Hints, Tips, and Hindsight (4)

Backing up and reviewing photos

When it comes to my image files,I’m a belt-and-suspenders guy. We brought along multiple devices to backup our digital images. We brought a small laptop, a USB-powered external hard drive, and a personal storage device (Hyperdrive Colorspace UDMA).

When we would return to the ship I would first back up our cards to the Hyperdrive. The Hyperdrive is basically a stand-alone hard drive with a built in memory card reader. It is battery powered and about the size of two decks of cards. I could also connect it to the laptop and use it as a normal external hard drive.

In the evening, I would copy the new files from Hyperdrive and to the other external hard drive. External drives like the Western Digital Passport have become relatively cheap and take up very little space. I chose to buy a separate enclosure (Kingwin ATK-25U3-BK) and selected the hard drive that I wanted. I wanted the flexibility of swapping out the hard drive in the future – possibly for an SSD.

I brought a relatively low-end laptop (Dell 14z) but it was more than adequate for running Adobe Lightroom. I would do some initial culling and light editing of a few photos.

Camera bags and Protection

Wendy and I have a malady common to many photographers and we aren’t afraid to admit that we are bag-aholics.

We seem to always be on the look out for the perfect camera bag. I think (I hope!) we have finally settled on bags by Gura Gear as our primary travel bags. These bags are extremely well made and use durable, high-quality materials. I have the larger Kiboko 30L and Wendy uses the Kiboko 22L. Even though the 30L is large enough to carry the 500mm lens it only weighs 4 pounds and the 22L is even lighter. The backpack straps are very comfortable and can be stored away when not needed. These bags easily fit into the overhead compartments of most commercial jets.

When transiting to and from the shore we were concerned about our cameras getting wet. During any landing there was always the possibility that a camera bag could accidentally take a dunking. Rides on the Zodiacs were relatively dry but there were occasions when we would get some salt water spray. We would put our cameras into individual, lightly padded bags which in turn were put in waterproof dry bags. We used Sea to Summit eVAC Dry Sacks from REI.

(I’ll post photos of the padded bags later).

We did see some some people with cameras hanging around their necks while riding the Zodiacs. I couldn’t help but think that one drop of salt water in the wrong spot and a camera becomes a very expensive paperweight. One option is to use inexpensive rain sleeves such as the OP/TECH Rainsleeve.

An even cheaper (free) alternative is a hotel shower cap. It’s lightweight, has an elastic band and is about the right size for a DSLR.

We shared a small cleaning kit that included:

a larger microfiber cloth for wiping down the camera and lens exterior,
a Rocket Blower
a LensPen and small microfiber cloths for cleaning lenses,
lens tissue and lens cleaning fluid for harder to clean smudges

Photography Suggestions for Normal People

For people who don’t want to haul this much equipment around, I suggest a good quality point and shoot with video capability. If it isn’t an underwater camera I would purchase a relatively inexpensive waterproof pouch or case for it. In addition to allowing you to shoot when snorkeling, the case or pouch could protect your camera when riding the boats to and from the shore.

I would bring more memory cards than you think you might use. Unless you have a way to backup your image files, the options are limited in trying to get more cards on the trip.

I would want some type of backup camera. Getting a used P&S from CraigsList would be cheap insurance. Even if it’s your cell phone camera it’s better than nothing.

If you decide to purchase new camera before the trip, allow yourself enough time to get familiar with it. At a minimum, bring the manual along with you. I believe that photo instructors are always aboard the Lindblad cruises. The designated Photo Expeditions also include a National Geographic photographer.

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