Life on the trail
Not for the fainthearted, searching out the ultimate travel shot can be a strenuous challenge that involves long days, heavy loads and a thorough test of your fitness
By its very nature, adventure travel photography often involves long, strenuous days in remote and hard-to-reach places. For example, a trekking expedition in the Himalayas is likely to involve a two-to-three-week trek at altitudes reaching up to 5500 metres above sea level. This usually involves trekking around seven to eight hours every day, with acclimatization treks necessary on rest days.
On these types of treks, accommodation is usually found in basic, family-owned tea houses or lodges. Meals are typically served in a communal dining room with a central stove for heating. Bedrooms are simple and unheated, requiring a good, warm sleeping bag. Luggage is usually carried by human porters or pack animals, such as yaks. Both can carry incredible loads, though each trekker is limited to around 10kg of luggage, with a porter often carrying two or three bags on their back supported by a strap around their heads.
Therefore, any additional equipment will need to be carried yourself. By the time you factor in spare layers and waterproofs, trekking poles, snacks, water, hat, gloves and so on, then add your camera gear, you’ll be carrying a pack getting on for around 10-12kg in weight every day!
DEALING WITH ALTITUDE
Trekking at altitude can be very tiring. As you climb higher, the air becomes less dense, which in turn makes it more difficult to breathe. As a result, you take in less oxygen with each breath, and consequently each step requires much more effort. Therefore, some level of fitness will help. However, to help our bodies acclimatize and adjust to the ‘thinner air’, progress needs to be slower.
A slower pace does give us more time to stop and look for photographic opportunities on our journey. As we climb higher out of a valley, the air often becomes clearer, and the views open up. As altitude increases, temperatures drop, especially at night. Light pollution also becomes less of an issue, providing opportunities for astrophotography.
Not all treks or mountainous regions involve high altitude though, and some amazing adventure treks can be had in the European Alps, Patagonia or in the UK’S own mountain ranges.
WHATEVER THE WEATHER
Whilst the old saying of ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing’, rings true, I have been caught out in some pretty ‘interesting’ weather, where it’s been necessary to go into survival mode and batten down the hatches. Thought must therefore be given on how to safely store and protect expensive camera gear during such conditions! Padded camera bags, dust covers and dry bags are your friends here.
Windy weather also brings its own challenges as dust tends to get everywhere, especially in mountainous or desert terrain. Limiting lens changes or shielding your camera’s sensor with your bag or body when changing lenses can help, but invariably some dust will get onto the sensor. A small dust blower and spare lens cloths should form part of your kit. Whilst not essential, a UV filter can help to keep sand and dust off the front element of your lens, and does offer some degree of protection in potentially hostile environments.
Windy weather also brings its own challenges as dust tends to get everywhere, especially in mountainous or desert terrain