Elizabeth Carmel's Landscape Photography Blog

Traveling Heavy

I have given up on traveling light. I am used to being ridiculed for all my luggage and carry ons, so I don't really care anymore. The Europeans are particularly amused by all the stuff Olof and I lug around. The only restraints we worry about are the 2 checked bag limit of 50 lbs each, and the carry on size restrictions (but not the weight). I have read that some airlines are going to start charging for the 2nd check bag, which is not good news. One of our blog readers recently asked:

Elizabeth, I'm curious -- how do you carry that much expensive gear to a location which is only accessible by air? I don't imagine you can take it all as carry-on. I'd sure hate to get to my destination only to find an empty camera case sliding down the luggage chute. :^( -- Roger

Well, one thing that helps is traveling with our 8 year old daughter, since she comes with an allowance for 2 extra 50 lb checked bags and 2 extra carry ons, which we use up while only including a few pounds of her stuff. I have found that I usually can take all my photo gear when I use the following:

1. Large tripod and ball head packed in a checked suitcase.
2. Carry-on Camera backpack (Lowe Vertex or Tamrac Expedition 8, which is long but not too thick). In the camera backpack I put the H3D body and 2 lenses, and the D3 body and 1 lens. Long but not too thick makes it easier to fit in overhead bins. It will always fit under the seat in a pinch, but will encroach into the adjacent under seat space.
3. Rolling Pelican case Exec Series wheeled camera attache - carries remaining camera lenses, chargers, etc. This comes with a zip off laptop case, so if I get busted for having 3 carry ons I can always zip the laptop bag to the case as I get on the plane, then unzip it to fit in the overhead bin. It fits better in the bin when unzipped & removed from main case, and I usually put it under my seat so I can work on my laptop during a flight.
We also always try to board the plane as soon as possible so all the overhead bin space does not get taken. I would never put my lenses or cameras in checked luggage, even though they are all insured through NANPA. You do not want to get behind us in the security checkpoint line, it is quite a production. I am rarely hassled about the contents of the camera bags, although Mexican authorities have been known to give us extra scrutiny when we come through.

This system works well for domestic air travel. I do run into problems in international flights where they weigh your carry ons. I had to check some lenses once in a hard sided case so I could get on a flight to Italy, and they arrived safely but I was not happy about it. I am not sure what I will do next time I have to fly overseas, I will probably wear a camera vest and stuff alot in there while they are weighing my carry ons.

Nikon D3

I have had an opportunity this week to try both the Nikon D300 and the D3, and I have decided that the D3 will work best for me since it has a full frame sensor to allow very wide angle work, and I think the AF system is a little quicker and more foolproof for action / wildlife shots. I also really like to double CF card slots for in camera back ups, and the weather proof seals. I have "lost" a number of good shots over the years due to wind blur and lack of ability to hand hold the H3D in low light, so I think this will help be broaden my creative opportunities. It will not be a replacement for the H3D but will be a tool for uses the H3D is not suited for - low light handheld, action / wildlife, windy conditions, super wide angle, super telephoto. I do think a full frame sensor has an edge over the smaller sensors in regards image quality and noise, especially when I need to make a 100" long blow up (which I have had to do a few times this last month) . I will be photographing wildflowers in the Sierra foothills this coming week and will post some shots with the D3 after that trip. I am then off to Hawaii, where I will try it out underwater in an Ewa Marine Bag (yes I'm Crazy, but I insure all my gear in case of the worst.....). The underwater housings for the D3 run $6K, so that is out of my range unless I get a sweet photo assignment from a dive magazine...highly unlikely given all the great underwater photogs out there. The live view feature should be a good tool for underwater shots of turtles and colorful fish.

I think the D300 is a great second body to have in addition to a D3 - it is a good backup and nice to have a different lens on when doing a photo shoot. I found some good info on the D3 on Moose Peterson's site. Alot of his info also applies to the D300.

As far as lenses, I am going with the awesome new 14-24 (one of the main reasons for getting the full frame D3), and the 24-70 f2.8. I also got a lower priced 70-300 VR lens, which would need to be upgraded prior to any serious wildlife photography to the 200-400 VR.

Nikon D300

I am going to be checking out the Nikon D300 this week. I need a digital slr that I can use for handheld / low light shots for an upcoming project. This camera seems to have great high iso performance and some nice features such as live view with autofocus on the lcd screen (good for underwater I would think). I have always had an affinity for Nikons - I used to have one of the early Nikon D1x cameras, but sold that to pay for the higher res Canon 1ds that I used until I got the Hasselblad system. I also think the Nikon D3 is very interesting, and it has a full frame sensor so it would be possible to get some nice wide angle shots with the new nikon 14-24 mm zoom. The problem with the D3 cameras is that they are hard to get and about $3.5k more than the D300. Once Nikon introduces a higher resolution sensor in a D3 style camera, and retains the extreme high iso quality, it could give a big boost to the possibilities of handheld landscape photography. I think that Nikon is finally back in the Dslr game after getting dusted by Canon over the last few years. I will report my impressions of the D300 later this week.

Epson 11880 First Impressions / Photo LA Favorites

We were able to get the 11880 up the stairs and installed in the studio, thanks to service above and beyond by John Maneira, the owner of Bytes to Print in Berkeley. He not only helped carry it up icy stairs, but also helped us get it configured and running in no time. It is much quieter and much faster than the 9800. As soon as it was up and running I did a few comparison prints of the same file. I printed Autumn Passage (shown below) on both printers with the maximum print resolution settings in place. The 11880 provided more detail in the color ranges reproduced, and also in the amount of detail visible to the naked eye. I was able to see small veins on the leaves from prints on the 11880 that were not visible from the 9800, and also more subtle tones in the reds were visible from the 11880 print. Since I was printing a 16 bit file, I also did a comparison with and without the 16 bit printing enabled, and found no visible difference between the 8 bit and 16 bit printing. This feature may become more important in areas where there is the potential for banding in one color, such as a blue/cyan sky. I will be doing more tests with this on those types of images. At this point I am very pleased with the results from the 11880, all done from the Epson Print Driver and Leopard OS on a Mac.

We did a whirlwind visit to Photo LA yesterday to see what was happening in the world of very high-end photo collecting and exhibition. A wall of about 6 original Ansel Adams prints, including the famous Moonrise, Hernandez image, was completely sold by the time we arrived - they were selling in the stratospheric price range. There was a good mixture of both contemporary work and work from the traditional "masters". It was interesting to see how galleries were displaying very large (40 x 60" +) prints - many are no longer using glass in the framing, and instead mounting the image on aluminum or acrylic. Some are face mounting the image to acrylic to provide more protection, but the images with no glass or acrylic in front looked great - there was an immediacy and impact provided by this type of display that is not available when the image is behind glass. This type of display was very effectively done on Jill Greenburg's large prints in the ClampArt booth. Other work I enjoyed was from Michael Eastman , and Stephen Wilkes, particularly his work on China. I also enjoy Nick Brandt's images of Africa.

Snowed In / Epson 11880

We are enjoying a classic blizzard up here in Truckee, we are expecting 5+ feet of snow at our elevation of around 7000 feet, so we will be out photographing as soon as the weather clears tomorrow. Below a shot of this morning's satellite imagery which shows the storm winding up over California, with a direct hit on the Tahoe region.

Yesterday Olof and I decided to order a new Epson 11880 from our supplier Bytes 2 Print in Berkeley. We buy all our ink and paper from this company and have been pleased with their service over the years. The advantages of the Epson 11880 that helped us decide to upgrade to this pinter are:
1. Larger print size - the Epson 9800 has a max width of 44 inches, and the 11880 has a max width of 64".
2. No more ink switching - I never print on the luster or glossy papers because changing the inks is such a hassle, but the 11880 allows for both photo black and matte black inks to be installed. I am looking forward to trying the new exhibition fiber paper and luster papers from Epson.
3. New anti-clogging heads - our 9800 is prone to clogging from the dry climate / high altitude, this may help
4. 700 ml ink cartridges - the ink is more economical when purchased in large volumes.
5. Wider color gamut with the new vivid magenta ink
6. 16 bit printing - this may result in improved print quality, only testing will tell if the improvement is visible to the naked eye.

We take delivery next week - the hard part will be getting a 300+ pound printer up a flight of snowy outside stairs and into the studio! I already have a large 50 x 70" canvas order to fill, so I ordered a roll of the 60" wide smooth matte canvas from Premier Imaging - this is going to be fun pushing the limits of current technology to create such large prints for interior wall display. Stay tuned for test results and print comparisons with the 9800....

Photo Backpack Survey

Calumet is designing a new Photo Backpack and is interested in feedback from photographers on the design. If you are interested in taking the survey here is the link:
Calumet Backpack Survey

Gear for Alaska

We are heading out next week for a 10 day trip around the inside passage of Alaska. We are going with a great company called Amercan Safari Cruises . I am working on a book of Alaskan Landscapes, and thought that a yacht cruise would provide the best access to landscapes along the Alaskan coast. We decided to go with a small boat cruise to provide better access to remote areas and to have the flexibility of more shore excursions. We are not really into the big cruise ship experience, so that was out of the question. We could have just rented a boat and done it ourselves, but neither Olof or I know much about motor boats so we decided that would be unsafe.  We are looking forward to doing some sea kayaking and zodiac trips from the yacht.

In preparation for the trip I got a new rain cover for my Hasselblad  H3D. Michael Reichman of Luminous Landscape recommends the Kata 702 Rain Cover . I ordered one and am pleased with how well it fits my H3D and lenses. The see through plastic will make it easier to use. I have lost cameras to light drizzle before and do not want to take any chances with a the H3D. We will also take 2 Dryzone backpacks by LowePro. I may also take the new Vertex pack by LowePro - I think this is a great pack and is not too bulky - it fits well in the overhead bins of even the small planes. We will be flying small planes into Ketchikan and Sitka, and doing some aerial photography around Misty Fjords. I will be offline and unable to blog from May 22 to June 4.

Developing a Portfolio

One of the questions I often receive is how to develop a portfolio. A portfolio should be a book or web presentation of your best prints that are a cohesive body of work with a unifying theme. The portfolio categories I have selected are on my website and cover such themes as Mountains and Wildflowers, Yosemite, Alaska, Ghost Town, Venice, etc.  A portfolio theme obviously does not need to be place-based, it can be a series of emotions, philosophies, etc. Developing your work into themed portfolios requires you to think of your images as more than individuals, but as a contributor to a larger body of work. I use large portfolio books to display my prints in addition to posting them on my web site - The Itoya Art Profolio Presentation Book in the 14x17" size. I also have a smaller 8x10 one that is more portable. I get them from DickBlick.com.

There are very good portfolio review events for people that have a developed body of work and want to show it to a larger audience: Review Santa FE and Photo Lucida. I made contacts at Photo Lucida that were important to my Brilliant Waters book project. In general I think these events are  geared to more avant garde work than my style of landscape photography, but it is a good education in the fine art / museum market. You will also get the chance to meet fellow photographers and look at their portfolios.

Photo Backpacks

I am a photo backpack aficionado. I currently have about 10 different backpacks, which my husband Olof enjoys pointing out whenever a new one arrives from the UPS man. I just recevied from LowePro 2 very cool backpacks, which they are giving me in exchange for getting some shots of the packs in various locations. The first is the Lowe Pro Dryzone Rover.
It has a completely waterproof lower compartment that is very spacious and can hold my Hasselblad H3D with a zoom lens. It also has a hydration system so there is no need to carry an extra water bottle when using this pack. The upper compartment is not waterproof but is good for carrying clothing, lunch, etc. I plan to use this on an upcoming trip to Alaska where we will be doing some sea kayaking.

The other pack is a new one from Lowe Pro called the Vertex 200 AW.This pack is not waterproof but is water resistant and would be fine to wear in the rain. It is just the right size for me to carry the H3D with 3 large lenses. It is lighter in weight than my previous pack which was the burly Photo Trekker. It has a lighter waist band and shoulder straps and seems to have stiffer foam and exterior than the Photo Trekker. The accessory compartments are designed to hold digital cards and batteries. It will fit into an overhead bin on an airplane. I will be using this as my main bag for my upcoming trip to Maui. It also has a cool tripod holding system. I also found a great case for various accessories & chargers, extra lenses, and the laptop computer - the Pelican D'Exec Wheeled Camera Attache. This is small enough to also fit in the overhead, and has a zip on laptop case for the front so that you can add that and still have only 2 carry ons with the Lowe Vertex backpack and this wheeled case. Since it is wheeled the Vertex can be placed on top of this case for easy rolling through airports, etc.  This case seems very durable and it is deep enough to carry lots of gear without being to tall. I used to use a PorterCase hard sided case but felt that it did not have enough padding inside for rolling on pavement  with sensitive equipment and was too heavy when empty. The Lowe Photo Trekker is a great pack but I find it too bulky for airport travel - it is more suited to long day hikes with alot of heavy gear since it has such an ample waist belt.

 
 

How I Print My Images

I am often asked what printer and paper I use to print images. I am currently using the Epson 9800 with Ultrachrome inks. Since I print exclusively on matte surfaces I use the matte black ink instead of the photo black ink. I print both on fine art paper and canvas. My current preference is the Epson Ultrasmooth Paper in the 500 gsm weight. This heavy paper provides great detail and does not require dry mounting prior to framing like the lighter weight papers would require. I use the 36x44" sheets that come in a box of 10. I have also used the 460 gsm Epson Somerset Velvet. This paper has more texture on the surface so finer details are not as visible, so I prefer the Epson Ultrasmooth Paper over this paper for prints with fine detail. I am currently also using the Epson Piezo Pro Matte Canvas for canvas prints. Printing on canvas is the best way to produce very large prints that can be stretched around a wooden stretcher bar, no glass or framing is needed if a gallery wrap is used and the canvas is stapled to the back of the stretcher bar. I regularly produce 40x60" prints this way. This canvas has a nice matte surface. I previously used the Epson Premier Art canvas, but I did not like its glossy  surface and was glad to switch to the Piezo Pro brand. I am looking forward to the day when Epson introduces a wider 60" printer. This will allow me to go larger than 40" in the smallest dimension of a print, which would be a good service to offer clients who may need really large prints. Canon has a 60" wide printer - the Prograf IPF 9000. I have heard good reports about the print quality of this printer but I also understand that it cannot handle really thick paper like the Epson 9800 can, so that is a concern for my work. They are also about $15,000, which makes them very pricey. Before making any decisions I will wait until later in the year when Epson may be introducing a larger printer.

I also use the Colorbyte ImagePrint RIP to send prints to the Epson 9800. I love the ease of use and the very high quality this RIP produces. You can download a demo version at their Website if you are in the market for a RIP.  I never use the Epson driver for the 9800, I find it difficult to use compared to the Imageprint RIP.

One last tip for anyone printing on canvas. I found a great product called "Tighten Up" from Dick Blick that can be sprayed on the back of a sagging canvas. Sagging can happen over time in the corners of a large stretched canvas and this spray seems to alleviate the problem.

Here is an image that I have made into a 72" wide canvas. It was taken in Yosemite and is titled "Morning Frost".