Two Heads, One Week

Singapore Womens' Everest Team Reception at the Istana.

I'm sorry I haven't been writing, I’ve been incredibly busy. Eeps…

Yes, General! The girls receiving instructions at the start of the evening.

This week, I’ve been lucky enough to ‘meet’ two heads of state: President S.R. Nathan of Singapore, and President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta.

Prime Minister of Singapore, B.G. Lee, congratulating the girls.

I was lucky to be invited to the Istana (Palace) by the Singapore Womens’ Everest Team (SWET) to take some pictures for them. I was happy to do it. It was really an honor. It was a wonderful evening and I hope the girls enjoy the shots.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta.

This morning, I was invited to meet Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, a wonderful gentleman who talked about the upcoming Tour De Timor. The Tour De Timor is a 5-stage mountain bike race from 24-28th August in Timor-Leste. I’ve already signed up!

The Istana at Night.

An Interview With Christian Pondella

I was blown away when I first saw Christian Pondella’s images at this interview with Crash Taylor. Christian is Head Photographer for Red Bull and is one of the most progressive adventure photographers today. I was chuffed when Christian agreed to be interviewed (Click on any of these images to view large). To see more of Christian's work, take a gander at Christian's website and be prepared to be blown away!

Canon 5D, 14mm lens (Click image to view large).

AN: Let’s start off with this image. I love this dramatic parched-earth, low-angle shot of an air-race with an aircraft flying between pylons, backlit with a sunstar. One thing that strikes me about your images is how 'film like' they are, with deep blacks and punchy, vibrant colors. How do you go about processing your images to get that look?

CP: As far as my images having a “film like” look, that is probably because I shot so many rolls of film (Velvia) back in the day. So when I process my raw files I try to make them look similar to that of Velvia. Pretty much most my images in post, I turn up the saturation, vibrance, and blacks. I have a preset setting, whether it is in camera raw or lightroom, and apply it to most images.

As far as exposure, obviously you got to get it right in camera, but I certainly do things different with digital then film. With film I would slightly under expose to get those deep rich colors, with digital it is the exact opposite. I usually over expose a little and bring the exposure back in post processing. More information is contained on the right side of your histogram, so I first expose with my meter, but ultimately I look at my histogram and try to get it more towards the right side without blowing out the highlights. Your images will look amazing if you bring down the exposure in post, but if you need to brighten them then they will not look so good.

Chest mounted Nikon F5, Nikon 16mm fisheye, Velvia film (Click image to view large).

AN: I love this one you shot while skiing down the “Super C Couloir” in Portillo, Chile. It really pulls the audience right into the action. What kind of chest harness do you use? And how do you set up your camera for this type of shot?

CP: I use a neoprene back brace that you can get at a sports store and cut a hole in it to put the lens through. I will strap it to my chest with that. Then I will tape a pad at the base of the camera to get it at the right angle. Then I will just shorten the neck strap to get it higher on my chest. As far as triggering the camera, you can get a bite switch cable which is made for skydiving. As far as exposure, back when I shot with Nikon I would just put the camera on shutter priority, matrix metering, and let the camera do it’s thing. With a fisheye lens, you fix your focus on infinity and tape it so it can’t accidentally move. Now that I shoot with Canon, my days of shooting in shutter priority are long over!

Canon 5D, Canon 14mm, Profoto AcuteB remotely triggered with Pocket Wizards (Click image to view large).

AN: You used the Profoto AcuteB (600 watts per second) for this sunset, backlit bouldering scene at Buttermilk Country, Bishop. Together with the battery pack and lightstand, it's quite a formidable load…

Could I achieve similar results using a single, off-camera flash? How light and compact could you go?

CP: I used to use my camera flash a lot. Then, I used a Quantum with a turbo battery, which is still pretty light. But ultimately, if you want to totally control the light, especially when there is a lot of ambient light out there, you are going to need something more powerful like a strobe. Obviously strobes are heavy so they are not practical for a lot of adventure photography. You’ve got to choose you spots wisely. You can get away with less powerful flashes, especially if you are shooting at dusk or nighttime, but if you want to underexpose by a stop or two and there is still a lot of ambient light, it helps to have 600 watts or more.

I usually do not use a speed light very much. However when I do need the flexibility of a speed light, I often use one with an off camera cord, set it to full power, use a light diffuser and have it hooked up to a Quantum battery for faster recycle. I will do this at at events when I need to be light and quick for portrait/lifestyle images. Generally I will under expose by a few stops and often times shoot into the sun to get a nice star effect.

Canon 5D, 15mm Fisheye (Click image to view large).

AN: What's your minimum camera gear setup when going fast and light on a self-propelled adventure? And how would you carry it and protect it out in the field?

CP: I took this shot of Will Gadd near his home in Canmore, Canada. This shot was taken with a Canon 5D and 15mm fisheye. There was this little cave in the ice that I was able to get in to shoot this perspective.

The full frame 5D is a great body, plus it is small and lightweight. At 3 frames a second, or 4 with the new one, you are definitely making a sacrifice for its lack of speed. Hopefully Canon will one day make this camera shoot 6-7 frames a second...?

I like using wide-angle lenses. I will usually bring my 16-35 and 24-105. I try not to carry much more than that, sometimes I will bring a fisheye or 14mm. To protect my gear I usually just use padded lens pouches and a small padded case for the camera. I use the same padded camera case that most adventure photographers mount on their chest, but I keep mine on my hip or in my pack.

I like to carry a chamois to keep my lens clean. Chamois work best if you are dealing with moisture on your lens.

Canon Mark III, Canon 15mm fisheye, SPL water housing (Click image to view large).

AN: Christian, your images, like this one of pro-wakeboarder Parks Bonifay sliding across an iceberg, blow my mind! How can someone like me improve my photography?

CP: My best advice is to shoot things you are passionate about. I participate in a lot of the sports I photograph, so that gives me a different perspective from that of a spectator. I like to get close to the action and bring an ‘up close and intimate’ look and feel to what is happening. I am a very visually stimulated person, so I try to do the same with my photographs: to get creative with different angles, perspectives, lights and shadows.

Christian, thanks very much for taking the time out to do this interview.

Dare To Dream

Today, I had the pleasure of meeting the girls from the Singapore Women’s Everest Team who summited on May 20th and 22nd May 2009. We now have 5 girls from Singapore who have stood on the summit of the highest mountain on earth. This must surely be the greatest mountaineering achievement for our tiny nation. The girls are currently the darlings of the media, and yet, before their success on the summit, our girls initially had problems getting sponsorship, causing them to delay their expedition by a year.

Our nation, like every other, celebrates success and rewards achievement. Our problem lies in how we handle failure. Our culture abhors failure which would result in loss of face. No one wants to be associated with a failure to the point where we would rather do nothing than risk failing. Anything can go wrong on an Everest expedition that can end a climber's chance for the summit: bad weather, equipment failure, health problems. More people fail to climb Everest than succeed, and so the chance of a very public failure were high indeed... but without taking the risk, there could be no reward.

Our girls’ battle began long before they set foot on the mountain. They believed in themselves when others did not. They dared to risk, dared to fail, and ultimately, dared to succeed. To the Singapore Women’s Everest Team and their sponsors: I salute you.

The Perfect Adventure Camera

I received an email from a reader asking me:

“If cost and weight aren't an issue what are the top 5 Perfect Adventure Cameras on the market?”

Ooh... So I did a little research, and came up with this ‘Drool’ List:

1. Nikon D700
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR
This is my ultimate setup, and I’d be pretty much prepared for any kind of adventure shoot. The D700 offers a lot of versatility and flexibility with very high image quality. I can add the MB-D10 Battery Grip and get up to 8 frames per second, or strip it off if I wanted to go light(er).

2. Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40mm f/4L, 70-200mm f/4 L IS
Or with just the 24-105mm f/4 L IS
to keep things really light. I’m a big fan of Canon’s lightweight f/4 ‘L’ lenses. I’ve tried to switch to Canon, but I’ve been with Nikon too long, and it didn’t work. If I shot Canon, this is what I’d be shooting with.

3. Nikon D90
Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5, 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
This setup is a big step down from the full-frame DSLRs in terms of both cost and weight. The D90 gives you more creative options with the HD video capability. If I needed to keep it really light, I’d pair up the D90 with Nikon’s 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens.

4. Olympus Evolt E-420
Olympus 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0
I know we said that cost and weight don’t matter, but for most people (and that includes me) they really do, and the Olympus E-420 brings both down. Although the image quality has some minor issues (according to some reviews), the Olympus E-420 still warrants consideration for its built-in image stabilization, dust and splash-proof body and lens. If you need DSLR quality and need to keep the load extremely light, like if you were climbing El Cap, consider this camera and lens combo.

5. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
This is my pick for a compact ‘adventure’ camera. It’s got a very fast, wide-to-normal, 24-60mm f/2-2.8 Leica lens and shoots HD video. The JPEG shots off the camera look good, or you can shoot RAW for more control. Yum! It’s a shame it’s missing a built-in optical viewfinder. It’s also not waterproof, so if you think you’ll get it wet, you’ll need to use a separate waterproof case, such as those made by Aquapac.


Images courtesy of Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Panasonic (USA).

Musings: Canon T1i/500D vs Nikon D90

My wife wants either the new Canon EOS Rebel T1i 500D or the
Nikon D90. The D90 has been out for a while and has excellent reviews, but like everyone else, we’re waiting for the reviews of the new Canon T1i/500D before making a decision.**

I don’t have the T1i/500D and I haven’t seen any reviews on it yet. This is not a review. These are just my thoughts (as a travel and adventure photographer) as I help her with the decision process.

Buy The System
Don’t let the tail wag the dog. Camera bodies get updated more frequently than lenses. Rather than buying into a specific brand’s entire system because of a current camera model, look at what each system (ie. lenses, flashes, accessories) has to offer and see if that fits your needs. Although it is not true today, there used to be a little truth in the saying: “National Geographic photographers use Nikon, Sports Illustrated photographers use Canon”. If you’re not sure what your needs are, find a ‘mentor’, a friend or pro whose style of photography you like, and follow his recommendations for equipment.

Lenses
One part of the system is the lenses available. For the cropped sensor bodies like the Nikon D90 and Canon 50D and T1i/500D, you should know that Canon does not make a fisheye lens yet. If you want a fisheye lens, currently your only choice is Nikon’s 10.5mm fisheye.

Another point to note is that the ‘crop’ on Nikon and Canon sensors aren’t the same, so the same lens behaves slightly differently. For example, the 18-200mm lens on the Nikon D90 will behave like a 27-300mm lens on a 35mm film or full frame body. That same lens on the Canon T1i/500D will behave like a 29-320mm because of the slightly different sensor sizes.* The 18-200mm lens makes a nice all-in-one travel lens, but you’ll need to decide if Canon’s 29mm equivalent is wide enough for you. If not, you’ll have to carry a separate wide-angle lens. Canon’s 29mm is not wide enough for me, but Nikon’s 27mm comes close.

Price and Ergonomics
A direct comparison between the D90 and T1i/500D is a little unfair. These cameras are targeted at different market segments. Canon’s T1i/500D (US$866 body only) is an entry-level camera and Nikon’s D90 (US$975 body only) is targeted at mid-level users.

Personally, I feel it should be the other way around. Nikon’s D90 has two control wheels and is a better tool to learn the craft of photography with manual exposure control. The Xti/500D has only one control wheel, which effectively precludes using manual exposure control mode. You can still control exposure using exposure compensation in conjunction with one of the semi-auto modes (Aperture or Shutter Priority), but that’s a slightly more advanced concept.

Nikon D90’s bigger and brighter viewfinder is also preferred, but only you can decide how important this is to you.

Size and Weight
The D90 weighs 620g and the T1i/ 500D weighs 480g without batteries. For a travel and adventure photographer, weight is important since we often hike or bike with all our gear.

Performance and Image Quality
Nikon’s D90 fires off 4.5 frames per second, compared to the 3.4 FPS on the T1i/500D. This could make a difference to those who want to shoot sports.

The most important consideration should be image quality and the D90 has a solid reputation for getting high quality images off its 12-megapixel sensor (processed through its 12-bit Analog-Digital Converter). On the other hand, the T1i/500D has upped the ante, and managed to cram 15-megapixels into its sensor, converted at a higher quality 14-bits. Canon has also specified a larger useable ISO range of 100-12800, compared to the D90’s 100-6400. We’ll have to do some ‘pixel peeping’ and I’m keen to see what the pro-reviewers think about all this.

There are other minor differences in the type of metering, quality of HD video, number of AF Points, but are not enough to sway my decision one way or another. If the image quality turns out to be comparable, my preference is get the Nikon D90. For the higher price, you get a body with better ergonomics (two control wheels, bigger viewfinder), although at the cost of greater size and weight. It also shoots 1 frame more per second, useful in fast action (Wait for the reviews though: The T1i/500D does have 25% more megapixels converted at a higher 14-bits). I also prefer the Nikon lenses and system for adventure and travel (10.5mm fisheye available, 18-200mm behaves wider, built-in remote flash commander).


* Camera sensors come in different sizes and the same lens will behave differently on a different size sensor. For ease of comparison, we convert the different sensor formats to the old 35mm film, or ‘full-frame’, format.

** There are complications. My wife already owns a number of Canon lenses, so what we ultimately end up buying may not reflect what I've written. As always, make up your own mind!