Venturing into the wilderness is an inevitable step in any nature photographer’s journey. We all begin with the easy-to-access locations: photographing sunsets from parking lots, roadside pulloffs, and National Park overlooks. Eventually, we get sick of sharing the sights with 700 of our closest friends and venture off, in search of solitude and tranquility with the added benefit of unique photos from lesser-known locations. Backcountry and adventure photography opens many new doors for landscape photographers. Although, it also introduces new unfamiliar challenges if you’re accustomed to shooting within a few miles of your car.
Here are my top tips when pursuing backcountry and adventure photography.
Backcountry Skills First, Photography Skills Second
This might seem obvious to some, but unfortunately every summer is littered with stories of ill-prepared hikers pushing themselves beyond their ability level and getting seriously injured. There’s a reason I have this as the top of my list. That’s because competent backcountry skills are — without a doubt, unquestionably — the most important thing you can bring with you for a backpacking trip. If you’re an experienced outdoor enthusiast or athlete, that’s great! You can always learn more. If you’re new to hiking or camping and aren’t sure where to start, I recommend finding a free class, or even finding local friends who are willing to show you the ropes.
The wilderness is beautiful and enchanting, but also unforgiving. You want to make sure you’re prepared for unexpected problems and capable of solving those issues when needed. For extra backup, I always bring something like the Garmin InReach Mini. This is so I have an emergency SOS capability if I need it — from anywhere on the planet.
Prioritize Your Fitness
A strong body is a safer body. The majority of my injuries have come at the end of the day when I’m exhausted and my footwork or decision-making gets sloppy. A backpack with camera gear can easily be 15 lbs. heavier than a standard backpack. It’s amazing how quickly that extra weight adds up when you’re doing 8-15 miles per day. There’s infinite information online about how to train your body for various sports so I won’t go into it here. Although, fitness is one of the most important aspects for safe (and enjoyable) wilderness travel and adventure photography.
Plan Your Route
First and foremost, you should know your route because backcountry navigation is extremely important. However, from an adventure photography perspective, the planning is paramount to a successful outing as well. If you use apps like Photopills, update them and download any relevant maps before you leave your house. If you don’t want to carry a phone on a backpacking trip, bring a small notebook to write down sunrise/sunset times. You should also write down directions so you can plan your campsites to maximize photography opportunities.
Since most good photography happens near sunrise or sunset, it’s very helpful to try and camp close to your intended shooting location. Spending a few hours planning your campsites and shoot locations before you hit the trail can save you a lot of time and effort out in the field.
Spend a Little Extra on Trustworthy Gear
Saving money on gear is totally fine, and even necessary with a hobby as expensive as photography. However, backcountry and adventure photography requires way more effort than a standard walk in the park. I refuse to risk putting in all that time just to get foiled by a cheap tripod or SD card. For this reason, I always invest in good equipment for my adventure photography projects. I can’t handle having an equipment failure 50 miles from the nearest civilization. Beyond photo equipment, this rule also applies to the rest of your camping gear. Good hiking boots, a comfortable sleeping pad, and a trustworthy tent are worth their weight in gold.
Fine-Tune Your Gear
When shooting near your house it’s always tempting to bring every possible lens I might need, just in case. For backcountry trips, I keep my kit fine-tuned and as efficient as possible. Do I really need a 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm lens? Probably not. With modern sensors commonly having 50MP or more, I can usually get away with a 16-35mm and 70-200mm and using a crop to bridge the gap between. I don’t usually want to carry the extra weight for the 100-400mm when a 70-200mm with a 2x teleconverter is much more versatile, 30 percent lighter, and has the same reach. There are sacrifices I’m willing to make to keep my kit lighter, and I hardly ever feel limited while in the field.
Don’t Overlook Batteries and Memory Cards
This one is probably pretty self explanatory, but batteries and memory cards are the one commodity that cannot be overlooked. I don’t want to have to be selective when shooting in the field because you never know when the beautiful sunrises might change to four consecutive days of rain. Bring enough batteries for the whole trip (about a 20 percent buffer for surprises), and same goes for SD cards. I usually bring something like the Anker PowerCore 10,000mAh. As a bonus, I can use it to charge my GPS, phone, and watch, if needed.
Remember a Rain Cover
An unfortunate rule of landscape photography is that massive storms tend to make for extremely beautiful photos. Although it’s tempting to hunker down in the tent when the weather takes a turn for the worst, some of my best photography has come when conditions were at their worst. Because of this, I always bring a couple rain covers for my cameras so I can shoot through the storms without risking damage to my equipment. As always, be smart about this. Don’t go standing on a ridge in a lightning storm just to get a shot.
Don’t Let the Photography Stress You Out
The beauty of backpacking trips is in disconnecting from the modern world and enjoying our planet. If you’re having trouble getting great shots — or something breaks — don’t let it ruin the trip. Enjoy your time outside and decompress. You can always take more photos, but you can’t get back the days you spent upset about something inconsequential. I’ve witnessed brilliant sunrises where I barely took the time to appreciate them because I was fighting with an unruly intervalometer or flimsy tripod. In retrospect, the photos from those mornings are fine. Although, the experience of being alone on a remote mountain top for a sunrise is irreplaceable. Take a moment to enjoy.
Check out more of my work in AdoramaTV’s new docuseries, THE MASTERS.
