Nature photography 101 by JPark

Nikkor 80-200mm f/22, 0.6 sec. Cropped

Last year, Renee and I enjoyed hiking in many different places in northern California. I would say the summer of 2007 for us was mostly about discovering the beauty of northern California. One of those places that we visited was Lassen Volcanic National Park.

I'm still a newbie in photography, but I was newbier last year when I took this photo of the base of Kings Creek Fall in Lassen; it is actually one of very few surviving photos of Kings Creek Fall--the Nikkor lens I rented (80-200mm) was too heavy for my relatively inexpensive tripod, and most of my photos with long exposures did not come out nicely.

So here are some of the stuff that I learned that day. Most of these are obvious, but I thought I'd write them down...

Lesson 1: Make sure that the tripod can hold the weight of your camera body and lens.
Lesson 2: Better yet, don't bring heavy lenses, especially when you are going to hike more than 3 hr.
Lesson 3: Carry lots of drinking water. Make sure you have enough food for all day. For this reason, do not bring heavy lenses.
Lesson 4: Study the area carefully on the first day (e.g., hiking route, the location of the sun relative to the target at different time points, etc.). Now that you have a better idea about the lighting condition, revisit the site at the right moment and take photos.
Lesson 5: Always stay on the hiking trail and be alert (watch out for black bears that may be attracted to the smell of your food).
Lesson 6: Wear comfortable hiking shoes.
Lesson 7: Remember to enjoy the hike!