I think this is my 10th posting of Galapagos pictures from last December. I always find something new when I go to review what I've shot. I think the I have more shots of Magnificent Frigatebirds. They seemed to be ever present.
EJMcD wrote:
The Rock...sunrise I guess?
I caught that shot at sunset from the ship. Unfortunately the ten days I was there the sky never really got a lot of color.
I took a break from culling though the seemingly endless Galapagos shots to go out to a couple lakes in Prescott AZ. Watson Lake and Lynx Lake this past week. Watson is at its full level from rain and snow melt off. Its nice to see the watermarks are covered.
More from the trip last December
rwww80a wrote:
Get your blue footed boobies now. The G Islands just raised the conservation fee from 100 to $200...
When I was there in December. We were told that the Islands are being used as a safe haven for drug smugglers and there are not sufficient funds to deter it.
More Blue Footed Boobies, Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans.
Robertl594 wrote:
Awesome photos. We are going later this year. Will be on the NatGeo ship. Any advice you are willing to offer, is more than welcome.
Thank you
RL
Thanks Robert, I wasn't on a NatGeo tour but I am guessing the landings are handled the same way, with Zodiac boats. There are two types of landings, wet and dry landings. Bring a dry sack for your camera and lenses. Wear a hat and quick drying pants/shorts and a long sleeve shirt you can roll up the sleeves. Have a poncho in a backpack and a couple plastic bags. The plastic bags to kneel on. If it rains put the camera in it, rip a hole in the corner and poke the lens through. I have a crap knee so I wear a knee brace. It is an added bonus because it acts as a knee pad. I would use it even if my knee was fine. ... a lot of kneeling to get animal shots. Have a couple pocket cloths to wipe dust and moisture off the lens. I would leave the Dry sack on the zodiac or beach and put everything into my backpack.
I only used one camera body when out shooting and brought three lenses on each landing. they were usually a 24-70mm 2.8, a 100 - 400 mm 4.6 and a 14mm 1.8. Sometimes I brought a 70 - 200 mm 2.8 and 24mm 1.4. I don't think I used the 24mm at all but the I used the 70 - 200 several times and except for a few shots I didn't need too much more pull than 200mm. The animals do get awfully close. The main reason I took the 100 - 400mm out more than the 70 - 200mm was because the 100 - 400 has a closer focusing distance. There were several times I yearned for a macro.
2 chargers and plenty of cards. I brought a computer, and two 2 terabyte drives and cables. I ended up shooting 1.5 terabytes of stills.
I also brought a Monopod which I used sparingly and also a tripod which I never used. You are almost always moving while shooting. Whether it be from the ship, a zodiac or walking. A lot of run and gun type of photography. Because of this keep your shutter speed high. Several people I was with got tons of motion blur, especially shooting from the Zodiac. I had my camera set to higher ISO's than normal and very fast shutter speeds to compensate while on the zodiac, sometimes substantually higher when there was cloud cover.
I also brought a GoPro to shoot underwater. The quality is decent and I posted some a few months ago from this trip if you want to check out what that looks like. I ended up just shooting video and taking stills from that.
Bring sensor cleaning materials. Some of the Islands have very fine sand, almost dust and depending of how well your camera is sealed it may get dirty. I changed lenses outdoors and had to clean my sensor in the evening.
Last and most important, befriend the naturalists and crew. If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
A few more from last December's trip to the Galapagos.
Bridges wrote:
Very nice shots. It looks like the lake is down about six feet. Is that a seasonal occurrence or has there been a lack of rainfall in the area?
The lake is very low, the state opens the dam for the farmers. Last year was the highest it's been in over a decade, but they started to drain it in April.
I posted on next door and one of the long time residents responded that the rock formation is "affectionately known as aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth." So I'm guessing no. But I would have never noticed it if you hadn't asked!
pete500 wrote:
I agree with your wife, my first thought when I saw that picture was a syrup bottle.
I found out on Next Door that the locals had referred to it as Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth.
UTMike wrote:
More beautiful work, Larry! In the kayak again?
Yes, taking a break today, but it is enabling me to get to places I normally couldn't. I'll probably be enthusiastic about it until I drop my camera in the water!
jdtonkinson wrote:
Really great set. Is that up by Prescott?
I've never been there
Yes all from Prescott. If you do come up here there are several parks, Federal, State and City. They are at different elevations, so each one has a distinct characteristic.
I posted on next door to see if anyone has ever noticed it. I went back today, I don't think you can see it anyother way but from the water. I would be a difficult hike to get to the formation
Retired CPO asked about the rock formation. I couldn't unsee it after he mentioned it, so I had to go back this morning. It was a sunny start but by 11:30 it started to rain . Lots of shots, heres a few quickies.