Shooting in Africa - Suggestions?

[GB1]

Hello,

I'm heading off to Africa in a few weeks for a Kilimanjaro climb and short safari. Haven't given as much thought to the photography aspect since I'm busy getting in climbing shape... Any particular ideas or general advice while I'm there?

I will be in the Serengeti on the Safari. I suppose we will be shooting from the back of a pickup truck. They say to bring a beanbag to stabilize your telephoto, which I need to rent (only have a 200 mm lens which is probably not adequate).

Thanks for any ideas you may have !

[mjs1973]

Hey GB,

I just got back from Africa about 3 months ago. Here is a thread I posted with some picks from my trip. I just updated it yesterday with a link to a gallery I created with more trip photos.

I didn't do any climbing so I can't give you any tips on that, other than to pack light!

As far as the safari goes, I have some tips for you. I didn't take a beanbag, and I don't think one would have been of much use for me. There really wasn't much of a place to set it where it would have given me a very good shooting position. I did take a monopod, and I did find that to be of use. I also did a lot of shooting hand held. With several people in our truck, moving around with the monopod to get a shot could be a challenge at times. The quick release head was nice to have when needing to loose the monopod in a hurry.

I have a 170-500mm lens, but I opted to rent the Canon EF 100-400mm IS L lens for this trip instead. I hated giving up the extra 100mm, but the IS proved invaluable for the shooting conditions I was in. Not to mention the 100-400mm has a faster max aperture than my big zoom. I rented the 100-400 IS L, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L and the 1.4x TC all from www.lensrentals.com. They were great to deal with and I would rent from them again. This amount of glass might have been a bit excessive, but it was a once in a lifetime trip and I would rent it all again if I was going on the trip again. I highly recommend renting a good telephoto lens with IS or VR depending on what you're shooting. The extra weight is worth it for shooting out of the back of a truck with other people in it.

One thing I found while on safari with other tourists (not photographers) in the truck was to be patient. Once we saw something, everyone would start moving around, trying to get a better look and to get that photo as soon as they could. I always waited for the driver to stop, and to shut off the truck. Then I would wait for things in the truck to calm down a bit before I would take my shots. I would also shoot in burst mode and take 3 or 4 shots in a row. You're chances of getting a sharp image are improved this way.

[Kajuah]

Make sure you get your shots, I had a friend who went to madagascar for 1 week, thought she wouldn't need them.. first day in she was bit with a mosqitou and now takes meds to control that malaria it gave her, for the rest of her life. Not a pretty picture to be painting, sorry, but yes ! Make sure you get your immunizations up to date too

[mjs1973]

One other thing I forgot to mention. Take something to back up your photos. I took my laptop and saved a copy of my photos to my HD, I also took some DVD's and burned a copy to them as well. I kept the DVD's in a separate case from my laptop, in case one bag was lost or stolen, I still had another copy.

Also, make sure you have the right outlet adapter for where you will be going. We got one for Africa, only to find out once we got there, that South Africa uses different outlets than the rest of the continent. I was able to cobble some pieces together to make it work though.

[GB1]

Mike -

Thanks very much for your elaborate feedback. I am in sort of a special situation: is this a photo trip, or is it a climb? It's both actually but the climb adds complexity in that the special gear takes up space and weight.. you would mot believe all the stuff you are supposed to bring ... see http://ultimatekilimanjaro.com/preparation.htm and http://mountainguides.com/kilimanjaro-gear.shtml . And these don't even assume you're a photographer! (one mentions that you should bring a small point-and-shoot camera that fits in your pocket.. ha ha ... Like I'm going all the way to Africa with that).

I figure that I will bring the following camera gear:

- Nikon D200 with 24-135mm Tamron lens
- One 8 GB memory card for the Nikon. Perhaps a 2 GB too, as a backup.
- 2 batteries, plus the charger (Tanzania's voltage is 230V, but my Nikon charger says it works 100-240V.. ).
- I want to rent a longer, VR lens. Thanks for the prospect.. I will check it out. I emailed a local photo store but they never replied. I need to scout around, and soon.
- A lightweight tripod that will connect to my day pack. I need to shop for one this weekend. This might act as a monopod on the truck.
- Still undecided on the bean bag
- My Mamiya 645 with 55mm lens (equiv to about 34 mm)
- 120 film for the Mamiya, all color.
- A plastic case for the shot rolls of the 120.
- Polarizer for the cameras (different Cokin adapters for each).
- ND filter
- Cable release for the Mamiya.
- Extra battery for the Mamiya.
- Lens cleaner.
- Plastic bags for everything in case it rains.

and ?

I will also need to bring something to carry the equipment while hiking up the mountain. It's to 19,300 and it will be rough at higher altitudes, even a climb up San Jacinto to 10,800 Sunday was 'interesting.' I have a camera backpack but it is digging into my left shoulder -- not good. Need an alternative plan fast.

Also note that I will not bring the rented long lens up the mountain -- too much weight. I will save that for the safari.

Excellent advice concerning the people moving around on the back of the truck. This is pretty much expected I suppose, but sometimes when they see you're a serous photographer they make space for you. I can probably entice this by saying that I will email them some pix afterward if I get good ones.

Please repost that link to your work, the one here doesn't work.

Unfortunately, with all the hiking gear and camera gear, there's no way I can take a laptop (all I have is my work one anyway). I hope I don't lose the memory card.

Post more info if you can think of any. Btw, where did you go in Africa?

Kajuah - Thanks for the warning on the shots. Don't worry, I have already had them.. polio booster, yellow fever, Hep A, a few others. Malaria drugs I will bring. You take one every day but the nurse warned me that there's a chance that they won't be 100% effective so try to avoid hanging out with the mosquitoes. Then I got a prescription for Diamox, Cirpo, and am bringing some Ibuprofen to help with headaches. It's nuts all this stuff you are to have. Hep B is the only one I didn't get as it was pretty much too late. I leave at the end of the month.

I hope your friend somehow gets over the Malaria. Rest of her life? Yikes.

Gb


EDIT - "Tanzania uses both the round 3-pronged and the British flat 3-pronged plus (see examples) Round 3-prong style plug British flat 3-prong style plug so you will need to buy at least one adapter. Tanzania's voltage is 230V." It's not our 3-prong ... I've never seen anything like these. I hope I can get one over there.

[Canuck935]

For mountain climbs I carry an SLR and up to two lenses and some filters. The camera and short lens goes in a camera bag that holds just that, which I attach to the sternum or waist strap of my regular pack. That gives me easy access. The second lens is in a Domke wrap in my pack. I also carry a Gorillapod SLR zoom with a Giottos ball head on it. This is probably exactly what I'll take up Kilimanjaro with me (next year hopefully).

I sooo would have gone with you, but I know my friends want to do it too and they can't fund it this year. I told them I was passing up this opportunity to wait for them, so they better not let me down!! I'm hoping next September/October.

Are you using a guide service? If you are, may I ask which one? Also, which route are you taking up? If you haven't spent much time at altitude it's best to take the Marangu route in 5 or 6 days.

What was your issue on San Jacinto? Was it the pack strap or altitude issues? There are drugs available that can help with AMS, and also Ginkgo Biloba has been shown to reduce the symptoms. Speaking of San Jacinto, isn't that summit just amazing? It's one of my favorites if not the favorite.

"The view is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth." - John Muir on Mt San Jacinto

[mjs1973]

I didn't take my malaria pills. I started too, but then ended up forgetting about the. Once our guide told us that the mosquitos in the area we were in didn't carry malaria, I didn't give the pills a second thought.

Sorry about the bad link. Here is the correct one. Here is a link to a gallery of images that I put up a few days ago.

We were in the north easter part of South Africa. The Zula Natal area.

While climbing, are you going to have to carry a backpack with all your non camera gear in it? Or will you have a pack for everything? Have you looked at the LowePro TLZ bag? It won't hold much for gear, a DSLR with a decent zoom, and maybe a smaller lens, batteries, filters and a few other things. I got one for a backpacking trip several years ago. The reason I got it was because it has a harness that allows you to mount the camera to your chest. That way I could carry a backback with all my camping gear, and still have easy access to my camera. Just a thought.

[GB1]

Canuck - I own a very small Gorillapod-like thingie but I don't think it will suffice for this trip. There's a lot of brush in Africa and if it's that low it will be hard to clear it. But the low weight is attractive.

Hey good luck with your future trip. I think if you give people a lot of time to plan then you have a better chance of them actually going through with it. I talked to a large number of people who I thought might be interested and also might also be able to afford it. In the end, I was unsuccessful in organizing my own team, so I ended up latching on with a prof. mountain climbing group out of Va that takes strays like me. I hope it all works. Check out MountainGuides.com. It's the Machame trail - supposedly a bit more scenic than Marangu - and descend on Mweka. It will be 5 days up and 2 down. I think there's also a day spent in town beforehand at ~ 5000 feet to help with acclimation.

San Jacinto went OK but not easy. I had blister problems, backpack problems (digging into my left shoulder) and am 99% sure that I felt the effects of low oxygen (slight tunnel vision, ringing in the ears, and slower comprehension of conversations...). I am hoping that the slower acclimation on Kili will help so that I don't have to rely on the pills, but will take some if needed. From what I just read it seems like the jury's out on Ginkgo Biloba (as it is on Diamox, which i do have).

And yes the summit was good, liked seeing the Palm Springs wind turbines. It's not as clear as other summits but it was fun sitting there and saying Glad we made it!

Mike,

You didn't take your malaria medicine?? Not smart, but glad to hear you didn't get it. Perhaps there are places in Africa where it's safe. I have a LowePro bag and for whatever reason hurts one of my shoulders. I need to figure that one out this weekend. The one I have doesn't allow you to mount the camera on your chest ... maybe they're smarter now. A porter carries my main duffel bag with up to 30 lbs (35?) of stuff btw. You carry your own day pack and must be sufficient for the entire day, as they will not stop and let you go through your duffel except at the camp site. This is a tough climb and to a certain extent you live or die (figuratively that is ) by your own decisions of what to take, etc. You really have to think it through and, needless to say, ask others what they think like I am doing here

-G

[Canuck935]

Thanks GB for the link, I'll check them out.

Well, the best way to prevent AMS is by gradual acclimation. It's good that you are getting several days to get up there. That should definitely help.