Photography Tips for Peak Baggers

[bikehikeskifish]

OK, it was suggested this would make a good thread. I actually considered starting such a thread a little while ago, but didn't. Now I will

The purpose of this thread is for tips, tricks, techniques (or references to which one(s) apply based on other threads) which will help the hiker with the camera, rather then the photographer on a hike.

I've seen a few people with big SLRs, long lenses, and tripods on my treks, but the reality of it is most of the readership here are hikers first and foremost, and we take snapshots along the way. So let's discuss ways to improve those snapshots.

Clearly, the rule of thirds can apply -- this is compositional. Also, the walk-in / walk-out rule can apply. What else can you do? Use your baseball hat brim somehow? Hiking poles as a tripod? Etc.

Tim

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

In addition to the standard rules, some of my favorite shots are ones with people in them. Especially on the peaks because often I'll get pictures back that does nothing to capture the scene that was in front of me. Putting a person in the picture, for me, adds visual interest (and in some cases provides a sense of scale) to a picture that would otherwise be unmemorable to me.

I mentioned this in another thread, but because we can't always be at a spot in optimal light (we hike and take pictures rather than hiking TO take pictures), I have found the polarizer to be very handy.

We usually don't carry a tripod on day hikes, but in times we needed one we could improvise something (this has occurred mostly in cases of wanting to blur pictures of moving wafer). Also in relation to moving water -- I don't know what kind of camera you have, but on our Canon Powershot G3 there is a neutral density filter option in the menu that we often use for waterfall pics if the light is too strong. I also just read a tip in a book that recommended metering off greenery to the side of a waterfall to get the exposure settings, then recomposing the shot to include the waterfall.

This should be a good thread!

 

[Neil]

A bit of advice: Get to know your camera real well so you can rapidly make adjustments to improve a shot (I'm still working at this). Get a camera with minimal time lag from turning it on to taking a shot and between shots.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

One thing that took me a while to learn was that the mode on my camera (Canon A70) is changed via a dial on the top. This dial is easily turned by accident while stuffing / unstuffing it into / from backpack pockets. So I (now) always check this, rather then assuming it is in the "right mode".

But Neil is right -- I haven't spent a lot of time experimenting in the back yard. I will now. Or rather, when it comes back from being serviced...

Tim

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

That's happened to me before too with our Canon.

Does your camera have AV (aperture priority), TV (shutter speed priority), manual mode? Have you used them? If you haven't, play around with AV mode as a first start. Choose an aperture based on the depth of field you want (provided the light conditions can support it without camera shake and needing a tripod, unless you are carrying one). Larger apertures (smaller f/stop numbers) give you shallower depth of field, which is good for focusing on something in the foreground and blurring the background. If you have items in the foreground and background you want in focus, use a smaller aperture (bigger f/stop). If you aren't looking for a particular depth of field, I've read that you should use f/8 or f/11 (the author refers to them as the "who cares" apertures) because that's the "sweet spot". This author divides his apertures into "isolation", "who cares", and "storytelling". If you already know all of this, sorry and just ignore. When I first started to venture out of auto mode, these things helped me.

 

[DougPaul]

This dial is easily turned by accident while stuffing / unstuffing it into / from backpack pockets.

Same here except I carry it in a small zipper case. I've been tempted to tape the dial in place--I almost always use it in the same setting (P).

While this camera does have manual settings, I haven't found them to be very useful on my A75. (Limited range for F-stop, inconvient controls, poor user feedback, etc.)

I use the P setting so I can control the flash and set the autofocus to center-only so I can control what it is focusing on.

Just a trade-off--if you want good manual controls, you may have to go to an SLR or DSLR.

Doug

 

[Neil]

Never happened to me. (Canon Power Shot with the wheel on top)
It seems that Canon is a pretty popular P&S camera 'round these parts. How come?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Never happened to me. (Canon Power Shot with the wheel on top)
It seems that Canon is a pretty popular P&S camera 'round these parts. How come?

I bought mine for two main reasons - the CCD was considered best-of-class, and the digital lag time was on the short side, minimizing the opportunities for your children to replace their usual beaming countenances with goofy expressions.

Tim

 

[yvon]

I never bring my SLR camera when I go hiking. I always bring my 5 MPX compact camera. And I have it always around my neck, so I am always ready to shoot.

 

[DougPaul]

I bought mine for two main reasons - the CCD was considered best-of-class, and the digital lag time was on the short side, minimizing the opportunities for your children to replace their usual beaming countenances with goofy expressions.

The A70, A75, A80, A85, A95, etc were a highly rated line in their time. One of their relatively unique features was manual controls. Also AA batts.

They are still as good as they were when they first came out.

Doug

 

[BorealChickadee]

I almost always change the ISO to a lower setting (now that my new point and shoot actually has that capability!). Hugely important when I was in Maine on the coast with all that gorgeous bright sun, ocean and pale granite.

Keep it handy. The biggest advantage of a P&S is the ability to keep it accessible. Mine is on my sternum strap and I don't even stop for many pictures. Just hold it pretty steady as I walk. Have to! Teenagers wait for noone! And if you want to live dangerously, last summer I took a bunch of shots flying down the carriage roads of Acadia shooting one handed from the bike. I actually got some cool shots where my son, on his bike, was clear and the scenery was fluid. Took some video also. Speaking of...

Use the built in video camera! If I want to relive biking down the hills of the carriage roads, there's no better way than to play that video! It's fun. You can't hang them on the wall, but who cares. There is a way to capture stills, but I haven't down it yet. I should just ask the techno teenager!

Squat. Get down and get some foreground in your mountaintop shots, assuming the top is open.

 

[LivesToHike]

My brief thoughts...

Small is Beautiful.
I carry a Cannon Powershot S2 SI on my hiking trips. It's not quite as compact as some smaller models (and there are many other good cameras out there which are smaller and have better higher mp). This one has a 10x zoom lense, uses SD cards, and uses 4 standard AA rechargables. It works reasonablly well, it's durable, small and it weighs alot less than an SLR.

Keep it Warm
If hiking in the winter, carry your camera beneath your jacket or in a insulated waterbottle carrier. If I'm snapping it's close by in just beneath jacket. If I'm not, it's in an insulated container. The only down-side is that your viewfinder may be fogged by your own body moisture.

Power is Good
Carry extra batteries, and keep them warm in the winter. Often batteries fail just when you get an eye full of that special scene and want to snap away.

Thanks for starting this thread. Great idea. I enjoyed reading others contributions. All valuable info.

Enjoy!
--LTH

 

[darren]

Bring a zip lock bag to put the camera in when it starts raining.

Keep the camera easily accessible or you will not use it as much.

Follow the rules to good photography - (hopefully people will post some more).

Do not put the horizon in the middle of the picture. Yes, this is covered in the above thread, but it is such a common error that I had to repost it here. Mountain scenes shot at mid-day with half the photo a big empty grey area are just plain boring.

Decide ahead of time if you are hiking with the goal of taking pictures, or if you are hiking and might take some snapshots along the way. Make sure everyone in your party agrees what the goals are for the day.

If you do carry a dSLR, then take the time to learn Photoshop or a similar image editing program, shoot in RAW format, and get the most out of shooting with a good camera. Proper post-processing of digital images is as important as darkroom work is with B&W photos.

RT(F)M - Read The Manual. Learn to use your camera and know what the settings do. Before you take the shot ask yourself "What is my goal with this photo? How do I have to set up the camera to achieve that goal?" Do you need lots of depth of field (close to far in focus)? Do you want shallow depth of field to isolate a subject from it's surroundings? Do you need a fast shutter speed to stop motion? Do you need a slow shutter speed to blur motion?

Do NOT use digital zoom. It is a gimmick. You will get a better shot if you shoot at max optical zoom and then blow up the image and zoom in using Photoshop.

Before you push the shutter button, look at the whole scene and see if everything in the viewfinder adds to the image. If it does not add to the image then try to remove it. Simple is better.

Put something interesting in the foreground. A lot of mountain scenic shots just show the big mountains in the distance and there is nothing in the foreground to pull the viewer into the shot. Try to include something in the foreground that pulls the viewer into the shot.

- d

 

[darren]

As for the point & shoot vs. the SLR, a SLR, lens, GND filter, and a CP filter does not weight THAT much more than a point an shoot. What is 1 to 2 pounds? Not too much if you want more control over your pictures.

- d

 

[w7xman]

I'm all for the keep the set up simple, but simple for me doesn't mean simple for everyone. I don't really peak bag, more of a destination hiker (a river, a pond, a vantage or a site.) Photography is also my main focus while hiking, and I understand that photography means different things to different people.

I carry two lenses and my slr, One small macro lens (50mm) and an 18-200 wide-tele-zoom (which is suprisingly small and light). That covers all I need. I also carry my filter system, and always have my tripod, which accounts for most of the weight.


I use a Tamron Adventure 9: for two reasons:
first, it carry's all the gear plus enough room for lunch and gear for a day trip.
and second, the top folds down small and fits into my big pack easily for overnights. Yes I carry the whole bag for organization and for 'slack packing' from camp/hut/shelter.

The one piece of GENERAL advice I can give is to turn one of your trekking poles into a monopod, by mounting a small ball head on it. There are instructions on how to do this all over 'the google' with a quick search. They also sell such a contraption premade for twice the price of both.

That's my insight.

~w7x

 

[David Metsky]

Have your camera handy. If your camera is in the pack, you will miss a lot of shots. There are ways to carry most cameras outside your pack, figure out the way that works for you. For my ultracompact I keep it in a pouch on my sternum strap. For skiing with my S3 IS, I clip it's case to my shoulder strap and hip belt to keep it more stable.

If it takes just a few seconds to take a shot, you'll take more shots.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I can post one important thing I have learned for myself so far. While deciding which images I would post, I reconsidered my collection of personal favorites, and in so doing discovered that each one had more than the average amount of thought and time put into it.

Hah. Sounds cliche, but you get out what you put in.

Tim

 

[DougPaul]

I can post one important thing I have learned for myself so far. While deciding which images I would post, I reconsidered my collection of personal favorites, and in so doing discovered that each one had more than the average amount of thought and time put into it.

Hah. Sounds cliche, but you get out what you put in.

Also, don't expect every pic to be a winner. A pro is likely to be happy if a percent or so of his pics are good.

Pics recording a trip are different--they are a visual log and are often not particularly good pics. They usually have far more meaning for the photographer and trip participants than for others. A situation such as this BBS is somewhere in the middle--viewers may not have been on the trip, but may have been to the viewpoint or know the depicted scene.

Doug

 

[LivesToHike]

As for the point & shoot vs. the SLR, a SLR, lens, GND filter, and a CP filter does not weight THAT much more than a point an shoot. What is 1 to 2 pounds? Not too much if you want more control over your pictures.

- d

Darren - You're absolutely right - it's not that much more weight and the loss of quality control is significant between a non-(d)SLR and (d)SLR cameras.

My objection to using an (d)SLR on hiking trips is obviously tainted by my unwillingness to add more to a heavy winter 4000+ cu" pack, and the bulk that my DSLR consumes under my jacket. I'm quite willing to bring it on warmer weather trips. I agree that 1-2 lbs is not that much, but it might mean that trade-off a stove or some other safety gear, as I like to keep my pack no more 25-30LB. The other consideration for me [that I failed to mention] is that my DSLR is brand new and unlike my earlier camera appears to be more fragile, so dropping, or tripping and falling with my (d)SLR might have far more consequences than my older digital camera. I'll reassess as the season progresses.

--LTH

 

[dvbl]

Metering

Besides reading all your tips and advice, I've learned a ton by just googling any topic I need help with. For instance, after reading the attached link, the basics of metering properly seemed so self-evident, but I didn't know it until I read it.

metering