10 Photography Tips for Hikers
Wally Hayes, Professional Photographer, Looking back at the Cabot Trail, Photo credit - NS Tourism
Here are ten photography tips for hikers from an amateur photographer who enjoys hiking immensely :
1) Carry your photography gear in a daypack with a rain cover. Always carry ziplock bags or dry bags with you to protect your gear inside the pack. Daypacks will get wet even with rain cover usually from water running down your back. Important to protect your gear inside your pack.
2) Carry at least one charged up battery(s) with you as well extra memory cards with for your camera.
3) Remember by using 4 gig cards it is easier to download your photos on a DVD for backup. A great professional photographer and friend, Wally Hayes, once told me he backs up his photos to (2) DVD’s and (2) External Hard drives.
4) If you are taking pictures of mountains and landscapes, most cameras have a landscape setting . It provides a sharp focus for both close and far away objects (depth of field).
5) If you have a DSLR camera do not bring anymore than two lenses. Lens are heavy. Make sure the second lense is in a protective case and protected in your daypack. Generally – photographers will bring their a) wide angle lenses and b) one zoom lenses for closeups.
6) Don’t forget to look back as sometimes the photos behind you are better than the photos in front of you.
7) Don’t frame or centre your shot so that the object or person is always in the middle. Use the rule of thirds.
8) Try to download and backup your photos the same day. It is easier to catalogue and remember the shots. Delete your bad shots. Many cameras come with GPS units or you can purchase one for your camera. Great for geo tagging and knowing where you picture is taken. The downside is many cameras run the GPS off the same battery your camera is running on. Thus GPS will generally drain your battery quicker thus the need for extra battery back-ups.
9) There are a number of gadgets out there to help you carry a camera for quick access. One of the better ones is cotton carrier, a vest taht allows you to hook your camera and take strain off your neck.
10) A small point and shoot ie. compact, can be very useful camera in situations ie. quick photo in the rain, wildlife etc. Take it with you and fasten the small camera bag on your belt for quick access.
Hike the Highlands will be offering a 2 day Nature & Landscape Photography Workshop on Sept. 13-14, 2012. There are still a few openings left. Check out our website for more information on workshop.