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