opted to bring a large kit for this trip. I knew that I was going to experience some stunning locations and vistas, and I wanted to capture those scenes in as much detail as possible.  I knew that I would be happy with nothing less than my best gear, even if it meant going heavy.

My camera kit included:

   * Nikon D800e
   * Zeiss 21 2,8
   * Zeiss 50 1,4
   * Zeiss 100 1,4
   * NEX -7 with 50 1,8
   * 2 Nikon batteries
   * 4 NEX batteries
   * Beat up Gitzo  carbon fiber tripod with RRS ball head

I used the D800 for the majority of my shots with the NEX picking up the slack as a sort of quick draw camera for snapshots.  The Zeiss glass, as you may know, is simply stunning. I have shot some of Nikons finest lenses and for me, there is a magic in the Zeiss glass that does not exist in most of Nikons lineup. The exception for me would be the stunning 200 2,0 but that is a beast of a lens with very specific application. The Zeiss lenses are simply works of art, fashioned out of medal with a smooth, almost buttery, focus throw.  They are still adorned with good old fashion
 f-stop and dof markings. The weight of these lenses balances very nicely with the medium weight of the D800, making the combination a very hand holdable kit.

An advantage to shooting the Zeiss glass is that the manual focus lenses draw no power from the camera. I remember when I first got the lenses being amazed at how long a single battery lasted. As you can imagine, in the winter of Alaska, power management is a huge issue. The Zeiss lenses did exactly as I hoped and the two batteries were only recharged once in two months of shooting.

One of the challenges with this setup is that I do not like to carry backpacks when riding a bike. This meant I had to figure out a way to carry a base camera weight (Nikon + Zeiss) of 6.6lbs, plus all the other photographic kit on a bike in a manner that would both protect the gear from the elements and provide me with quick access.  I hate to say it, but this whole issue is still a work in progress for me as I found no real good solution.

I worked out a system that used a very old Arc'teryx hip pack strapped to my handlebars.  This pack carried the D800 with one lens attached and one other lens stored in the bag. My third lens was stored in my frame bag. The little makeshift camera bag has waterproof fabric and zippers which provided a basic level of protection. I wrapped each lens in a zip lock bag and used a large turkey roasting bag to protect the camera.  Those turkey bags are big, and very tough, not too mention cheap. 

I stored the NEX, lens down, in the water bottle pockets on the side of the pack. It was always wrapped in some form of plastic bag. My favorite general purpose bag is the kind you get in the bulk food isle.  They cost nothing, are large and are reasonably durable. When I needed to carry the camera off bike I used my favorite piece of UL kit, the Sea to Summit sil nylon backpack. It weighs 2 ounces and stuffs the size of two golf balls. 

Now that I had sorted a way to carry my gear I had to find a way to process and share images.  Typically I would carry my MacBook Air, but I did not want to do that on this trip.  The elements were going to be extreme, and I was unclear of my route. I could not afford to have anything happen to that computer, so I opted to go the tablet route, choosing the basic ipad mini.  Having never owned a tablet before, this would prove to be a very frustrating choice.  While there a clearly lots of apps out there for photos, I was unable to find anything that solved all of my issues.  Instead I was forced to cobble together a workflow that allowed me to import images, do basic adjustments, including black and white conversions, and then distribute the images to social media.  Here was my basic workflow:

The D800 allows you to shoot to both a CF card an SD card.  In addition, it allows you to shoot Raw to the CF card and jpegs of varying  sizes to the SD card.  This allowed me to keep one 16gb SD card in the camera the entire time as a sort of simple backup, while shooting to over 20 CF cards.  I had no ability to backup anything other than the small jpegs I was shooting on the SD card which were dumped to the iPad mini on a selective basis.

When I had the opportunity to do some edits, I would remove the CF card from the camera and then connect the camera to the Ipad mini via the USB connection kit.  I did this so that I was using the camera battery to power the USB connection instead of the opposite.  Using the native photo app on the iPad, I selected specific images to import.  Once the images were imported, the real challenges began.  Because I had decided that Google Snapspeed app provided the best image editing capabilities I had to find a very simplistic way to do my 'selects'.  Obviously what I wanted to do was go through images, choose the ones to edit, and then edit them. However, the choice of Snapspeed forced me to work in what I would call a very kludge way.

Basically, I would go into the photo app and begin looking at images.  Once I found the one to edit I would switch back to Snapspeed and use their horrible image selection tool to find the image that I wanted to edit.  i dont for the life of me understand why they have not changed this as it is clearly intended for a phone where their is minimal real estate on the screen.  The size of the thumbnails is ridiculously small forcing me to switch back and forth in an effort to find the correct image. Once the image is selected I loved everything about the app.  The adjustment tools, including selective adjustment, are fantastic and intuitive. The B&W conversions and one or two other filters provided me with all that I needed.

Working off of these small jpegs, adjustments were very quick. Once complete, Snapspeed saves the images to a Snapspeed album. I could find no way to change this, which forced me to then go back to the edited images, using the native photo app to create a separate album containing my edited collection. That felt like a huge run on sentence which fittingly highlights the difficulty in making this work. In the end I was able to cobble it all together.  Once I had a selection of images processed I could use  the native sharing feature of the photo app to get images to Facebook and Twitter.  The new Flickr app handled my Flickr stream and the Squarespace app allowed me to upload images to my website. For additional backup I would FTP images to my Photoshelter account.

Import and Edit:

Connect Camera to Tablet -> Import Images using 'Photo' app -> Identify Image to Edit -> Switch to Snapspeed -> Find Image, Edit, Save -> Switch back to Photo App and repeat until edits are done

Once edits are done:

Open Photo App -> Select Edited Images in Snapspeed Album -> Create New Album -> Switch to New Album -> Share using Photo App, Squarespace App, Flickr App

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Dearest Adobe, please introduce a tablet version of Lightroom!!

It was not pretty, but it worked and I accomplished my goals.  Would I do things the same way again? Well I don't know.  The weight of an 11" MacBook Air is really only marginally more than the tablet with tremendously more functionality. The bigger issue is the space it requires and the potential cost of replacement which must be weighed against the difficulty of stringing together a tablet based workflow.  I look forward to doing some more app evaluations to see what I missed.  With rumors of the new full size iPad having a significant reduction in weight and size, that could be the compromise solution, especially when paired with a lightweight keyboard.  While that combination would approach the weight of a Air, the cost of damaging it is significantly less.

Cameras and the holy grail of size, weight and image quality:

If I won the lottery I would buy a Leica and 3 lenses and call it a day. Until that happens I will continue to search for ways to optimize carrying my D800 and the 3 Zeiss primes. This summer I am going to take some time and evaluate a number of new cameras, including the Fuji X line and the Sony RX1. I also believe that this year we will see a full frame NEX camera which I believe is going to really shake things up.  The fact that Zeiss has committed to producing three new lenses for the E and X mounts is wonderful news. I loved the NEX 7 but was dissatisfied with the state of E mount lenses. If Zeiss really gets the new glass out and Sony and Fuji continue  pushing the bounds of small bodies, one of those will very likely become my UL travel kit.

For now I will just keep exploring and sharing. If you have questions or suggestions please let me know.

Cheers,
Glenn

The Image Frame

This is a quote from Hans Straand on the Zeiss Blog.  I love the quote because he cuts to the heart of why visualizing and patience are so important when trying to capture a scene.​

Speaking of composition, as an award-winning master of composition, how do you approach a shot?

The cornerstone of my photography is my personal interpretation of a landscape. I am extremely selective when it comes to choosing the image frame. I believe that the framing is the most important ingredient in photography. Without skillful framing, the photograph will just become a registration of a situation — “I was there and I took the picture” — instead of making it your own interpretation. Photography is not about capturing what you see, but interpreting what you feel. And, of course, I pay a lot of attention to what kind of light I want to use. I love the soft light of an overcast sky. In overcast conditions, I can work with more intellectual images, such as intimate landscapes. Or shoot small-scale wonders on a patch of ground of a square meter or so. There’s no rush and I can take all the time I want to find a good composition. Sometimes I think there is too much emphasis on drama and sensation in photography. My intimate landscapes are about the opposite of that.

​I have personally talked about how shooting Zeiss lenses help to slow you down and focus on what it is that you are trying to capture.  It is the combination of the manual focus and the supreme quality of the glass that makes you want to create something unique, something that represents your own personal vision.

Metaphors

Metaphors for life are all around us if we look hard enough.  This image, captured during my paddle up the Inside Passage, is a study in patience. Not only is the bear deeply entrenched in waiting for the absolutely perfect salmon to swim by, but I am also executing a great deal of patience.  I watched this bear for quite a while as he would stand in the stream, paw on the rock, patiently waiting.  When the perfect salmon would come by he would dip his large snout into the water and retrieve a huge, and quite animated salmon.  ​Only a short stroll away was the shoreline where the bear would take the fish, consume everything but the bones, and then return back to the exact same spot in the creak and repeat the process all over.  I watched him do this for an hour, in which time he repeated the process more than 4 times.

Not only did I have to be patient in waiting for what I felt was the right moment, but from a technical perspective, I had already composed the image in my head, I knew what I wanted to capture.  It was bright outside and I wanted the water to be flowing, which meant I had to shoot at F10 in order to get a slow enough shutter speed to slow the water down.  I was hand holding the camera which required its own element of patience in order to get a sharp image. ​

So the lesson is that we need to slow down, look around us, see what is out there and pay attention to the metaphors of life.  Of course the safety of a blind when shooting grizzly bears in the wild from 20 feet away also helps!​

Complex Images

I love when I am able to capture an image that is not only a great photograph, but also a great photograph with complexity to it.  I think in large part this is a critical element to finding our own unique vision.  Once you have a vision, the challenge is then learning the craft of photography so you can ​accurately capture and share that vision with your audience.

An example of this is the image above of the Fat Bikers riding back down the beach, supposedly to where they came from.  The scene is complex with riders, sand, mountains, tracks that are not filled in and tracks that are.  You can make this image about so much more than biking.  I am still debating on color v. black and white because I feel each portrays a different 'primary' message.  One is about mountains and beaches, water and sand.  The other is about lines and abstraction, with a few metaphors of life thrown in to the mix.  I would love to hear your thought on which one works best for you.​

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Shooting Small Jpegs

Traveling with a DSLR that uses both CF and SD cards may allow you the utmost flexibility in capture format and processing requirements. My Nikon allows me to save full Raw files to the CF card while also writing Jpegs to the SD card. An added bonus is the ability to control the size of the Jpeg files, with a setting of Jpeg Small.

In my case I stored them as small jpegs that would be easy to edit from my IPad Mini and also require minimal storage requirements. For my 8 week trip I used more than a dozen CF cards but only a single 16gb SD card. I was able to use the IPad Mini to cobble together a workflow that allowed me to do basic edits and then social media sharing of images to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and my Squarespace blog.

Importing small jpegs into the Ipad Mini

I am still searching for the optimal way to do this processing and once I get it sorted out I will do a separate post on UL travel photograph with an iPad.

Snapseed (Nik/Google) is by far the best editing app on the Ipad

Technical Artistry

If you have been following this weeks posts, they have been all about ways to improve your travel photography.  My last post of the week is focused on using your camera to improve your image making abilities.  I know that when show my images, one of the first things most people ask is 'What camera do you use".  The implication is clear, they believe it is the camera that produces the great images and not the photographer.​

In the year of 2012, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Cell phones represent the largest single source of images on the internet.  Now, I am not saying that a cell phone is capable of producing what we would call 'Fine Art' images, but none the less, technology has made image capture much easier than it used to be.  The problem here is that because technology has advanced so rapidly, almost anyone can stick there camera or cell phone on 'P' (program) mode and fire away.  The resulting images will most likely be properly exposed images with a reasonable level of quality.  This is especially true when looking the cameras being offered in the low to mid tier by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olypus, Fuji, etc.  ​

The fact of the matter is these cameras all produce nice images.  However, it is still the photographer that must make the image and it is still the photographer that must have a vision.  Earlier this week I talked about seeing and angles, but lets look briefly at the camera and how you can use this amazing piece of technology to help make your images stand out from the masses.​

I believe that the single biggest change that the average person can make to their photography is learning how to shoot in 'A' - Aperture Priority mode instead of P mode.  In making this switch, it is critical that you take the time to learn  what an aperture is and how changes in aperture affect your image making skills.  The best way to do this is to go take a workshop that immerses you in shooting and reviewing your images.  While their are great resources online that can help you out, nothing beats hands on instruction in the field.​

The use of high quality lenses, especially those found in the fast growing m 4/3's community, the Fuji community, and even the more limited Sony E mount community, coupled with  an understanding of A mode​ can help you to create images that isolate your subject and create a level of uniqueness that is missing from the vast array of images shot in P mode.

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This image was taken in early morning light, something that I have not yet talked about, and with a high quality lens at a very large aperture.  The resulting shallow depth of field takes what is nothing more than an ordinary beer coaster and creates  a more dynamic image that helps to tell a story.  If you were traveling through Ireland and Guinness was a big part of your trip, you could take pictures of beer glasses full of Guinness like everyone else, or you could use some vision, a change of angle, and a larger aperture and create something unique to help differentiate your story.

Different Angles

Since the theme of this week is photography, I thought I would continue to add another image to the discussion.  While traveling and documenting a location, I feel it is critical to capture both the subtle and the not so subtle elements that visually define that location. After all, most places that we visit have key elements that must be included in any visual story.  Since these are key elements in a location, they will have been photographed quite extensively by the see of humanity that now has a camera in tow.​

The challenge then becomes how do we capture the essence of a location, see it in a different way, and put our own unique style stamp on the resulting image.  I think that this is where the two previous posts all come into play.  First, finding beauty in what might not otherwise be considered beautiful.  Second, learning to see in a way that is not readily apparent to the masses.  Third, looking for angles that are unique, thus blending the first two into an image that has your own personal style written all over it.​

For me, I know that I prefer to shoot a good number of my images from a perspective that is not often seen by others.  I do this in two unique ways.  First is by putting myself physically into different locations, e.g., climbing up things or crawling over things, both give me a perspective not often seen by others.  The other way that I change angle is through the use of wide angle lenses.  I love shooting wide because when done correctly it can take an average subject and give you something very special.

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Combining all three elements will help you not only document a scene in a completely new and unique way, but also will help you to expand and grow your own personal style.​  This particular image is of a channel marker that sits at the end of a well worn and oft photographed jetty.  I personally have tons of images that show this marker as a distant object when photographed from land, the perspective that most people shoot from.  In this case I walked out on the jetty, and using a 21mm lens, was able to get right up and close to the marker, making it the dominant portion of my image frame. 

As I took several shots, I noticed that the gulls were disturbed by my presence and they began circling overhead.  Carefully framing and waiting, I was able to grab a capture of an object that in and of itself is not very exciting and yet the resulting image is dynamic and dramatic.

The use of a wide angle lens not only added drama, but done correctly, I was able to bring in multiple elements into a single image.  In this case, the international border marker, the international bridge, the local wildlife, and a bit of the town, all come into a single image that works.

This image is definitely one for the books and a great keeper as I continue to document life in Down East Maine and the Canadian Maritimes.

Seeing v. Capture

I wrote a bit about this yesterday and thought I would continue the theme today.  The act of seeing what is around us can often be a challenge -- our mind constantly puts its own spin on what the eyes take in.  Finding a way to capture the mental aspect of what is physically seen could be viewed as photography at its core.  Anyone can take a good picture now, cameras are just way too good.  However, taking an image that represents more that what is readily apparent, well that might be called Art?

Last night I went in search of a way to 'See' the street in a different way. In this image, I was able to put my own spin, albeit in a very different way, to a scene that otherwise is quite ordinary.  Thoughts?

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