[BigMackCam]

... or, "How I took a tonne of gear with me and wound up being a tourist snapper".

Each year, I generally try to take a few long-weekend breaks for some rest and relaxation, and occasionally to enjoy a bit of uninterrupted photography. This year, I haven't been away as my rheumatoid arthritis has flared up rather badly, and I haven't felt up to it. However, I've just got back from a pleasant three night stay on Lindisfarne (also known as Holy Island), a small tidal island off the coast of Northumberland, less than 80 miles from where I live.

The main purpose of my break was relaxation and a change of scenery, with photography very much a secondary concern. That said, I took a considerable amount of equipment with me... My Hasselblad HV, Konica Minolta 17-35/2.8-4, Sony Zeiss 24-70/2.8 SSM, Tamron 70-200/2.8 USD, Tamron 150-650, Tamron 28-300 PZM (just in case), Giottos tripod and Manfrotto head, filters and various other accessories. I had high hopes, and wanted to be prepared.

I came back with a few nice shots. Not as many as I'd hoped for or expected, but several more than I set out with, so I can't complain But I learned a few valuable lessons...

Although I knew some of the subjects I wanted to photograph, having visited the island as a youngster, I had no plan.

• I hadn't considered the direction of light and sunrise / sunset times for the various locations, nor the weather and cloud cover (or lack thereof)
• I hadn't checked to see if any of my subjects (such as the lovely castle and priory) were undergoing maintenance work (they were)
• I hadn't considered how many other photographers would be there taking photos and videos of the same locations, getting in the way of my shots, and I in theirs
• I hadn't considered that the bird hide in the conservation area, whilst only a mile or two from the village, would be a considerable walk for someone with my condition carrying a FF camera, 150-600 lens, heavy aluminium tripod and large fluid head - nor had I considered that 600mm might be way too short (it was), as the hide is quite some distance from the pond and reeds
• I hadn't considered how inaccessible certain subjects and viewing locations might be, often requiring longer focal lengths than the 70mm max of my rather heavy 24-70/2.8 that I'd intended to carry for general use

These are all rather negative-sounding points, but they're worth bearing in mind, and good will come from acknowledging and learning from them.

One positive lesson came from this. There are times where a compromise lens such as the Tamron 28-300 PZD, for all its shortcomings, can be invaluable. I'm delighted I took it with me (I'll never leave for a trip without it in future). After my first day of frustrations, I slapped that lens on the camera and went off walking the island's tracks, over the dunes to the deserted bays and beaches at the north, and got a handful of nice shots at a variety of focal lengths from 28mm to 300mm. Most are just a record of where I went and the landmarks around me - but they're nice all the same, and I do have a small number of more creative shots too. Being able to walk for several miles (albeit slowly) with the camera and just one lens, and not feeling weighed down at all, was liberating - and it salvaged the photography aspect of my break.

Of course, upon pixel-peeping, I'll undoubtedly find the results to be less than impressive compared to what I'd get with the 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8 or the shorter end of my 150-600. But I simply wouldn't have reached my destinations carrying a combination of those.

In summary, the overall lesson I've learned (relevant to me - YMMV) is this:

If I'm going somewhere specifically to do photography, I need to research the subjects, locations, weather, sunrise and sunset times, any maintenance or events taking place, distances and terrain, then take equipment that is appropriate and necessary... And never be without the superzoom, just in case

For all the above, I had an enjoyable break - including a lot more exercise than I'm used to these days, way too much good food and some very nice local beers. I'm paying the price for all of those today, but it was worth it

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 09-07-2018 at 05:36 AM.

[UncleVanya]

Nice write up of your lessons learned. I have had that kind of experience and I've had the opposite, overprepared, undefeated, overgeared, you name it. This is helpful to remember when planning.

[biz-engineer]

I took a considerable amount of equipment with me... My Hasselblad HV, Konica Minolta 17-35/2.8-4, Sony Zeiss 24-70/2.8 SSM, Tamron 70-200/2.8 USD, Tamron 150-650, Tamron 28-300 PZM (just in case), Giottos tripod and Manfrotto head, filters and various other accessories

You forgot something: the new drone with 4k cam that you might soon be ordering to Santa Claus (you can have the drone do all the fly to the best inaccessible view point for you).

There are times where a compromise lens such as the Tamron 28-300 PZD, for all its shortcomings, can be invaluable.

Thanks for the hint (I don't want to start another Photokina Pentax rumor )

[photoptimist]

Nice story and lessons!

A few more:

* get a map of the destination (printing some screen shots of Google maps can be useful)
* annotate the map with must-see locations
* get moon-rise & moon-set times for night shots
* get a tidal chart for islands & coasts

Of course, all these planning lessons can over-burden a vacation with all the over-preparation time and overly-dense scheduling -- oh the irony of returning from a vacation more exhausted than before!

Sometimes the best vacation involves bringing the minimum of equipment and expectations.

[BigMackCam]

A few more:

* get a map of the destination (printing some screen shots of Google maps can be useful)
* annotate the map with must-see locations
* get moon-rise & moon-set times for night shots
* get a tidal chart for islands & coasts

That's good additional advice! In fact, I had the first two of those covered (sort of), but failed to make adequate observations from the map. In that wonderful and humbling thing known as hindsight, Google satellite images would have been far more useful

Of course, all these planning lessons can over-burden a vacation with all the over-preparation time and overly-dense scheduling -- oh the irony of returning from a vacation more exhausted than before!

Sometimes the best vacation involves bringing the minimum of equipment and expectations.

Agreed. Another summary lesson I guess I learned is to decide what the vacation is for. If it's primarily for R&R, pack minimal photography gear to cover likely requirements. If it's primarily for photography, be prepared - and expect to miss out on some or all of the R&R, as planning and timing are all-important (including getting up early, staying out past dinner time, etc.)...

In hindsight, I'd have been better equipped for this trip with my Q7, 01, 02 and 06 lenses

[Kozlok]

On foot, exploring places and doing photography, I find a KS2 and a 16-85 to be an ideal companion. If I’m feeling like carrying more, I stick the Sigma 8-16 and DA55-300 in the bag. Makes for a fun vacation and quite good photos.

[rogerstg]

* get a map of the destination (printing some screen shots of Google maps can be useful)
* annotate the map with must-see locations
* get moon-rise & moon-set times for night shots
* get a tidal chart for islands & coasts

I think there's an app for that
This thread is helpful to me and I've been researching apps, etc for a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons about a year from now. I'm leaning toward PhotoPills, but have not decided yet.

[BigMackCam]

On foot, exploring places and doing photography, I find a KS2 and a 16-85 to be an ideal companion. If I’m feeling like carrying more, I stick the Sigma 8-16 and DA55-300 in the bag. Makes for a fun vacation and quite good photos.

Yep. In fact, my K-3, Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and HD DA 55-300 would have been a more practical kit to take. Of course, I didn't know that due to insufficient research

[Culture]

I wonder how much stuff you would have taken if you were actually going for photography.
A Tamron 70-200 is a big lens. And all those other stuff.......phew.

So when do we see the pictures?

[aslyfox]

we have two spare bedrooms

actually

we have one spare bedroom

and a room where the camera gear is supposed to be

it ain't organized at all and you can barely see the bed

[BigMackCam]

I wonder how much stuff you would have taken if you were actually going for photography.
A Tamron 70-200 is a big lens. And all those other stuff.......phew.

That's just it... Had I researched everything properly, I'd probably have taken much less. Instead, I wanted to be covered for every eventuality, so I took everything but the kitchen sink My intention was never to carry it all round with me... I packed it in one of my waterproof hard cases, and took a bag with me that would carry the camera with 24-70 and 70-200 if needed.

So when do we see the pictures?

Well, I'm typically not one for sharing my photos online (they're just for my own enjoyment, and I don't really have anything outstanding to offer). But when I've processed them, I'll put a couple up in this thread or in Post Your Photos

[C_Jones]

With weather it is sort of just what happens, and predictions can even change on a reasonably short notice in some instances. Nature is Nature.

Happy shooting.

[acoufap]

Thank‘s for this nice story. Guess there are some of us who can tell similar tales. I did a trekking tour last year and had my K-1, tripod and a lot more things with me. We were four persons. I was the only photographer ... and had to wear a lot of kilos more than the others. That‘s hard especially if you have to walk up a hill ...

If you don‘t and the trail is in rather good condition you can use a helper. Recently I bought a Burley Travoy. Didn‘t use it until now but I think it‘s really nice to transport the photo equipment and more. I can attach it to my bike or use it by hand as a trolly.

[AggieDad]

Somehow your story sounded eerily as though you were describing my other self (although there would have been no Hasselblad if you were ).

Even when packing only one camera body I manage to almost fill up one compartment in our motor home. After all, along with too many lenses, I have take all the mounting goodies - ball head, leveler, and indexer - for possible panorama shots, along with my 150-500 Sigma, a gimbal mount, along with a tripod and monopod.

For me planning is sort of an “on-the-fly” process as our road trips take us to places with which we have little or no familiarity. Yes, I have PhotoPills and both compass and tide tables apps. But alas, they are infrequently used.

The lessons you and others have discussed are important, but experience tells me I will think about them more than heed them.

I wish you well with your battle with the rheumatoid arthritis. Age takes its toll and it seems we all are battling something. But at least we are still in the fight.

Don

[jlstrawman]

Another summary lesson I guess I learned is to decide what the vacation is for. If it's primarily for R&R, pack minimal photography gear to cover likely requirements. If it's primarily for photography, be prepared - and expect to miss out on some or all of the R&R, as planning and timing are all-important (including getting up early, staying out past dinner time, etc.)...

In hindsight, I'd have been better equipped for this trip with my Q7, 01, 02 and 06 lenses

Sage advice, Mike. My wife and I have taken frequent trips to the Caribbean, over the past 20 years.We take these trips for R&R. Personally, I would not
enjoy the trip if I was always worrying about getting a photo of everything I saw. If I am able to get a few good shots while enjoying the trip, I am good.

Typically, I take one body and one lens. That's it. My Sony a7II + 24-105 f/4 allows me to obtain all the photos I want. With extra batteries and SD cards, everything fits in one small bag. Easy to carry, easy to keep track of, easy to take on airplanes. YMMV.