Flinders Ranges BTS: Part 4 – Mistakes made, cameras and final thoughts

I mentioned that the naming system I had for the Flinders Ranges photos was a bit of a mish mash. I also downloaded the first session of photos but hadn’t changed the naming from a previous download. Back then I was photographing in RAW and jpg files (because my computers were old and couldn’t open RAW files). I didn’t think the error through, deleted the files off the SD card and went out to shoot the next session. When I started to rename the files it took a long time – I had double the files. This occupied way too much time when I could have been doing something else.

I didn’t understand the purpose of having editing software on my laptop for the trip. The laptop was 9 years old and needed to be plugged in to work (it would shut off even if the battery was charged). I did have Creative Suite on it at one point, but when I updated the OS, the version of Creative Suite was not longer compatible. Because of this, I didn’t have a system to know which photos I liked, and I was restricted because I couldn’t see the content of photos that were very dark and required editing. It also meant that the photos I used for ‘show and tell’ were not of the sweeping panoramas, instead I shared the quirky ones I like that didn’t require editing.

I did have Creative Cloud on my desktop at home, but hadn’t used Lightroom before, so once I did start to edit photos, there is a new learning curve to navigate. I have been retouching and colour correcting images since the mid 1980s, so how to do it isn’t a mystery, it is just understanding what dials to use. In 2022 I was new to Lightroom and hadn’t found a groove yet. When I picked the project up in December 2023 I found a better flow of how to do it – perhaps I was not as stressed and it just made sense. By this stage I had narrowed down the photos I was planning to use – having that decision make helped.

The lessons I have from this trip is making sure to have the camera set up correctly – understanding how to use is a good first step. Next is having a laptop to process photos on the go and narrow down the good ones by having a system in place. Pre-planning the organisational things before the event eliminates decision fatigue of all the small details.

To add: while away I received my tax refund. Soon after I was able to upgrade my laptop so I could be untethered from the power cable, and have Creative Suite installed. My timing was off to have that sorted before the trip.

The biggest mistake during the Flinders Ranges trip was that I didn’t ask questions, I didn’t share what my struggles were, and because of this I didn’t let others help me. I didn’t know what I needed help with, but it was a valuable resource I didn’t utilise. My mind was generally in overwhelm and so trying to work out what to ask for was beyond me.

Why I use a Nikon D7100 (DSLR), Olympus Tough (fixed lens) and Apple iPhone

Of these three, the Nikon is the oldest. I bought the Olympus the following year. The phone is upgraded whenever I replace my phone and the quality improves with each iteration. My current phone is from 2020.

Nikon D7100 (DSLR)

I like the Nikon because of the flexibility it has. I want to learn how to use it better but don’t have the opportunities to fully explore it. Currently (and the past 10 years I’ve had it) there are a lot of other projects vying for attention and I don’t want to review the functions, only to forget them before I go out again. The D7000 series (7100, 7200, 7500) are referred to as pro-consumer grade cameras and I found a video (July 2023) where the channel and commenters alike shared that it is a pretty solid camera. I think this helps me somewhat, because I was wondering if my camera was too old and was it time to consider upgrading to a mirrorless or more expensive camera. The video helped me decide that for now to work on developing my reflexes on the D7100 and only consider upgrading when either it needs to be replaced or my skills outgrow it. It may be with me for some time yet!

Olympus Tough

In the good old days, a waterproof camera would require a water housing. I went to New Zealand in 1995 and walked the Milford Track. It rains A LOT on the Milford Track. The first time I took my camera out to take a photo, the lens fogged up. After that I only used it at our accommodation at the end of the day. I did have a disposable camera that was in a water housing. These were best suited for sunnier days. I have a handful of photos from that stage of my trip. The disposable photos were mostly black blobs. I kept the camera in the pocket of my rain jacket, which filled with water and whenever I stopped for long enough, I’d turn the pocket upside down to let the water out.

When Olympus brought out the Tough camera – waterproof up to 15m – this function alone had my attention. It was 20 years from that hike on the Milford Track before I had something that could do the job. When I travelled in 2016 there were two days in particular that this camera was the only one used. The day walking in the rain in Portugal and in Jamaica walking up Dunn River Falls.

The camera has an excellent macro function and has the benefit that if you want a quick photo, it can be whipped out, photo taken and back in the pocket to continue on your way. I love taking macro photos of flowers and plants – seeing the wee hairs on the stem or the delicate stamen. I can also take the photo one handed and get positions I wouldn’t normally be able to.

When I went to New Zealand in 2019 I only took the Olympus and phone. I wanted to lighten my luggage and the focus of the trip was not photography based. The only thing I struggled with was capturing sunrise, I got there in the end. It’s kind of funny that I thought the DSLR would have been good for sunrise, yet I struggled in 2022 with sunsets. Know your tools and develop your skills.

Apple iPhone

I use my phone because it is easier to send photos to people and post to social media, but primarily I use it for geolocation. I did this while travelling in 2016, although not consistently. Where was that photo taken? Oh, let’s look at the map. What time was it taken? I have that too in a quick easy way to find these details. That allows me to re-create the story of what happened for the blog.

All cameras have their purpose.

Final thoughts:

Although I have been taking photos since 1980, I still struggle with the process. With the film SLR buying film and processing was costly in time and money. The process with digital cameras initially seemed to reduce these concerns, but eventually the first camera I bought didn’t capture the photos I wanted and then working with the DSLR brought new challenges. Using the camera in full manual mode creates an initial panic of ‘Help, what do I do’ then the brain shuts down and my mind is blank. A recipe for frustration.

Reviewing videos of my particular camera to familiarise myself with the functions is extremely helpful, but does require repeated viewings along with heading out with the camera to put the various functions to the test. Rinse and repeat.

YouTube is a wonderful resource… and can be a deep, dark rabbit hole of wonderful and disturbing content. The videos on aperture, shutter speed and ISO that help create a workflow are fantastic. Having a system helps calm the ‘Help!’ part of my brain, gives it a process or model to follow.

Having a plan as far as organisation goes means that a lot of fiddly decisions are already made, so I can focus on the ‘taking photos’ part. With a clear mind I can be more creative. I am more likely to be open to exchanging with other people and see what they are seeing and finding my own twist on that idea.

Part of the plan for taking photos – whether on a solo jaunt or joining a group or tour – is the time to process them afterwards. A journal during the trip that covers the specifics of the day as well as my thoughts, helps to find the story to tell. During a photography tour, if I can process the photos at the end of each day, I’m prepared with questions on what to do differently and be open to suggestions. Then I have set myself up to a smooth transition to publishing my travels.

I’ve booked for an evening astrophotography workshop with Adventure Art Photography in just over a week. Let’s see if I put my thoughts into action!