Guest Article – Preparing for an African Photographic Adventure

By Dave Ohlsen

Copyright © 2009 Dave Ohlsen, All Rights Reserved

I have been blessed to go to Africa four times over a recent four-year period. Though I quickly learned that nothing could have prepared me emotionally for these adventures, I have been able to take control of all those small things that in aggregate, best ensure my photographic success.

Before the Storm

Where preparation and opportunity can find photographic bliss.

Africa is an amazing place to experience and to photograph.  It is a trip that requires careful planning and preparation to better ensure a successful result. I try to leave nothing to chance so I invest ample time in pre trip planning and preparation, increasing my chances for success when that opportunity arrives for that photographic shot of a lifetime that I traveled so far to obtain.

Early trip planning, building your packing list:

I find it critical to start building a packing list, months before I actually leave. I keep my list handy on my desk and as things occur to me, I write them down. As I get within weeks of leaving, I start organizing this information into a formal packing list. This list is stored on my computer and becomes the starting point for future trips, making my preparation a breeze.  I segment my list into major categories including:

Clothing, misc. personal items, camera gear, to do’s, and, to buy.

Keep building your list and only pack directly from this list when the time comes to get ready. I never forget anything with this system and always am able to make clear decisions of packing priority by reviewing my list.

The Crossing

Severe Conditions call for some equipment redundancy:

Some of the worst enemies of camera equipment are an every day event in Africa. Probably the most prevalent of these include:  heat, dust and vibration. Though I pack carefully and treat my equipment like gold, I always bring some redundant equipment should the worst happen and I experience equipment failure in the field. The trick here is to be cautious but also being careful not to pack so much gear that you cannot carry it all. The items that I believe are most critical to have in duplicate include camera bodies, batteries & chargers, flash cards, and hard drives. I also have my equipment insured though this would admittedly be a small consolation if I lost equipment and could not take photographs while I am there. I worry less about my equipment on the way home from Africa as I do on the way over. On the return trip, my primary focus is on keeping my digital images safe.

Leopard’s Lair

Dust Control:

Many of today’s digital cameras have dust-cleaning functions built into them. Even with that, the dust you can encounter in the field is beyond description. Try to avoid changing lenses as much as possible and keep your gear covered while traveling overland. Even with these precautions, I always spend 30 minutes to an hour each night in my tent with a headlamp on cleaning equipment and getting it ready for the next day. Dust on your lens or even worse on your sensor will degrade the quality of your work and very much increase the time it will take to edit photos when you arrive home. I bring lens & camera cleaning equipment, sensor cleaning tools, as well as pillowcases to put over my gear in the vehicle as we drive overland.

Power management:

Digital cameras and computers are indeed wonderful for what they have allowed us to be able to do with photography. They do however make extended time in the field a bit more complex. The trip will be over soon if you are unable to keep them charged and ready to go.  Many times conditions in the field may prevent you from plugging into clean power each evening and you will need to convert power produced by a gas generator or a car battery. I carry a variety of power converters allowing me to plug into most any source of power including a set of alligator clamps designed to clamp right to a vehicle’s battery terminals. This has helped me charge my laptop or download my camera’s images more than once. Check with your tour operator to understand what provisions they will have for charging your equipment before you leave home.

Splendor in the Grass

Camera Equipment:

Most photographic trips to Africa are done from open topped Land Cruisers. Photography generally happens from a standing position with long lens secured by beanbags. I would suggest you look for a pre-made beanbag or bring an empty pillowcase with you. Experienced outfitters will generally make plans to stop in town and pick up a large supply of beans from the market from which you will be able to fill your beanbag. As for cameras and lens, I would suggest you bring 2 camera bodies. I always have 2 bodies in standby mode both with a different lens secured to each so that I can adjust quickly if the need arises. One camera generally holds a 600mm lens while the other one is equipped with a versatile 70-200 f2.8 mm telephoto. For fun and easy around camp photos, I also like to bring a smaller “point and shoot” camera. This camera however could clearly be left home if space or weight became an issue.

Navigating Airports with Heavy Luggage:

Weight is always a factor in getting equipment to Africa. I generally carry most of my critical camera equipment in a very large Loweprow bag. On some trips I have placed the 600 mm into the Lowepro bag with other gear, though on at least one trip, I have checked it along with other gear in a very large Pelican box on wheels.  This is a bit nerve wracking but hard to avoid if you plan to get all your gear there.  As for lenses, I bring 3 zoom lens that provide me a combined range from 17 mm to 200mm, a 600mm, and 1.4x and 2x telexenders. This allows me to provide focal lengths from 17 to 1200mm which will handle most everything the environment can throw at you. With the sophistication of today’s panoramic stitching software you may even consider learning to shoot pans and leaving the wide-angle lens at home to save some space and weight. I have also brought a macro lens but have found that I have had limited opportunity to use it.

Natures Kaleidoscope

Before you head to the airport check with your airline to understand their specific policies for weight of checked and carry on luggage. This may require you to shift some of your equipment around and even cause you to pay a bit extra for heavy bags. My pelican box always seems to cost me an extra $50 to transport both to and from Africa.

Data Management:

Africa is an incredible place! Each day you will likely record hundreds of photographs of the exotic wildlife, landscapes and people that make up Africa. If you are like me, these images quickly become the most valuable thing you have on your entire trip, including your equipment.  On my first trip I was stunned to experience the variety of photographic opportunities that seem to exist around every corner. Managing all of these digital files in a well thought out and safe manner takes some planning and preparation. I download my images every night when we return to camp, storing them to two external hard drives. With the low cost of today’s flash cards, it may even make sense to keep the originals on the cards for an additional source of data redundancy. I have not personally done this yet but may choose to do that on future trips.  On my last trip I used my laptop equipped with Adobe Lightroom. I set up Lightroom to download simultaneously, copies of my photographs onto two separate small form factor external hard drives. This gave me the redundancy I wanted, while keeping things relatively simple in the field. As a further backup, should my pc die in the field, I have a couple of stand alone hard drives that I can insert my compact flash cards directly to download. I always fly home with one copy of my data files securely at my side in my carry on luggage and tend to check more of my camera gear. I may be a bit paranoid on this matter but I have seen the pain of others in the field that have had equipment failure without a contingency plan. You don’t want to be in this situation 10,000 miles from home!

New Kid on the Block

Summary:

A photographic trip to any remote location on Earth can be an experience you will never forget. Plan carefully and be sure that if the worst thing happens and your equipment fails in the field, you could still bring home photographs of your experience. I have included a copy of my packing list from my last trip to Africa along with a few of my images. There is not much I won’t do to be certain that when my preparedness meets my once in a lifetime photographic opportunity, I am ready for the shot. Then once I get that shot I must know that I can bring it back home safely where it will grace one of my walls or that of a gallery.

Migration in Motion

I hope you will have an opportunity to make such a trip, be it to Africa, or any other exciting photo destination. Remember to plan and prepare for those things you can have control over and try not to worry about those things for which you have no control. This will make your trip most enjoyable and best ensure you will bring home your special memories.
*****
Dave Ohlsen- ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Photography has been an important part of my life since I was a child. Starting with an Instamatic camera at the age of ten, I began a journey with my photography that was to become a life long passion. Over the years as I studied my craft and my skills developed, I moved from the Instamatic camera, to 35mm film, to medium format, and eventually to digital capture. My love of the outdoors and photography’s unique integration of art and technology has made this the perfect medium for my artistic pursuits.

Nature is an ever-changing, powerful, and inspiring force. The beautiful scenes I attempt to photograph will take place whether I am there to observe them or not. It is always my goal to be there in the early light to capture that extraordinary moment when lighting and subject combine to create the unusual or the beautiful. I bring little to the party other than my patience, and a modest skill in coaxing out and framing what is already beautiful. As a spectator in this natural world, I approach my art from a “minimalist” perspective, feeling that less is often more when capturing the essence and subtleties of nature. I strive to let the natural lighting in my scenes speak for itself, setting the overall tone, and creating the power in the images. Most of my images are taken during first or last light of the day where the shadows and the color temperature of the light creates a unique and compelling drama. I search for unique visions into my subject matter where the viewer can gain a sense for that extraordinary moment when lighting and subject were combined to create the unusual and less often seen expression of nature. Being there for that extraordinary moment is often humbling and is always enormously satisfying.

Over the past 4 years I have been fortunate to make 4 trips to Africa in the sole pursuit of fine art photographic images of the people, landscapes and wildlife of this exotic land. In July of 2006 I began for the first time, sharing these images with the public, where I have been warmly received with multiple awards. In parallel to this local visibility I have been honored by some unanticipated international acclaim by taking both gold and silver medals in major worldwide photographic competitions.

All of the images shown in this article have been taken with Canon digital equipment. My Canon optics provided a focal length range from 17mm to 1200mm for these images. I print these images with large format Epson printers using archival Epson UltraChrome inks. With proper care, these archival prints are rated by Epson to retain their original colors for 75 or more years.

Dave is now represented by several exclusive galleries within Oregon State and is looking to expand this to a wider region in the future. More of Dave’s work can be seen at his web site at: www.ohlsenphotography.com