Posts tagged Travel

Travel Photography – Card to Disk

Photography

I think it’s safe to say that most people would like to travel. Most people would also love to travel abroad. If you love traveling and photography means that you’ll definitely bring along a camera. If you really enjoy traveling and really are into photography, you will probably end up taking a lot of photos. You’ll also wake up earlier and stay out longer.


Back in the old days where photos (not images) were captured on chemicals, the average storage capacity was thirty-six photos. If you lucked-out, you could sometimes get 37 before the rewind kicks in. Rewind? WTF? I remember lugging forty rolls of film to Spain. It was estimated at that time that I’ll shoot on average 2 rolls a day. This is to negate out time spent traveling between destinations (we almost always self-drive), chilling out (hey, you need to take a break and enjoy your time too), recovering from jet-lag and so on. I digress. Fast forward ten years and I can now have 630, yup, over six-hundred photos (21-megapixel RAW images) on my 16Gb CF card. Only that I tend to shoot a lot more and more little things get shot, food, street signs, mundane things, etc. Then came HD video. So unless you’re super rich, buying twenty 16Gb CF cards is not the solution.

My travel buddy has always been Breeze Systems Downloader Pro (DLPro). I also use it for wedding and other large shoots coupled with several card readers. Today’s multi-core computers can handle quite a bit of simultaneous downloads. So far, I average 16MB/sec per CF (8Gb SanDisk Extreme III) with five SanDisk All-in-one USB card readers downloading simultaneously into a striped disk array. Not very fast, but very convienent. I can go shower, have lunch, nap while the download is running. I’ve tried those image tanks or similar devices. Never worked out for me. Some were horribly slow, others just had poor UI and with the costs of today’s disks drives and netbooks, it makes sense to go with that route. For trips where I’m with a rental car (i.e. Australia or the US), I’ll normally take my full-size (14″) notebook but trains, backpacks and mountains don’t really agree with heavy notebooks.

For travel, I’m using DLPro to download from a card reader into two hard drives. Here’s my typical desktop configuration (Quad-core, 8Gb RAM, etc) so I won’t be configuring it to show thumbnails on my Mini9 for example.

Downloader Pro basic job-code, download preferences, IPTC keywords, etc.

Downloader Pro Back-up Plugin allows downloads to be replicated onto a second or even third storage location. My Wedding shoots get backed up immediately to a NAS this way. So here, mine goes to the NAS drive immediately. For my Mini9, I’ll configure it to go to the second hard drive.

You can launch multiple instances of DLPro, hence the beauty of this solution. My Atom powered Mini9 is going to choke on multiple card readers so I stick with one reader for now. I can’t wait for the dual-cores though. For now, weight is the main factor so have to make do with the tools at hand. More to come.

Seagate Free Agents

Travel Packing – China

Travel

Specifically, Shanghai. The packing challenge is compounded by the fact that a hard case is better protection for your stuff that’s going to be checked in. Not to mention a bit more secure in terms of airport pilferage. The problem is once in China, I’ve a couple of trains to take. From maglevs to intercity fast trains. Packing a backpack in there solves the problem but not the capacity and weight issues. My empty hard case weights 4kg empty. My 65-liter backpack weights 2.5 kg empty.

I also have to pack in my Manfrotto tripod. Clothes for a week at least (I always do laundry on a trip) and enough rain gear considering that certain places are nicer with rain. You also don’t want to stop shooting when the weather turns bad — you’ll miss out the better photos of the trip! Target loaded weight – 18kg. Usually airlines won’t give a hoot if you exceed the weight by a kilo or two but I do have fond memories of three people with 105kg of checked baggage at Beijing Capital International Airport! On our return trip, we have five this time which should give us about a hundred kilos. More than enough unless someone was overzealous in their shopping!

Other problem is that my day pack will primarily consist of camera equipment but I’ll also have my Dell Mini 9, Sandisk card readers, two portable SATA drives, battery chargers, batteries, assorted cables, you know the drill. For longer excursions out of my Shanghai base, 65-liters is good. For overnight sojourns, it is unwieldy. Looks like I’ll have to bring along a little stuff sack so that I can cram a nights’ worth of clothes, etc into the stuff sack along with my day pack loaded with cameras.

ThinkTankPhoto Cable Management 50 – excellent way to organize my cable mess.

Travel Packing

Travel

Travel light. Depending on what you like to do, that’s going to be a serious challenge. Photographers have had this challenge for a while now. If you’re also going to do some serious hiking or outdoor activity and more, it’s also going to be even more difficult.

My camera equipment alone weights about 5kg, excluding some smaller non-accessories that I can check in. I don’t check in batteries, CF cards and chargers. Those are essential if the bags don’t arrive at the destination. Then I add my notebook (netbook this time round) and portable hard drives. I use Downloader Pro to copy from card to disk and with the backup plugin, it makes two identical copies to two physical hard drives. Two drives because single drive can fail plus me and my wife can carry one each in case a bag gets stolen.

Since I’m going for some serious canyon hiking, I also have my trusty Garmin 60CSx GPS along with me (Downloader Pro can also load a GPS tracklog and geo-stamp your images). Add a couple of little things you carry onboard and that gets heavy pretty fast. Not to mention my checked in baggage. I’ve never been on one of those tour packages so usually our trips are more photography and activity loaded and less hanging around shopping. With all the restrictions on baggage means my usual swiss army knife, leatherman wave tools all go into the cargo hold. Along with my tripods, monopods, leki trekking poles. My excel spreadsheet pack list has reached 145 items. Of course this includes little things like 2-stop neutral density filter, polarizer, 16 Maha Imedion AA batteries, ziploc bags, first-aid items like anti-diarrhea tablets, band-aids, etc and a lot more little things.

The only problem is trying to fit all that into the luggage, backpacks and more. Of course there are tricks to lighten my carry-on bag. Worse case scenario sees me hanging my 5D Mark II and 70-200 lens around my neck (whatever you wear on your body doesn’t count it seems). Never had to do that before but my aim is to have my Think Tank pixel rocket (CF wallet) and the Panasonic GF1 in my ThinkTank bum bag. My Mini 9 will be carried separately again with the hard drives and two 580EX flash units and RadioPoppers. That’s already 2.5kg out of my carry-on pack. If need be, since all my lenses sit in the Think Tank modular pouches, I’ll just belt my 70-200 and my pack will pass airline weight and size restrictions!

Gee-Aff-One

Photography

You know what’s the best things about presents when you receive them? It’s not the value. It’s the abso-freaking-surprise when it’s something you really, really want and that the person went through great lengths to research (blog, twitter, social, whatever) what you really want. So, from the bestest brother ever, I get this awesome little thing of black plastic and magnesium alloy.

It’s so awesome but the most hilarious thing is my mom going “like are you sure you’re gonna buy this camera expert a camera? It’s not even a Canon. It’s a Panasonic! He’s already got enough cameras (ahem)!” A small camera, just what I need. This is OMG Awesome. Yeah, so Canon, if you’re listening, I want an EF-S mount (EF with adapter) body the same size as the GF1. APS-C Sensor and HD Video.

Blast from the past – New Zealand 2003

Travel

Almost seven years ago. Let me see if anyone knows the equipment I used … I feel like the time I showed my 8 year old nephew a film camera and he asked me where’s the LCD display!?
Camera bodies:
– Canon EOS 30 (with Eye-controlled focus)
– Canon EOS 50E ( ” )
Lenses & Other (hmm, my lens collection is pretty old!)
– EF 16-35 f2.8L lens
– EF 28-105 f3.5-5.6 IS
– EF 70-200 f2.8L lens
– EF 50mm 1.8 lens
– EF 2X TC
– 550EX Flash

And my sensors, aka film were Fuji Velvia (ISO 50), Fuji Provia 400F (ISO 400), Kodak EliteChrome 100 (ISO 100)! All the photos you see here are almost as-is. What’s done is my Nikon film scanners is the Digital ICE correction (for dust and scratches) and for resizing, unsharp mask was used. The output from the scanner was intentionally left soft for any post-production work if needed.


Aoraki Mount Cook, shot on the side of Lake Pukaki, 70-200mm lens at 200mm with 2X teleconverter. 400mm on Fuji Velvia.


Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tekapo. 16-35mm lens and Fuji Velvia


Another view of Aoraki Mount Cook while hiking in the area. Kodak EliteChrome, 28-135 IS lens.


Farm gate, on the Road to Wanaka. 16-35mm lens, Kodak EliteChrome


Queens town from the Peak. 16-35mm lens, Kodak Elitechrome and guesstimate exposure. Hey, no LCD previews then. I’ll guess exposure times from 1 to three minutes at f/11. Shot half a roll on this!


Saw this sign while driving/wandering around the Milford Sound area. Kodak Elitechrome


Our 25km hike from Wanaka. Kodak Elitechrome. 16-35mm lens


Prancing Pony from Lord of the Rings or in real life, the Cardrona Hotel, Arrowtown. 16-35mm lens, Fuji Velvia


Morning drive along Lake Wanaka. 16-35mm lens, Cokin 2-stop graduated ND filter, Fuji Velvia


If you want him, come and get him! The black riders cross the Bruinen Ford here in Lord of the Rings. Near Arrow town. The water is very cold but I walked across! 16-35mm lens and Kodak Elitechrome


Pesky Kea parrots. They were rather destructive, trying to take the wipers off our CRV.


Sheep making love? Te Anau downs, 70-200mm lens, Fuji Provia


On the road to Milford Sound. Fuji Velvia, 16-35mm lens


Looking for Isengard! Near Te Anau. 70-200mm lens, Fuji Velvia


Angry cows near Wanaka. Found out later that they were bred for beef, hence their hostility — milk cows it seems are friendlier. 16-35mm lens, Fuji Velvia


Parked at Isengard. Tea with Saruman? 70-200mm lens, Kodak Elitechrome


Sheep pasture, Te Anau, 70-200mm lens, Fuji Velvia


Looking for Navorra lakes and the spot where the Riders of Rohan ambushed the Uruks of Saruman… 28-135 IS lens, Kodak Elitechrome


On the Milford Explorer cruise ship, Milford Sound. 16-35mm lens, Kodak Elitechrome


Milford Sound. 70-200mm lens, Fuji Provia


Arriving at the woods of Rivendell, near Te Anau. 70-200mm lens, Kodak Elitechrome


Road-kill possum. No, I did not run this one down. They are a pest in NZ though and some bumper stickers urge you to run them down. It was getting dark and I had my 16-35mm lens and ISO 50 velvia… hand-held at like 1/2 second exposure. The digital era has spoilt a lot of us 🙂


Henry, the Tuatara at Invercargill. 70-200mm lens, Fuji Provia


The YHA we stayed at Dunedin. Supposedly haunted. Didn’t bring any IR film and nothing untoward happened anyways. 16-35mm lens, Kodak Elitechrome


Lands’ End at Bluff. 28-135 IS lens, Fuji Provia


Arthur’s Pass, the high road cross the south Island from Christchurch to the West Coast (Tasman Sea). 16-35mm lens and Kodak Elitechrome. Obviously someone felt that the name Arthur’s Ass was more appropriate!


Misty mountains? Not really but it was really misty when we drove across to Hotkitika. 70-200mm lens, Fuji Velvia


Toast on a clothes line. Near Milford, this home of Murray Gunn, an elderly bachelor is a museum of sorts. 16-35mm lens, Fuji Velvia


Caitlin Falls, the Caitlins. 16-35mm lens, Fuji Velvia. 2-stop ND filter, Again, another guesstimate exposure.


The light house at Bluff, Land’s End. 70-200mm lens, Fuji Provia


Kaikoura Whale Watch catamarans. 28-135 IS lens, Fuji Provia. At ISO 400, my fastest ISO available! The Pacific ocean is no joke. Expect the boat to be rising and falling over fifty feet and getting soaked with sea spray. Suffice to say, my Canons had no problems with the ocean water!


Sperm Whale tail. 70-200mm lens with 2X Teleconverter. Fuji Provia.


Dolphins decided to show off instead. 70-200mm lens with 2X teleconverter. Fuji Provia


Christchurch Cathedral Square. 16-35mm lens, Kodak Elitechrome

A 900km sunrise to sunset drive

Travel

And also why I really need a small camera (The Lumix GF1 comes to mind… my Birthday is coming you know)…

Anyways, it was an interested drive down south and into areas unknown. While the highway stretches were ridiculously boring (how exciting can highway driving be), there was a short stretch of about 15 kilometers of plantation track where going at dust storm churning rally speeds provided a bit of thrill. All for a bit of fresh (live) fish. Really awesome considering that they survived the trip home. Well, not every fish though, just the ones we wanted. The rest were mercilessly packed into ice. Surprisingly though, they survived till the Pagoh rest stop, or maybe beyond, I don’t know as some were still flapping around at the stop. Probably expired between Pagoh and KL but I wouldn’t know.