A Few More Field Tips...
As a landscape photographer, who doesn’t appreciate a few more field tips? These tips I am about to share with you will definitely make your summer adventures much more enjoyable! You might already be familiar with some of these…but I will call it Mission Accomplished if you at least learn a little something here!
This article isn’t my first one talking about general Field Tips, I previously did two others which can be found here: Camera Hacks and Field Tips, More Camera Hacks and Field Tips.
But this very article is more oriented towards Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. Keep reading and enjoy!
ICE CLEATS FOR SUMMER HIKING?
Yes, you did read this correctly…but how in the world would someone need ice cleats for summer hiking you may ask? Six years ago, I went to the Faroe Islands and all I can say is boy can it rain on those islands! It’s funny when you meet someone from the United Kingdom and you hear him complain about how much rain has fallen since he was there! British people are used to the rain and he thought it was raining too much in the Faroe Islands!
And with rain, grass and extremely rugged terrains comes some pretty amazing opportunities to slip and fall on your butt. I can’t recall how many times I fell on my butt! I even slid downhill a couple times and I realized how sketchy and dangerous these hikes could potentially be! I wasn’t well prepared for this and I definitely should have brought my ice cleats to give myself additional traction when needed! This might sound crazy but ice cleats do work very well on a wet slippery ground!
GIVE YOURSELF MORE STABILITY!
I hike a lot and most of the time, I’ll be hiking with a heavy camera backpack on my back. Sadly, carrying such a heavy load on my back does affect my stability and in some sketchy situations, you definitely want all the stability you can possibly have to avoid falling and getting hurt. For that reason, I almost always hike with trekking poles and they have saved me from so many falls. I think everybody should use some.
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE SLIPPERY ROCKS
As a landscape photographer, I often find myself literally standing in a river. And trust me, you have to watch out for those slippery rocks! Most of the time, submerged rocks will have algae build up on them and if you step on them without being careful, you will fall! There are a couple of things I do to avoid falling because of slippery rocks:
1st - I never walk on top of rocks…I always try to rest my feet between rocks in a V shape type of spot. If my feet are already rested solidly against two rocks, there is no way it can slide any further.
2nd - You can always rub your feet on the rocks to remove the algae. After doing this for a couple seconds, you will feel the traction increasing. You’ll still need to be careful and make sure that your feet sit directly on the rock…not on slippery algae.
A TRUE EFFECTIVE REPELLENT
I recently went to capture the Northern Lights which were a result of the huge G5 Magnetic Storm we had! I was so excited that when it came time to prepare all my equipment, I forgot to bring my mosquito repellent. And let me tell you something, mosquitoes were so happy about it! I think I donated one whole liter of blood on that evening!
Some people aren’t too keen about using Deet based mosquito repellents…here’s a true effective mosquito repellent option to any spray on mosquito repellents: Thermacell Mosquito Area Repellent. They actually make many models but the one I have is a small device that can be attached to your backpack. It works with butane and it heats up a little pad which releases the repellent to create a 4,5 meter bubble around you…and mosquitoes hate it! It makes for such a pleasant experience when I go out to capture images! I wish I hadn’t forgotten it at home on that night…I wouldn’t have been one liter short on blood!
BACKPACK RAIN COVER
I often use my camera backpack rain cover to rest my bag on when I put it on the ground. Hey, I don’t know about you but I like to keep my stuff clean! Call me princess…I don’t care! When the terrain becomes muddy or wet and I can’t find a clean enough spot to put my bag down, I will put my camera backpack rain cover on even if it’s not raining so it protects my backpacks from getting dirty. I pay for my stuff like most people and I take good care of it!
THERE COULD BE SOME WILDLIFE
One thing to always remember is that there could be some wildlife on the trails when you hike. Not going to say that this is unpleasant…I personally love to see a beautiful buck or a black bear! But one thing you should always carry with you is bear spray. It could literally save your life! In most situations, wildlife encounters will end up being peaceful and memorable…but if that bear is having a bad day, things could very quickly turn around. Have your bear spray securely attached to your shoulder straps or your waist belt…and be sure to know how it works to be ready to fire in the shortest possible amount of time.
…IN CONCLUSION
In Conclusion, there is nothing more fun than spending a day or two or even a week out in nature to enjoy it’s breathtaking beauty but it’s all about being well prepared. In order to make sure you don’t forget things like I normally do in every single expedition, make sure to create checklists and add items to it as you think about them!
I want to wish you all a truly wonderful summer filled with epic photography adventures and fun hikes! Please share your experiences with me! I am always happy to chat with people from all over the world!
