Necessary equipment for the islands

[cole_smallwood]

<p>This year I am lucky enough to be able to visit Hawaii in the summer and Turks and Caicos in November. I am just starting photography and have a Canon 50D with the 18-55mm lens that it came with, along with a 55-250mm zoom lens that I recently purchased. I also have a tripod, a uv filter, extra batteries etc. (and a bag to hold all of this)</p>

<p>I would love to take some great beach/sea photos but am still learning all of this and feel a little overwhelmed. I have tried to capture the blurry effect when i first got my camera but i have learned a little more since then. I was looking into a remote shutter release and was wondering if anyone knows of one that is compatible with the Canon 50D. Basically, I am asking for advice on capturing the blurriness by the seaside and wondering if there is <em>any other necessary equipment</em> to help take pictures at these beautiful places. I understand that equipment isn't everything but can ease the process. Furthermore, any advice from more experienced photographer about becoming more comfortable with my camera would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any advice<br>

(if there is any other info you need, please let me know)<br>

Cole</p>

[kerry_grim]

<p>Experience helps so shoot as much as you can prior to your trips.</p>

<p>Be very careful around sand as salt and wind-blown sand is NO GOOD at all for cameras. Do all you can to protect your camera from these elements at the beach.</p>

<p>Spare memory cards and a means to back up your photos. This has worked for me on a week long trip: at the end of the day I copied the photos to a laptop. Then backed up to a portable harddrive, and took the memory card and kept in a waterproof case for cards. Each day I did this. I kept the laptop separate from everything else, the memory cards in my sirt pocket, and the hard drive at a third location.</p>

<p>Check the Travel forum.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Get a polarizing filter to deepen the blue of the sky. If by blurriness of the seaside you're talking about a long exposure that makes the waves blur, similar to a photo of a waterfall, you don't need a remote release at all but you do need a tripod. Put the camera on a tripod, close the lens down as far as possible (f/22 or f/32 depending on how far it goes), use your polarizer because it robs another couple of stops of light, and then let the shutter be open for as long as necessary (maybe 1/2 second instead of 1/500 second). Waves will blur beautifully, but camera has to be on a tripod or everything else will blur as well. Best time to shoot is at sunrise, when light is beautiful and there are few people on the beach, then again at sunset when light is gorgeous. Shooting in midday on the beach is only going to give harsh lighting and too many people in the background. Keep your camera and lenses in ziplock bags and bring a small towel to wipe off both sands and spray.</p>

[accystan]

<p>Since you say you're just starting photography I suggest you read a book on the basics of photography. You're going to take better pictures if you understand something about aperture, shutter speeds, lighting etc. Understand why depth of field is important in this situation and shutter speed is more important in this one.<br>

Go into a book store and look over some books covering the basics and find one that looks right for you.<br>

Take as many pics as you can before you go and look at them carefully on your screen. Discover what went wrong here or what doesn't work there and what you should do to correct it. You don't want to come home and then realize you blew a shot.<br>

Back-up every day onto a portable card reader.<br>

Take lots of memory and shoot in jpeg and RAW. Check your shots on your screen immediately after the shot to see if you got what you wanted.<br>

Scott Kelby's book (3 volumes), "The Digital Photography Book", has some priceless tips.<br>

Good luck,<br>

Dave D</p>

[tony_leinster]

<p>Can I just say, please <strong>do not</strong> stop down to minimum apertures such as f22 and f32 as suggested above. You will not get as sharp a picture as you would at say f11-f16 due to the effect know as diffraction. Instead use a polariser and if necessary stack some ND filters to get your long shutter speeds. If you want to know more about this effect, which is a problem in normal as well as long exposures take a look at <a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/u-diffraction.shtml">http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/u-diffraction.shtml</a> . For some examples of long exposures go to <a href="http://www.timecatcher.com">www.timecatcher.com</a> look under "the team" for Marc Adamus and then browse his gallery, there are plenty of these types of shot there and Marc is kind enough to give all the data and equipment used for his shots, well worth a visit.<br>

Good luck!</p>

[brett_w.]

<p>you should read a few photography books, if you mean a "blurry effect" with water motion you might not need a remote but will need a tripod, probably ND filters, shooting at sunset/surise, etc. Read and then practice before your trips</p>

<p> </p>

[jennifer_spencer]

<p>I would certainly include a polarizer and an ND filter. The light is very strong, and if you are photographing water, you might want to limit all the glancing reflections off it to show the true color. A polarizer will work great at limiting reflections and the ND filter will help tone down the strength of the light. Do check for vignetting effects from these filters before you leave, so you know if you will get any unwanted vignetting (this will look like dark corners).</p>

<p>Definitely bring a plastic bag or two to limit the salty breeze getting into your camera works, and try hard not to drop it on the sand. Sand in a camera body is a very bad thing. </p>

<p>My trip to the Turks & Caicos was to a small island (Salt Cay) where there was very little of anything to be had for purchase beyond stamps, postcards and scuba lessons. Flip-flops, for instance, were not available for sale, nor was sunscreen. So if you think you'll need something, you might be better of bringing it with you instead of assuming it's for sale when you get there. Depends on where you're going - there may be plenty of stores where you're staying. Just a thought. </p>

<p>I also advocate learning some more before you go - this is a great opportunity to take some great pictures.</p>

[chris_smith28]

<p>I'll let the better photographers answer your "how-to" questions as I'm basically in the same boat as you experience wise. BUT I can contribute a bit about the shutter release.<br>

EBAY. I bought first a remote, then an electrical shutter release. Only a couple of bucks each from Hong Kong. I tried the remote but found it was limited in distance from the camera and needed more time for me to lower my arm/hand. Now for self type pics I use the timer. But the shutter release I use all the time when I'm on a tripod. I mean all the time.<br>

Sure it's cheap but it's the same one you get from your local store if they have the cheapies and you'll save a lot. Oh, I've never been been screwed buyiing from Hong Kong and I've bought a lot of cheap crap from there...lol.</p>

[mark_drutz]

<p>I'm with those who say to get a good basic photography book. John Hedgecoe, Kodak, and Bryan Peterson (among others) have good books that should be available in a good bookstore. You could also get one on Amazon.</p>

<p>As for gear, two things worth considering are an ultrawide lens like a Sigma 10-20 or Tokina 12-24 and a flash. For these trips I'd get the ultrawide.</p>

[cole_smallwood]

<p>First of all, thank you all for your insightful responses, it is greatly appreciated. Can anyone inform me or at least point me in the right direction in finding the right polarizing filter?<br>

(Canon 50D)<br>

Thanks Again<br>

Cole</p>

[tony_leinster]

<p>Any good circular polariser will do the job but make sure you get a thin mount as this will help to stop vignetting. Hoya's pro range are fine or B&W or similar. They are not cheap but well worth the investment, try any of the online shops (I don't know where you are but Adorama and amazon in the US or Warehouse express in the UK are good) or your local dealer.</p>

[mark_drutz]

<p>I'm in the minority but I don't like polarizers except to eliminate unwanted glare or reflections. I think that they produce an unreal look unless they are very skillfully used.</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>Cleaning equipment and keeping it clean is going to be a concern at a beach.</p>

<p>I like using nylon fabric rain covers instead of plastic bags. They're more durable and comfortable. They usually attach with some velcro at the lens hood and camera body base.</p>

<p>Stiffer bristle brush for cleaning the camera exterior, like a paintbrush. I use a shaving brush. Soft, cosmetic type brush for cleaning the exterior glass. Soft cloth. Small towel on hand always helpful in wet environments. A bottle of fresh water on hand.</p>

<p>If your bag is not waterproof, I like nylon pack liners. Or, just line your bag with a plastic bag. This reduces dampness trouble if you set the bag down. One or two times, good waterproofing has kept me from getting the entire rig swamped.</p>

<p>When you get back at the end of the day, clean off your stuff. It will usually take about two days for evidence of corrosion to set in. So, check your equipment and clean it off not just when you put it away, but also a day later. Spring-loaded parts that get wet and corrode will be the more likely to get stuck.</p>

<p><strong>If you're dirty enough to need a shower, it's time to brush down the equipment with the shaving brush, soft brush and soft cloth.</strong> Clean your rig, then get a bath. Equipment maintenance before mess.</p>

<p>If there is an environment where a UV filter protection pays off, the beach would be it. You may get some salt spray or sand on the lens face, and not be in enough of a clean environment to do a great job with cleaning. Damaging a UV filter when a tiny piece of grit gets caught under a cloth is far cheaper than damaging the lens in those circumstances.</p>

<p>When you get back, I find a thin, very thin, swabbing with a drop of lighter fluid can help re-lubricate corroded mechanical parts that do not adjoin any kind of sensor or glass. Like, a catch-spring in your tripod, for example.</p>

<p>Electronics will need to be kept clean and dry. This would include most of your contemporary camera equipment.</p>