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Back to the grind .. Kind of

Well, I’m back home and done (finally!) with thanksgiving turkey (though there’s a lot of soup in the freezer) and so now it’s back to reality. Time to find a new job and prepare for the coming of another year.

I’ve got a lot of photos that I need to upload .. but it’s going to take me a while.  I’ve got a lot of processing to do – trying to winnow the digital pile down to a meaningful amount that people will find interesting.

And even thought the holidays are once again upon us, I still need to spend some time on the job search.  The savings can only last so long, after all.

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Quick update from Torres Del Paine

I´m in Torres Del Paine park in Chile trekking through incredible terrain.  On this night I´m at one of the fancier ´refugios´ in the park, so they even have internet access.

I wanted to quickly check-in with email to make sure that everything´s OK at home and I  had to buy 30 minutes of time, so I figured I´d write a quick note.

This park is really amazing.  The Refugios are just what they should be (though this one is a little over the top): simple rest stops for the weary hiker.  A bed, a beer, a dinner, and a warm atmosphere.  We really need more hut-to-hut options in the states.

The scenery has been fantastic.  I look forward to downloading my photos onto a computer so that I can check them out on a big screen.

Looking forward to the next few days of trekking and checking out glaciers before heading back to civilization.

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Cafe culture

p_1600_1200_7B25BDDD-BEB5-4D93-9B1C-993D8236EF3D.jpegOne has to love a city with a strong cafe culture. It’s great to know that around just about any corner is a place to sit, re-group, watch the locals, and enjoy a good coffee.

Such is the case in Buenos Aires.

I’m sitting here along one of the many boulevards, drinking this coffee while overhearing all of this Spanish dialogue that I wish I could comprehend. Oh well, it’s still entertaining to watch.

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what to bring: the photo edition

I have so much crap it’s really not funny.  When it comes to travel & outdoor gear, I can’t resist the American consumerist in me.  But with this trip to Buenos Aires and Patagonia, as with most, there’s the additional question of what camera equipment to bring.

Were I only going to Buenos Aires (or, put another way, if this were a more ‘urban’ trip) I would bring my digital SLR, a good ‘standard’ zoom lens and a smaller ‘walk-around’ lens.  With my current equipment, that equates to the Nikon D300, the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 zoom and the Nikon 20mm f/2.8.  That would allow me to have good general coverage with the zoom lens with the added benefit of a smaller form-factor for walking around a little less conspicuously.  I would probably consider leaving the 20mm lens behind and just use a smaller pocket camera for when I want to carry around a lighter load.

Which leads me to the next piece of gear – a walk-around pocket camera.  For this I currently use the Canon G10.  It’s not quite pants pocket-sized but it will go in a coat pocket without a problem and it affords me more control over the shots than something truly pocketable.  This is also a handy camera for shooting short videos.  I’m glad to see SLRs including video capabilities these days as moving pictures (and sound!) adds a nice dimension to looking through old trips.

Since this trip includes a visit to Torres del Paine, the situation becomes a little more challenging as that scenery provides for a more diverse set of shooting conditions.  Among the decisions are: whether to take the 70-200 f/2.8 or the 80-400 4/f-5.6 and whether to take the tripod or just rely on the monopod, as well as power considerations and whether I want any specialty lenses like a macro, etc.,

The 80-400 has a great zoom range (especially on the DX Nikon body where it gives me an effective focal length of 600mm).  This is the lens I took to Africa and I was very pleased with its performance and the shots I was able to get with it.  But, ultimately, I think I’ll go with the 70-200 for this trip.  It’s slightly smaller, has a wider, stable minimum aperture, and the optics are slightly better.

Normally for traveling I rely on a monopod since it’s lighter, easier to walk around with, and offers basic stabilization.  For this trip however, I’m going to go with the tripod.  I’m hoping for some great scenic shots and for those (especially when looking to make large size prints) the monopod really doesn’t stand up to the tripod.  (This would be less of an issue of course if I had a nice carbon fiber tripod).

Other equipment I considered, but am leaving behind includes my flash and my 105mm macro lens (even though this is my favorite lens).  I need to cut down on the weight somewhere, and this is where I’ll draw the line.

Since I’ll be spending some time in the backcountry, I’ll be bringing along my portable storage device, which will allow me to offload images from the memory cards, freeing up more space.  In the future I just need to buy more memory cards since they’re so cheap and lightweight, but since I already own the hard disk, I’ll just bring that.

And other odds and ends which will travel with me: a lens cleaning kit; battery chargers and extra batteries; cable release; assorted cases and weather protection; polarizer & graduated neutral density filters; memory cards.

I think this is the right setup but here are my concerns:

First and foremost, I don’t know what to expect in terms of being able to charge batteries while in Patagonia.  I have only 2 batteries for my SLR and with cold conditions, they might not last.

Second, I’m bringing only 1 camera body.  In the past I would have brought a second body (either film or digital) but I’ve never NEEDED one and I want to cut down the weight somehow.  I hope this is not the trip where my camera body decides to give up the ghost.

So, the full gear list looks like this:

  • Nikon D300
  • Nikon 17-55 f/2.8
  • Nikon 70-200 f/2.8
  • Nikon 20mm f/2.8
  • Manfroto tripod
  • Manfroto ballhead
  • Spare battery for SLR, battery chargers
  • ThinkTank camera cases
  • lens cleaning kit
  • SinghRay graduated neutral density filter
  • Tiffen Polarizer filters
  • 80GB HyperDrive Colorspace personal storage device
  • three 4GB; one 2GB; two 1GB memory cards for SLR
  • generic Remote Cable release
  • Canon G10
  • two 4GB; one 1GB memory cards for Canon G10

In a pinch I might decide to bring my older Nikon D70 (and associated batteries, charger) and leave the 20mm lens behind.. we’ll see.

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planning a trip to Buenos Aires and Patagonia

So the idea was pretty simple at least.

With some unexpected time off from work, take advantage of the break and take a little trip.  Being last minute in nature, this trip will be a solo adventure.

A quick scan of airfares of interesting destinations lead to Buenos Aires.  Other options included Bangkok for another tour of S.E. Asia but the idea of going someplace new was enticing.  Santiago, Chile was a possibility with access to Patagonia but Buenos Aires was more than $200 cheaper and also promised to be a sight to visit in its own right (and Patagonia also accessible).

So the ticket was purchased and now the planning comes into play.

It’s always tough planning a trip for an unknown destination.  The usual comes into play: the internet, Get Lost bookstore and advice from friends.  An provided info on Buenos Aires and Lisa helped with Patagonia info.  Patagonia was the most daunting as it’s a huge area so getting around would be a concern, as would seeing some classic sights.

All this started 5 days ago for a trip that begins next week.  Here’s where I am currently:

  • As indicated, flying into and out of Buenos Aires
  • Spending 2 nights in Buenos Aires
  • flying into Patagonia (Argentinian side)
  • bus (hopefully – nothing secured as yet) into Torres del Paines National Park
  • trek around Torres del Paine, sleeping in refugios (hut-to-hut hiking)  This has tentatively been arranged as of now.  will hopefully secure in the next day..

I then have a few more days in Patagonia before a flight back to Buenos Aires where I’ll have several days before the flight back home.  This is all yet to be planned out (and may remain that way until I get there… we’ll see).

The goals of this trip are to see some awesome scenery in Torres del Paine and Patagonia and see what Buenos Aires is all about.  I haven’t yet read anything else about other sights in Patagonia or Buenos Aires or possible daytrips around Buenos Aires.  I’ll leave plenty of flexibility around this part of the trip to see what piques my interest.

I’ve started my pile o’crap which I’ll have to weed through in order to keep from breaking my back..  Right now the plan is to bring 2 decent sized bags, essentially 1 for Buenos Aires and 1 for Patagonia – well, that’s exactly what it will be.. I’ll leave 1 bag behind in B.A. to be collected when I return from Patagonia.  That way I’ll bring only the necessary outdoor adventure gear with me to Patagonia, which will then stay packed away when I’m in Buenos Aires.

I’m looking forward to this!

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Epson 3800 photo printer & the process of image making

I recently made the purchase of a new Epson 3800 photo printer – a purchase that I’ve considered for several years now.

I was really on the fence about buying a photo printer.  I have access to a really good lab locally, who charge reasonable rates for prints.  I knew that it would take many, many prints in order to recoup the cost of the printer.

But there were two really compelling reasons why I considered, and ultimately made the purchase.

First, while I had access to a lab, I never used it.  I always had on my to-do list “print photos” and it was never getting crossed off.  I wanted to hang more recent prints in my apartment but just never got around to sending the images to the lab.

Second, and the reason for my delay in using the photo lab, I was uncertain about the printing process.  That’s to say; without having control over what gets printed out – and being able to see variations in the final prints from changed settings, I was hesitant to make any prints.  I knew that there were many things that I needed to consider in my prints – like color, tonality, paper, contrast & sharpness – things that either differed from or didn’t exist in online images.  I felt that there was no real way to get a grasp on these elements without doing the work myself.

So after many years of consideration and some recent diligence in research, I ended up with the 3800.  I purchased it sensing that it was about to be replaced with a newer model (it has – the 3880).  But because this  newer model was about to be announced, I was able to save over $400 from multiple offered rebates making this printer much more affordable then its replacement.  I also liked the idea of owning a printer that had been around for a while with a wealth of information available online.

I set up the printer when it arrived using some of these valuable online resources, including most importantly Eric Chan’s website, which offers many detailed setup guides and links.

And the result?

Wow.

I am really digging this printer.  The prints it creates are just amazing.

But the best part – that comes completely unexpectedly, is what printing is telling me about my photography.  I am learning so much more about my images, just by going through the printing process.  I have a much greater appreciation for the final production work required to create a great printed image.

It seems obvious in retrospect, but printing (or final display) is a vital part of the image making process.  And while I’ve been spending plenty of time in this step in the past, it’s been for online presentation – something that didn’t require as much attention as does printing – or so I’ve felt.  Of course now that I look back through my online presentation I see flaws left and right.  The act of fine-tuning my images for printing has made me re-evaluate the process I use to set up my images for online presentation as well.

And sadly, I see where my image taking has suffered over the past several years, because I haven’t had this view of my own work: Most importantly, in image stabilization.  I see in many of my prints, only when trying to print out in large form, flaws in the details – mostly because of a lack of clarity due to movement.  This has not been evident in web-sized images, but when you try to blow that up into a nice landscape print, it just doesn’t fly.

But I am thankful to have this insight now so that I can re-evaluate my processes moving forward and I look forward to the resulting prints that I’ll be able to make.