AlbertoDeRoma Posted November 22, 2009 Share #1 Posted November 22, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am planning a photographic trip to Death Valley in the next few days. After some consideration, I've decided to go "double-solo" (i.e. just me and just one camera – my D-Lux 4.) Why would I go solo? Because I like to wake up early and take my time doing things that other family members don't really understand (i.e. waiting 1hr for the right light) :-). Why bring only the D-Lux 4? Because I want to force myself to make the most of this camera. The temptation to pull out, say, the Nikon DSLR with the 300 zoom would be hard to resist. I want to push myself to work around the limitations of this camera and practice a different kind of photography. Because it will give me a chance to become intimately familiar and master the D-Lux 4 in a way that I would not if I had several options. 3-4 days dedicated to photographing Death Valley with this one camera should result in some pretty serious bonding and mastering. Because it will be a piece of cake to carry on long hikes. Because ... I want to . I think it will make a cool theme. To make the most of it, I bought a 46mm adapter from Lensmate along with a UV filter, a 3-stops neutral density filter and a Moose circular polarizer. To make sure I don't run out of "juice" or storage, I have 3 batteries and 2 8GB cards. I will put together a special album for the DV + DL trip and will share it with this forum when I get back. In the meantime, here's a little video I put together during my last solo outing to DV - the image quality is not good because I uploaded this a couple of years ago when YouTube did not allow high-res. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any suggestions or Death Valley related photo experiences to share. Or, even better, photos of Death Valley you've taken with the D-Lux 4. Thanks, Alberto P.S. Yes, I will be careful and I am well equipped (including personal satellite beacon - just in case.) Besides, as you can see from this other Death Valley video, I am a survival expert . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 Hi AlbertoDeRoma, Take a look here DL + DV (D-Lux 4 + Death Valley) double solo trip. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
brucek Posted November 22, 2009 Share #2 Posted November 22, 2009 Alberto: I'm looking forward to seeing your results. I'm planning on going back to DV this coming spring but this time with my wife. I'm not nervy enough just to take my D-Lux 4, though. I plan on having my M8's along with me. Good luck! Bruce Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted November 22, 2009 Alberto: I'm looking forward to seeing your results. I'm planning on going back to DV this coming spring but this time with my wife. I'm not nervy enough just to take my D-Lux 4, though. I plan on having my M8's along with me. Good luck! Bruce Thanks Bruce. Somehow, I think it takes more nerve to bring an M8 than not to bring it :-). If something happens to the D4 I could handle it, but I've banged up my fair share of cameras and camcorders on hiking/adventures and I'd hate to have something happen to my M8 – if I had one that is :-). Perhaps some day. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucek Posted November 23, 2009 Share #4 Posted November 23, 2009 Alberto: Can I assume you've been to DV before? Bruce Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
turner Posted November 23, 2009 Share #5 Posted November 23, 2009 The nights will probably be cool so bring enough clothing. The stars at night will be unbelievable! Tripod? During the day be sure to have a few extra fully charged batteries along as the heat seems to affect their performance. The dust is like grinding compound so be extra careful how you go about cleaning the lens if needed. Depending how far off the beaten track you are going consider that many "experts", not doubting your experience for a moment, have not made it out of DV so bring a USFS map, water, compass, and a GPS along if you are going off alone during those early morning shoots. If needed your hat will serve as a tempo lens shade. You will have a great time! Please bring back some nice captures for all of us to enjoy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted November 23, 2009 Alberto: Can I assume you've been to DV before? Bruce Hi Bruce, Yes, I've been to Death Valley a few times before and I love the place. My last outing was to "stretch the legs" of my 4x4 on the miles of great offroad. This time, the focus will on taking pictures. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted November 23, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) The nights will probably be cool so bring enough clothing. The stars at night will be unbelievable! Tripod? During the day be sure to have a few extra fully charged batteries along as the heat seems to affect their performance. The dust is like grinding compound so be extra careful how you go about cleaning the lens if needed. Depending how far off the beaten track you are going consider that many "experts", not doubting your experience for a moment, have not made it out of DV so bring a USFS map, water, compass, and a GPS along if you are going off alone during those early morning shoots. If needed your hat will serve as a tempo lens shade. You will have a great time! Please bring back some nice captures for all of us to enjoy. Thanks for the advice. I believe in being prepared. I have all of the above, and I even have a personal satellite beacon in case I need rescuing. But I will not go much off the beaten track this time around. Will definitely bring a tripod for the stars, although it looks like 60 seconds is the max exposure time on the DL4. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucek Posted November 23, 2009 Share #8 Posted November 23, 2009 Hi Bruce, My last outing was to "stretch the legs" of my 4x4 on the miles of great offroad. This time, the focus will on taking pictures. Alberto Any suggestions for 4x4 roads in DV? We're taking our Discovery out there much for the same reason you did - I want to get to some of the more remote areas. I don't plan on doing any rock crawling, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted November 23, 2009 Any suggestions for 4x4 roads in DV? We're taking our Discovery out there much for the same reason you did - I want to get to some of the more remote areas. I don't plan on doing any rock crawling, though. Bruce, I'd have to jog my memory, and most of the time I just took off and headed in the direction that felt right at the time. I must have driven some 500 miles on dirt roads and took a few detours on side roads that looked interesting. But it's hard to go wrong with Titus Canyon and Echo Canyon – the latter gets progressively more challenging, but it's easy to turn back when you think it's too much for you. Make sure you don't miss "The Racetrack", the road to get there will give your suspension a workout and the moving rocks make for great photographs. Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.