Cave photography: Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 weeks to a private cave. Several members have already made the trip there to scout out the cave with the owner and...

kcooke Loc: Alabama

Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 weeks to a private cave. Several members have already made the trip there to scout out the cave with the owner and while there did some test photos using off camera lighting (I think mostly small led strips). Anyway I’m looking for any lighting and technique suggestions from someone experienced in cave photography. Here is a list of available gear for me. And also the parameters and rules we must follow

Canon 5D MK II 50mm f1.8, 24-70 f2.8 Tokina , 100-400 Canon L, Tripod, monopod
Led by owner
Max group size is 20
Group must stay together
No flashes allowed
There is no natural light except at opening
No headlamps allowed
We can use flashlights pointed away from people
We can use other hand held lighting pointed away from people

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Based on the recent cave crisis in Thailand, don’t worry about what camera/lens to bring. Instead, take flotation gear, candles, lots of food, flashlight batteries, etc.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

kcooke wrote:

Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 we... (show quote)

Places like Cabela's, Bass Pro, Amazon sell very strong LED flashlights and spot lights. They are a bit pricey, but will do the trick.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

kcooke wrote:

Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 we... (show quote)

Using flashes in caves does present challenges. First, light diminishes rapidly with distance, so you need powerful strobes. But that presents the problem that everything up close is way overexposed.

What does seem to work is to use a tripod and to shine a flashlight where you want to shoot and to use a long exposure. As for how long to expose, you either need to do trial and error, or to use a mirrorless that gives you a WYSIWYG on the back LCD. My experience using the latter shows that it is always on the mark. Personally I like this way to expose rather than flashes is that the true colors tend to come out and they are not as harsh looking as when using the flash.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

kcooke wrote:

Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 we... (show quote)

Just make sure there's no rain on the horizon. All the experts are out of town.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

rjaywallace wrote:

Based on the recent cave crisis in Thailand, don’t worry about what camera/lens to bring. Instead, take flotation gear, candles, lots of food, flashlight batteries, etc.

And loads of air tanks.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

kcooke wrote:

Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 we... (show quote)

I've never photographed in a cave, but common sense tells me that a long lens would be useless. Given the lighting restrictions, of the lenses you mentioned, I would say the 50mm. If you would be up for buying another lens, a 35mm f/1.4 would be a good choice.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

kcooke wrote:

No headlamps allowed
We can use flashlights pointed away from people
We can use other hand held lighting pointed away from people

I don't understand some of this, but it's his cave, his rules.

I agree with Orrie, there are multi-million candle power handheld lights, but that might be overkill.
My favorite is a 1200 lumen three-LED fixed focus bicycle light. Newer models have adjustable beam width.
These can be found for under $50.

kcooke Loc: Alabama

orrie smith wrote:

Places like Cabela's, Bass Pro, Amazon sell very strong LED flashlights and spot lights. They are a bit pricey, but will do the trick.

Thanks I have several and will experiment with them in a pitch black room

kcooke Loc: Alabama

JimH123 wrote:

Using flashes in caves does present challenges. F... (show quote)

Thanks that sounds like a good strategy

kcooke Loc: Alabama

Mac wrote:

I've never photographed in a cave, but common sense tells me that a long lens would be useless. Given the lighting restrictions, of the lenses you mentioned, I would say the 50mm. If you would be up for buying another lens, a 35mm f/1.4 would be a good choice.

Yes I agree. I think the 50 mm and the 24-70 will work. I’m going to experiment in a very dark room here at my house that has no windows or other light sources.

kcooke Loc: Alabama

OddJobber wrote:

I don't understand some of this, but it's his cave, his rules.

I agree with Orrie, there are multi-million candle power handheld lights, but that might be overkill.
My favorite is a 1200 lumen three-LED fixed focus bicycle light. Newer models have adjustable beam width.
These can be found for under $50.

Yes we have to be able to follow the rules. Some of the rules are safety related.

kcooke Loc: Alabama

Here are some pictures on my good friends website from her initial visit there to determine if we could do a field trip

http://www.shiningwaterphotography.com/p107907709/ea560df73

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

kcooke wrote:

Our camera club has an upcoming field trip in 2 we... (show quote)

Sorry, I use flash set to rear curtain on all my cave shots. Good luck.

Revet Loc: Fairview Park, Ohio

I just did a mine tour in Colorado. The only light available was two flashlights for a group of 15. I used a low f stop and high enough ISO to keep my shutter speed at the 1\focal length rule and I got some pretty cool shots. I did need to use noise reduction in post so if your looking to get the best possible shots and you dont have to keep up with a group, a tripod is in order.