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  Our Photo Safaris provide a wide variety of subjects for the traveling photographer. On every trip we find that each client has his or her own photographic interests and preferences about gear, so there is no one-size-fits-all formula for gear and its transportation. We offer these guidelines as a reference and realize that the information supplied is subject to your level of interest, equipment owned, and how frequently you photograph in the field during the year. Digital photography has become the industry standard in 35mm nature photography. If you are still shooting film, we strongly urge you to consider making the switch to a digital camera. Pack the minimum amount of equipment necessary to photograph the kind of subjects that interest you, as you will occasionally shuttle photo gear in and out of vans and buses, ship to shore or, in some cases, from plane to plane. If possible, avoid placing delicate equipment in your checked airline baggage. If this must be done, be sure to use a well-padded hard camera case like a PELICAN (brand) or pack some of your gear within a hard-sided suitcase and wrap it well within your clothes. More and more photographers are forced to check gear as baggage in these hard cases, as carry-on baggage limits (both domestic and international) have been reduced. Traveling on a business class ticket may allow a greater carry-on allowance, particularly on foreign-based airlines (consider getting and using an airline credit card to accumulate miles to upgrade your future ticket). US federal regulations prohibit the locking of checked baggage. A sturdy strap around your baggage to prevent its accidental opening is very practical. On domestic airlines you are normally allowed one carry-on bag plus a small "personal item." There is no easy answer as to how to avoid placing some camera gear like tripods, battery chargers and big lenses into your checked luggage. Shooting digitally has helped travelers by eliminating the need to carry bulky film into the passenger compartment, thereby creating some additional space for other gear. Today our clients usually bring a laptop computer, several CompactFlash cards and other digital accessories in a briefcase as their "personal item." But there is no panacea for the carry-on dilemma. A camera backpack is a good way to transport the daily gear you will need on the trip, thereby avoiding the discomfort of lugging an over-the-shoulder bag. Avoid huge “pro-sized” camera bags and camera packs that may be rejected as carry-on luggage. And remember, whatever photo gear you bring, you should be able to comfortably carry it! Some of our tours have specific weight restrictions for camera gear combined with personal luggage due to the use of small aircraft that simply cannot carry the same weight and bulk as a Boeing 747. These restrictions are necessary for your safety and are to be taken seriously. We can occasionally get a bit more gear transported than the stated maximum, but it is best on these trips to pare down your non-essential equipment. Most other countries around the world have more restrictive "free" checked and carry-on baggage limits than US-based airlines. For carry-on bags in this situation, a couple of quality zoom lenses (particularly the newest image-stabilized and vibration-reduction varieties) can demonstrate their great range, versatility and (generally) reduced size. Most airlines with scheduled jet service post restrictions on checked baggage weights. Staying within these limits is usually not a problem for most people on most airlines. But on those internal flights in foreign countries that post more stringent baggage allowance and weight restrictions, participants paying their own excess baggage charges can usually resolve this problem. Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. cannot be held responsible for excess or overweight baggage being denied timely transportation. For international flights, you may want to have a list of your equipment and the serial numbers with you and take this to the US Customs office before your flight. You can transfer this data to their form and have this signed form with you for your return to the US. This will avoid arguments with agents and possible payment of duty on gear you already owned. In practice, most photographers generally ignore this procedure and are rarely made to account for their photo gear at US Customs. But if you are questioned about your photo gear, the agents won't care whether you are arriving from a camera-exporting country like Japan or a camera-importing country like Canada—you must prove where they were purchased! This form can be used again and again, but needs to be amended at the customs office if your camera equipment (and binoculars, laptop computers, etc.) or serial numbers are different than those on the list. You must bring your gear with you to the customs office to prove ownership at the time of registration. Most of the photo trips we offer are geared for 35mm photography—for photographers using digital or film equipment. Over 95% of our trip participants are using digital cameras on our trips. However, you should always feel free to bring whatever format you want to work with. Please make sure the type you choose fits the trip as outlined in the catalog or itinerary. For example, a 4 x 5 view camera is not suitable for shooting wildlife action! For trips where wildlife photography is the prime objective, we suggest a telephoto lens ranging in size from 300 to 500mm, plus a 1.4x teleconverter for 35mm cameras. (If you are serious about shooting wildlife and "wildlife models," sooner or later a 500mm lens will become your lens of choice!) For tours during wildflower season, a macro lens and extension tube set is useful for close-up work. As always, lenses are a matter of personal preference, but it's a good idea to include wide-angle, "normal," and medium telephoto lenses to allow you to take advantage of a wide variety of subjects. Most of your lens needs can be fulfilled by the excellent quality zoom lenses produced by the brand name camera manufacturers (for example, Nikon or Canon) or by some independent producers (check with your camera dealer for their recommendations regarding "off-brand" equipment). A typical camera bag might contain a 17–35mm zoom, 35–70mm zoom, 80–200mm zoom, a 100–400mm zoom (or a straight 300mm telephoto) plus a 500mm telephoto. If you are shopping for a telephoto lens, consider one of the new image-stabilized or vibration-reduction lenses in the 100–400mm zoom (for Canon) or 200–400mm zoom (for Nikon). Many locations we visit are far from a convenient camera store, so when packing, remember spare batteries, polarizing filter (and 81-A warming filters for film shooters), a set of jeweler's screwdrivers and your flash unit (strobe). Don't forget to bring an extra camera body in case your primary body malfunctions. It is extremely important to bring a tripod (and a bean bag if you are going to Africa—see practical information sheet with your Africa tour handouts for making the ideal safari bean bag). For international flights where weight is an important consideration, bring the lightest sturdy tripod possible. Consider a carbon fiber model. The major camera manufacturers produce strobe units that have through-the-lens (TTL) metering capabilities for fill flash that virtually anyone can operate with a minimum of instruction. Once you own one of these sophisticated units, you will marvel that you ever left home without it. You can always find some use for one of these in the field. They don't last long, however, if used in rain or falling snow. Film (if you still use it) is largely a matter of personal taste, and the type and amount used vary greatly from person to person. Included below is the film recommendation of the majority of our tour leaders—though virtually all of our leaders photograph digitally, exclusively. They recommend that film shooters use slide (transparency) film as it is versatile for projecting in slide shows, scans easily, can be made into prints, and is the film professionals used most often to scan for prints and publications. The majority of our Photo Safaris leaders recommend Fuji products. Velvia 100 is still the most widely used for nature photography among film shooters. Our leaders rarely recommend film above 200 ISO. Due to the disappearance of many processing labs, we recommend you contact your processor about their current transparency processing capabilities and their recommendations for print film if you choose to use it. As a rule of thumb, consider bringing 5–10+ rolls of 36-exposure film per "shooting" day. You should note that photographing with one of our groups is like a "communicable disease," and you may tend to be less conservative about your film supply when you are having a good time shooting with other trip participants. Digital shooters have unlimited shooting potential as poor photos can be easily deleted during the trip. Film shooters please note: Machines that x-ray checked baggage (both domestic and international) are much stronger to improve inspection capabilities. Machines, like the CTX-5500, with bomb-sniffing technology, will totally ruin your film when the film is scanned in your checked luggage. It is important to carry all your film with you on the plane, or (for domestic trips, only) ship it via FedEx or UPS to your arrival city hotel prior to your departure. Shipping film by courier service to destinations abroad can create complicated customs problems requiring several days and/or expensive importation fees. Consider switching to a digital camera. At federal TSA screening stations, you can request a hand inspection of your film in US airports. Be aware that, depending on passenger traffic, this hand inspection can cause you considerable delay and may encourage additional scrutiny of your camera gear. Prior to our digital transition, many of our leaders routinely requested hand inspections in the US, and we never worried about placing our film through the boarding area machines if time didn’t allow for it. Storage media and CompactFlash cards for digital cameras are unaffected by airport X-rays. In most foreign countries, resign yourself to the fact that your carry-on film will be x-rayed, no matter how it looks or is presented. Because X-ray damage is virtually never detected from boarding area scanning machines, there is no reason to fear repeated X-rays for your carry-on film. If you are going to travel on a trip that will visit several airports and security checkpoints, consider lead-lined bags if it is still a concern. The use of lead-lined bags may necessitate that the film be hand-inspected after passing it through the security machines because the contents of the bag cannot be easily viewed. Below is a general list of 35mm equipment that you should consider, keeping in mind the type of trip you are joining (and possible weight limitations due to small aircraft, if used on your tour). With some exceptions, it is not a requirement that you run out and purchase all of this gear, but it is best to bring the recommended gear if you have it. You will probably see a few more "toys" you will "need" after you see other participants’ equipment. The individual tour's practical information sheet (supplied as hard copy at final billing) may have other camera and film recommendations that pertain to the specific trip in which you are enrolled—but it is a rare trip that will vary from the list below! Except for the 500mm and macro lens, the following inventory is what most of our leaders will bring to virtually every trip they lead. Many of us simply leave our gear packed in our camera bag all the time. We are always ready to travel! Bring For Film and Digital Shooting:
For Photographers Shooting Digitally:
For Photographers Shooting Film:
One final note: As you go out into nature to photograph its incredible beauty, it is helpful if you have done a bit of homework in advance so that you have a cursory working knowledge as to the environment you are about to immerse yourself in. Most areas are now covered by a wealth of field guides and natural history books and videos. Your advance preparation will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the area and your advance knowledge of the behaviors of the animals you may encounter will actually improve your photography as well. |
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Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. P.O. Box 655, Vashon Island, Washington USA 98070 Phone: (206) 463-5383 Fax: (206) 463-5484 Email: info@photosafaris.com Copyright © 2008, Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. |