Photo Gear
What to Bring
- The limited space in a raft makes careful planning essential. A camera with a pop-up flash will fill in shadows and save you space. Take an
extra-long telephoto and tripod only if you plan to shoot from shore. To
photograph wildlife from the raft, ask the trip leader to move the boat
to an eddy (or another calm part of the river), and use fast film with a
telephoto lens in the 80 to 200mm range.
- A polarizing filter will reduce glare from reflections, darken blue
skies, and increase color saturation.
- Outfitters usually provide metal ammo boxes to keep your equipment dry
and safe. Discuss your needs when you make your reservation. On
overnight trips, see if theres enough space for you to have two ammo
boxesone to store your extra equipment, the other to keep close at hand
with film, lenses, batteries, and a lens-cleaning kit.
- Solar caveat: To prevent a meltdown of camera and film, put your gear
in an ammo box thats painted whiteor cover it with a spare shirt or
towel. Dark boxes heat like ovens when exposed to the sun.
- In addition to ammo boxes, airtight plastic bags are ideal for sealing
out moisture and grit. But to shoot those hair-raising rapids, youll
need a waterproof camera or watertight protection like an Ewa baga
heavy-duty vinyl bag with a glass porthole.
- For maximum protection and convenience, pack your camera in a plastic,
foam-lined case, available at camera stores.
- Water, sun, and impacts are threats to camera gear, but more dangerous
are sand and grit, which can easily scratch a lens. Be sure to protect
your equipment at the campsite.
- Although water and cameras generally dont mix, here are a few ways to
shoot in the wet (from least to most expensive):
- Waterproof disposable cameras are a great low-cost alternative.
It doesnt matter much if the camera washes overboard.
- Waterproof point-and-shoot cameras cost more but have better
lenses.
- Ewa bagsheavy-duty vinyl bags with a glass portholeprotect
single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras.
- Nikonos underwater cameras, the aquatic siblings of Nikon
cameras, are expensive but can be rented from some camera stores.
- Professional underwater camera housings for 35mm SLRs, which
have a plexiglass dome over the lens, are also expensive but can be
rented from some camera stores.
- For the Selway River shoot (July/August 1996 issue of NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER), photographer Michael Melford took along this
equipment:
- two Nikon F4 cameras
- Nikon 8008 SLR camera in Stromm waterproof housing
- 16mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens
- 20mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens
- 20-35mm zoom f/2.8 Nikkor lens
- 28-70mm zoom f/2.8 Angenieux lens
- 80-200mm zoom f/2.8 Nikkor lens
- polarizing filter for each lens
- 81C filter (warming filter)
- 80A filter (daylight to tungsten filter)
- Nikon SB-24 flash
- Quantum turbo (battery for flash)
- While on assignment, Melford shot 38 rolls of film in just five days.
Thats more pictures than most travelers would take, but its not a lot
for a professional photographer. For longer TRAVELER stories,
photographers often shoot more than 200 rolls of film in two weeks.
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Cushioned by foam, photographer Michael Melfords gear lies tucked
inside a Pelican waterproof case. Although intended for underwater use, the yellow
Stromm housing can also be used to shoot above water, making it a good solution for
keeping your camera dry on a raft trip. |