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Just a couple of questions about photgraphing in Namibia. As I`ve heard, it can be hard to get great pictures. A lot of light and contrasts often makes them kind of grey.. Anyone with tips on how to avoid this? What kind of film? I tought I might use Fuji Sensia Dias (100), but someone told me Provia could be better.. My camera is a Canon Eos 500.. | ||
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Good question Anders. I'll be in Namibia in a couple weeks and am curious as well. I too shoot a Canon, mine is a basic Eos Rebel Ti. I just equipped it with a Sigma 70-300 lens and Canon 420EX flash. I'm counting on a camera shop in Windhoek for film (and subsequent development), as I don't want the hassle of transporting it through several airports and their X-ray machines. I've been told by my PH and trophy shipment coordinator that there are several good camera shops in town. I hope some more folks chime in with real experience on this thread. | |||
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What`s actually the danger of transporting the film through x-ray, DesertRam..? I`ve heard it mentioned before.. I`ll be shooting dias, so my chance of developing them down there is probably worse, don`t you think..? I`ll bring to lenses. 35-80 and 70-300 (Sigma). Maybe a 2x teleconverter as well. The first lens for trophy photos (I hope  ) and "normal" pictures, and the other for animals and birds, maybe..The 70-300 is a pretty good lens, despite the low costs. | |||
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I did some searching on the internet for basic photography. You might know this, but I`m a beginner and learned a lot about how to use the cameras manuel functions.. I`ve normally used automatic functions, and point and press (and hoped for the best).. Look into this page: http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/journalism/Basicphoto.html and especially the chapter on light exposure: http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/journalism/BRExposures.html | |||
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Quote: According to the airlines, there is no real danger for slower speed films (up to 400 ISO) from the low powered x-ray machines used to scan carryon bags. You'd probably be safe if you carried your film in your carryon baggage for a single trip. 800 ISO and above supposedly gets blasted by pretty much all the x-rays, including just one or two passes through the carryon machine. Checked baggage, on the other hand, gets pounded by high intensity x-rays that can "fog" or "cloud" unused and/or undeveloped film. According to my National Geographic photography book (the brand new version), this can happen in one pass through the machine. Typically, it takes 4-5 passes through the lower powered machines to see the cumulative effects on slower film. Since my journey will consist of several legs, my carryon luggage will get x-rayed six times. That's a lot of x-rays posing unneccessary risk to my film (and hopefully the dynamic trophy pictures on it!). Hence my decision to buy film and have it developed in Windhoek. I understand that basic Kodak Max and Fuji film is available, as are good camera shops for development. A fringe benefit is that processing is considerably less expensive in Windhoek than here in the states. I too will carry two lenses, the "factory" Cannon that came with the camera (a 28-80) and my new Sigma 70-300 for longer shots and macro shots. I don't have a converter, so 300 will have to be good enough. I also invested in a compact tripod to facilitate good trophy shot set-up and to support the larger lens for distance shots. I hope to see elephants, which fascinate me, so the ability to get some good pictures of them is important. Of course I'll take my Kodak 3MP digital camera with a 20GB portable hard drive, so there will be no shortage of photography on this trip. Who knows, I may never get to do this again, so I'm making the most of it. I've been told that a roll of film per animal, plus a roll per day for "other stuff" is about normal. That's over twenty rolls for me (10-12 hunting days). I can probably limit that a little and rely more on the digital, which takes very good pictures and makes excellent 4X6 prints. With 20GB, I can take several thousand pictures and not worry. Keeping batteries charged will be more of a challenge than running out of memory. I'll check out that site you posted. As a novice photographer with an interest in it as a hobby, I'm reading everything I can find on the subject. I only wish I had started three years ago so I felt better prepared for making pictures on this "once-in-a-lifetime" adventure. | |||
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For both of you: When taking your "hero" shots, use your flash, even in bright sunlight! It eliminates all those black shadows, especially under hat brims. If you don't know how to set it properly, just turn it and your camera on the "Program" setting. It will balance the flash with the ambient light, like the photo below, which was taken just as the sun was going down. -TONY  | |||
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Tony, what kind of camera and flash do you use? Is that a digital image, or a scanned film/negative image? Just curious, as I think I will do most of my "hero" shots on film, with a couple backups on digital for posting and emailing. My hope is to have high quality film images that I can enlarge to 8X10 or 11X14 to use as my trophies. I'm "monetarily challenged" on this hunt, so I won't be doing many full mounts (rather spend my limited budget on trophy fees), but I think a tastefully shot and framed picture next to the Euro-style skull mount would make a great trophy in and of itself. | |||
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The photo I posted was taken with my Olympus 2100 Ultra zoom digital at the WA setting with the built-in flash. It takes only a 2.1 MP image at the superfine setting, but they reproduce very nice for web use or up to 8x10" prints on a GOOD inkjet photo printer. I also have them basically duplicated on Kodachrome 64 slide film that were shot by my PH with my Canon 24-50 WA and the built-in flash on the Canon EOS. If you'd like to see the complete assortment of my "hero" photos with 11 different critters, all digitals with flash, visit Tony's Album. Just click the first thumbnail for the full-size image and use the NEXT button for the rest. And remember, move in close and fill the frame with your MAIN subject -- not the surrounding countryside. If you want the latter, should scenic photos. -TONY | |||
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