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Photography Question
We're taking this trip this upcoming summer. I'm an amateur (but serious) photographer so I'm really looking forward to the photographic opportunities this trip offers. Are things set up in a way that it is practical to use a travel tripod at times, or am I better off just leaving that piece of equipment at home? Thanks in advance for your help.
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In the first photo taken on the way to the Four Seasons, Serengeti, we had stopped to view some lounging lions. This is a collection of photographic answers to your questions, and are typical. Note: while they "almost" always give a few seconds warning, the drivers may re-position the vehicle if other vehicles get in the way or the animals move:
As I said, we were given warning; the amount varied. Most of the time the driver wouldn't start moving until everyone responded to his warning with "Sawa sawa" (Swahili for "OK, OK.") But, if you decided to take just one more shot after the driver had been given the OK, you'd best be ready for a missed shot. The muddy, rutty, potholed dirt roads (trails) were not conducive to photography while the vehicle was moving. If possible, the driver will indeed attempt to position the vehicle or stay still, at a passenger's request. But even when the vehicle is not moving, it will shake or rock if any of the other passengers, shift position- makes using a telephoto lens even harder to hold still and use.
But, the OP's question was about tripods, which as my photos clearly illustrate are not suited for use in the vehicle, and since you almost never exit the vehicle where there are animals, hardly worthwhile. A few photogs have had some success with a photo sandbags to help steady their camera, but you'll want to fill after you arrive in country.
It is!! and good decision.
FYI, I mulled over taking one of the mini, flexible leg, tripods, thinking that I might have been able to set it on the vehicle roof, etc, but decided against that as well because the one I have won't support the weight of my lens- it just drooped. If you have a large telephoto lens, a short, collapsible, mono-pod might be helpful in steadying the camera.
Local sand or gravel from . . .? Just another thing to worry about.
I'm a photo buff too and will be taking my much used Gitzo Travel tripod on the February trip. I've been in communication with one of the original TDs that created the trip for Tauck, and she said don't forget to bring the tripod -- for use at the lodges to get starry sky shots. Probably bring a monopod too for smoother video with a RRS ballhead mounted on it.
Also have friends that are serious photographers, and also read Tauck recommended "Wildlife Photography: On Safari with your DSLR" by Uwe Skrzypczak so lens equivalent for serious amateurs is around 400mm, maybe 600 for animal portrait shots and birds. I use MFT, so the weight and size is considerably reduced.
You might take a look at the Safari photos of one of my friends: google Don Pine Photography. Also see Jay Dickman, a senior Nat Geo photographer. He uses MFTs exclusively, and they are adequate for Nat Geo covers!
Also, for top notch prep, peruse or buy Frans Lanting's "Into Africa" (taken from his exhibitions), a top Nat Geo, Smithsonian photographer -- acclaimed as THE top photographer/conservationist for Africa. Those images are like none you have seen for Africa. He describes tracking animals for months, until they get to know him and are comfortable with him until he gets "the" shot. Unfortunately, we will probably never get images like his from our Safari vehicles.
Doug
1. What is your style as a photographer, your comfort with long exposures, and the intended purpose of the tripod -- e.g. Milky Way shots -- I heard it is pretty dark at the lodges at night with little light pollution (and do you have the lens/camera combination to do that?). Sunset/sunrise shots, with razor sharp focus? Moving cloud shots with a neutral density filter? Water falls? (Gee, are there any water falls or moving water around the lodges?) In essence, it would seem to depend on whether or not you envision the need for low light, long exposures. You also need a tripod for High Dynamic Range, focus bracketing, and Multiple exposures.
2. Convenience. Do you have a lightweight (e.g. carbon fiber), travel tripod that will fit inside a carry-on? Some travel tripods collapse to about 17 inches and weigh as little as 2 ½ pounds, but can extend to 60+ inches, and support a DSLR. They are expensive, but it depends on whether you have a lot of use for them, and plan to use them on future journeys.
3. Is it worth lugging the thing around? Depends purely on you. You can get images that no one else might. We just got back from Australia/NZ and got the Sydney Opera House and the Field of Lights at night, with the stars in the background for the latter -- and I put the images on a website for anyone from our Tauck group to download and use.
Wow. So it's really an individual thing, and makes you think about what your photographic interests and purposes are. How cool is that?
Doug
The author of the rant was a professional photographer with concerns that are technical to professional photography. He also had not evaluated the newer Olympus OMD-EM1 MK II. But, my OMD-EM1 MK II is great for TRAVEL. The retail cost of a 600mm equivalent lens is about $2,500 for the Olympus Pro series, but I heard $10,000 for some Canon or Nikon DSLRs (that's so stunning I haven't checked it out). And the thing can take 60 frames a second. You'll get that lion if it kills you. LOL.
It amazes me that Nikon and Canon have not produced a real competitor in the mirrorless class of cameras. But then, they would be competing with their own DSLRs.
So, equipment choice depends on what you use it for, what you are comfortable with, and personal preferences like ergonomics, etc. I would think pro photographers would surely prefer the Sony full-sensor series -- they have to make money on the quality of their work, and need the utmost flexibility to use the camera in many lighting environments.
I had discussed the Safari trips with one of the original East Africa TDs and had asked if these were for photographers. She said that the safari trips were somewhat unique among Tauck tours -- they were photo expeditions instead of cultural ones -- and indeed, led me to choose the K/T offering because it was oriented toward the former.
Generally, we have been traveling Tauck because they are excellent for travelers -- usually great food, great hotels, great TDs. I go Tauck to be with my wife.
But I also go with other companies specializing in photography workshops, where instructors are present, who find locations, conduct lectures, and group critique your images each day. Those hobbyist workshops are for the serious photo buffs that are willing to carry tons of equipment, stay longer at particular locations (and, oftentimes wait for the right lighting) and who almost always are out there before dawn and after sunset -- no matter what the location. These workshops are actually more expensive, shorter, and usually have mid-level accommodations and food -- the hobbyist group's focus is on photography and not luxe travel. You pay for the instructors. I recall one instructor that only took one shirt and one pair of pants -- he just used a carry-on to travel -- and stowed gear in it. LOL.
And then, there are a few photo professionals that will humble us and take gorgeous, artistic photos with a cell phone -- and remind us that it's about the Indian, not the arrow.
Doug