Ask the Expert

Kyoto: Hiking from Kibune to Kurama

advertisement

Question:
I am a photographer who loves to shoot landscape. I need to reach my locations before sunrise and sometimes during sunset or late hours. What advice could you give me to do this, i.e. planning, safety, etc.? Also what book would you recommend to learn how to use a compass, map, and altimeter?

Answer:
I'm going to recommend a book I found really terrific for hiking/landscape photography. It's called The Backpacker's Photography Handbook, by Charles Campbell. He deals in detail with exactly the questions you raised—he's got a whole chapter on strategy. Plus, the book is filled with gorgeous color pictures.

The only disadvantage: Campbell is a pro, and he carries equipment like a pro (in other words, pounds and pounds and more pounds of it): A lot of his sample shots are done with medium format cameras, using tripods and lots of different lenses. So if you're just carrying a 35-mm, two lenses, and no tripod, you can't expect to get the same results as he did.

For early morning and late evening light, you've got a couple of choices. Campbell recommends what he calls a "golden light blitzkrieg" approach—car camp as near as you can to the place where you want to shoot, get up early—even when it's still dark—then dayhike fast to the location in the morning. Or, similarly, shoot in the evening and be prepared to hike out after the light turns.

Safety considerations: It would be a good idea to do this in terrain you're already familiar with in daylight, because trails look very different in the dark. (Also, you'll maximize your shooting time if you know what you're going to take pictures of.) Be sure to leave yourself enough time to get where you're going before the "golden hour" begins. Take a strong flashlight—not one of those teeny minis—with extra batteries, warm clothes (when the sun goes down, temperatures drop), and tell someone where you're going, on what trail, and when you expect to be back. A partner's not a bad idea, either.

For backpacking, I'd recommend the following strategies. First, go as lightweight as possible. Second, know the areas you're going to, and have a good idea of what kind of shots you think you might want to take. If you know you're going to want to take the classical kind of landscape shot with flowers in the foreground, lakes in the middle, and mountains in the rear, all in focus, then you'll need your wide angle lens—but maybe not all your telephotos. One good strategy is to base camp and then take dayhikes with your camera. During the day, when the light is too harsh for shooting, you can be scouting for new locations.

You also asked about learning to use a map and compass. My book, Hiking and Backpacking, has an elementary chapter on that subject. If you're looking for more depth, Bjorn Kjellstrom's Be Expert with Map and Compass is the classic.