Ancient caves.
Instead of a tripod, consider taking a beanbag on which you may be able to rest and stabilize your camera. Also take a remote shutter trigger.
We have visited several caves with Cro-Magnon art in southern France and made no attempt to take pictures (which generally was forbidden) except at the entrances. I remember a "bi-lingual" tour when the guide would give a five-minute talk and then turn to the English-only speakers (just us) and say "this art is very old" before walking on. Still, a great experience.
RodL
Loc: Down Under
rosarioc62 wrote:
Going to visit an archeological site which consists for ancient caves. No flash photography permitted. Any tips will be highly appriciated.
Wondering if a small LED torch is permitted if OK you could do a little light painting or just filling in ???
Great link. Fascinating place. I'll have to add it to my bucket list.
Try to 'hand clamp' your camera to a guardrail or other solid surface and use your 2 second timer. Also bring a white/grey card for custom WB - any lighting is likely to be mixed.
Try a JOBY Gorilla tripod for wrapping your camera around a railing. At B&H but available elsewhere on line. I've seen them for a low as $25.+/-
gorillapod-hybrid?gclid=CJ_C7sjz3dQCFdyCswod4lEOzA
I was in that neighborhood last Fall - didn't make it to Alorra but went through all 30 of the Ajanta Caves. Magnificent paintings and a 9 meter long stone "Sleeping Buddha". You've already gotten good advice on the settings. Ajanta was absolutely No flash/No tripod. I had my trusty old D300 with me - it did ok.
TriX
Loc: Raleigh, NC
The 6D should be good to ISO 12,800 with minimal noise. Consider renting a Canon 35mm f2 IS - it's the fastest wide/ standard lens with IS that Canon makes and should let you shoot with shutter speeds in the 1/4 to 1/8 second range if not slower. Any sort of support you can arrange would be helpful.
Try shooting from well inside the caves to the mouth of the cave. I would also have something that I could use as a reflector possible for small artifacts. Sounds like a fun trip.
rosarioc62 wrote:
Going to visit an archeological site which consists for ancient caves. No flash photography permitted. Any tips will be highly appriciated.
Rent a Sony A7S2 with a 24mm, 25mm, or 28mm lens. Whatever camera/lens you use, test it in a dark room to see how to optimize performance. You may find it difficult to autofocus--good to know and figure out a work-around before you go.
Most caves are pretty ancient, I think 😊. I took a light weight tripod with me when I visited Carlsbad a few years ago, and the pictures turned out quite well. The remote shutter release is a good idea. If you can walk in from an entrance (as opposed to going in through an elevator or something) try shooting back towards the entrance. You will get colors that your eyes didn't perceive.
Definitely RAW.
And have an anti-noise PP software just in case.
And please post photos when you get back for all of us to enjoy. Awesome trip of a lifetime.
BJW
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