Episode 02 - Essential Photography & Safety Gear in Our Bags
- Shutter Nonsense
- Jun 10
- 66 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Must-have photography gear and safety tips for nature photography enthusiasts.
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Contents
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Episode Summary
Introduction
In the second episode of "Shutter Nonsense," Michael Rung and Jeffrey Tadlock dive deep into the world of photography, discussing everything from essential gear to unexpected field scenarios. This is a summary of their conversation, offering insights for both amateur and seasoned photographers.
This episode covers a significant amount of ground, literally and figuratively. Michael and Jeffrey highlight their real-world experiences from their recent workshops and personal outings, blending expertise with humor and practical advice.
Essential Gear: Lenses and More
Both hosts share their go-to lenses and the rationale behind their choices. Michael carries a Canon lineup with focal lengths covering 14mm to 500mm, emphasizing the importance of having versatile options even though his 100-500mm is favored. Similarly, Jeffrey discusses his Nikon setup and reiterates the value of having a wide range.
Their discussion expands beyond lenses to other essential gear such as microfiber cloths, spare batteries, tripod mounts, and Allen wrenches. They stress the importance of preparation with anecdotal evidence from workshops where such items have saved the day.
The Role of Technology: Filters and Wireless Remotes
Both photographers sing praises of their magnetic filter systems, with Jeffrey using Maven and Michael sticking to Kase. They emphasize the efficiency these systems bring to fieldwork. Additionally, Michael raves about the Canon wireless remote, highlighting how these small devices dramatically enhance his shooting flexibility and efficiency.
Beyond Photography: Emergency Preparedness
Understanding the unexpected nature of outdoor adventures, both hosts advocate for robust emergency preparedness. They detail the contents of their first aid kits and the crucial role of having communication tools like walkie talkies and satellite devices. These experiences are punctuated by real-world incidents that underscore the importance of preparedness.
Unexpected Twists: Communication Devices
An interesting segment involves testing the iPhone’s new satellite messaging capabilities versus their trusted Garmin devices. The hosts conclude that while the iPhone feature is a neat addition, it’s not reliable enough for emergencies—making standalone satellite communication devices indispensable.
Conclusion
Through engaging storytelling and detailed discussions, Michael and Jeffrey offer a comprehensive guide for photographers aiming to be fully equipped and prepared for any eventuality in the field. Listeners and readers are encouraged to reflect on their gear setups, considering improvements in both technological tools and emergency supplies.
Full Transcript
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Jeffrey: All [00:01:00] right. I'm more nervous about this one than the first one.
Jeffrey: I know it's a lot.
Michael: Now we've got like actual plan.
Jeffrey: E Exactly. It's like, can we follow it?
Michael: Alright, let's just kick into this thing. So welcome to episode two of Shutter Nonsense as a refresher. My name is Michael Rung. I'm here with my cohort, Jeffrey Tadlock.
Jeffrey: Hello everybody?
Michael: the sorry, I didn't mean to talk over you there buddy.
Jeffrey: Yeah, you're all good.
Michael: would say this is the podcast about nature photography and maybe a little bit of photography in general, where the conversation is quite casual, and typos are definitely a problem with this particular podcast name as I've caught myself a few times. So, on that note today's episode is gonna be centered around takeaways, both from our years of experience, as well as I think some observations and things we ran into, again on our, our recent workshop in the Smoky Mountains with a group of clients relating to what we carry in our camera bag from the. The basics, the bare essentials to, hey, these are some of the nice to haves as well as things to consider [00:02:00] carrying from an emergency standpoint. So we'll get into that in just a bit. But to start this off, I thought, Jeffrey, why don't we kick it over to you real quickly. And, you know, part of this podcast is also just to kind of talk about what we've been up to, what we're working on from a photography standpoint. Allah, I think as we said in the, uh, the first episode, kind of what you saw in creative Banter with Ben Horn, Cody Schultz, just kind of that casual chat. So I'll kick it
Jeffrey: Hey.
Michael: You and you can share what you wanna share.
Jeffrey: Yeah. Great. Uh, so let's see. Last week I ran another group workshop. It was one of my one day workshop. It's the one I've been running for the longest period of time down in my local region, uh, Hocking Hills. That was a good workshop. It runs a full day and we visit various waterfalls. And this particular group had a lot of emphasis on composition, how to make the scenes interesting, as well as just how to get that water effect with the water to sort of slow the shutter down and figure out where you want it.
Jeffrey: So just sort of going over the basic exposure settings and, and how to get to that shutter speed you want. But it was a great workshop. It was another one of those. As, as you know, in the Smoky Mountains, we [00:03:00] dodged the weather frequently, dodging rain showers, thunder showers, and everything like that.
Michael: For the
Jeffrey: Hawking Hills was no, exactly. We did pretty good for the most part on that one. Hocking Hills was very similar. Uh, it was supposed to be rainy. It was looking like it was gonna be rainy, but the weather broke for the morning and the early afternoon and didn't get hit with the heavy downpour until about 10 minutes after the, the workshop ended.
Jeffrey: So that worked out pretty well on that front. So great workshop there. That turns my attention towards my West Virginia workshop coming up, uh, early October. That's a multi-day workshop as well. I have a couple spots open on that, but I'll be starting to put some attention to fill in the rest of those seats.
Jeffrey: Uh, great area to visit out there, waterfalls, overlooks, and just some really unique terrain for east of the Mississippi. uh, that's pretty much it. How about you, Michael? What have you been up to since we last talked?
Michael: let me back a second. Any new YouTube videos just
Jeffrey: Oh, yes,
Michael: back, didn't
Jeffrey: I, did. So I've actually released a couple videos. Uh, the, let's focus on the, I did three lessons from [00:04:00] the Smoky Mountains, and it's where I sort of, took things, I think you and I saw as recurring themes from that particular workshop and sort of highlighted those in the video. Just sort of, like I said, it wasn't so much the technical part of the workshop or anything like that.
Jeffrey: It was just more of those underlying foundational themes that I think were takeaways from that workshop. So I did release that, and it's out on my YouTube channel now called The Three Lessons from the Smoky Mountains.
Michael: So, there you go. Go watch Jeffrey's new video. I have not done a
Jeffrey: Yes,
Michael: video. Um, it's been a little, it's been a minute since my life. Well, no, I put a video out, uh, what my, my snowy Eagle Mountain at my local park.
Jeffrey: yes.
Michael: that video out not too long before the Smoky Mountains workshop. So anyways, I am so. Neglectful of my YouTube channel these days. As far as what I have been working on, obviously coming back from the Smoky Mountains, I've got a ton of files. Uh, I think, uh, I ended up with 20, I know it was over 2,500. It was like 2,532 files or something. Not a lot of
Jeffrey: Wow.
Michael: shooting handheld and burst and [00:05:00] exposure bracketing and focused bracketing and, you know, lots of multiple shots of cascading water to try to get the texture I wanted and everything.
Michael: So I've been through my three rounds of choline. I think I got it down to, uh, 130 candidates for editing. And again, some of those are, are kind of, they're not straight up duplicates, but maybe variations of the same scene that, you know, at the end of the day, I'm not gonna spend all my time calling. So I just kind of call today when I get to a certain point and, uh, we'll get into the editing suite with Lightroom and, and see where we go from there. Um, done a little bit of work on that. Like I said, I got the choline done, at least I think I've got, actually, I mean, out of 130, it's not much, but I wanna say I've got five to seven images probably mostly done or most of the way to done. So plenty of work there to do. I have, I am way, way, way, way, way behind on my next Folio collection. These are, they're not quite box sets, although going forward it's gonna be a little bit of [00:06:00] a, uh, change from what I've done to date. So the first two fos have done. Were paper folios very, very thin. Uh, if you're familiar with Ben Horn's folios that he's been doing the last few years, it's actually the same And, uh, including 10 of my fine art prints in there and setting it as a limited edition, which they've done fairly well. You know, nothing setting the, uh, world on fire 'cause I know that's gonna be a slow burn. for this one, um, after much back and forth and having other priorities of life and, and the business coming come up in the way I finally settled on, I'm doing an actual box set. Um, it's still a relatively thin box, but it's a three quarter inch box from the same manufacturer, 10 Dell photographic. so in addition to that, I'm bumping it from 10 prints to 12, which is where the
Jeffrey: Thanks.
Michael: always kind of limited me with that fine art paper that I use. The, uh, red River Pal Duro Etching three 15. It's a very thick paper and, uh, I was basically maxed out with 10 prints in the old paper fo So now I've got a little bit of flexibility. embracing that by, uh, including two [00:07:00] additional prints. So that's been kind of one of my bigger focuses this week.
Michael: I just ordered the folios finally, um, days ago. So hopefully I have those early next week. I. I am working on my, you can't see 'em, but I've got proofing prints run off behind me here, so I've been doing some of that work too. I feel like I've got 30 other things I'm, I'm juggling, but the biggies are the box set for sure. And then starting to work on my, um, my Smoky Mountain files. Speaking of which, have you worked on yours at all? I don't think we've
Jeffrey: I, did a couple, I haven't done a full calling run. I went through and highlighted a couple things to go with the video that I put out on the three lessons, just 'cause I needed some supporting images. So they were sort of quick edits, uh, just for the video. So I have, I wanna say around four or five edited loosely.
Jeffrey: Uh, they need another pass to, before I would actually put them, uh, in too many places, but they were there for the video. So I did go through that, but I didn't get quite as many images as you, but I think I was sitting around 1800 or so images I brought back. Similar to you. Some of that was focus [00:08:00] stacking, handheld, where you're photographing more than one or something like that.
Jeffrey: But,
Michael: Yeah.
Jeffrey: um, we'll see how I get through the calling process. But I, I'm, I feel pretty happy with the trip with what I came away with. So, uh, I'm optimistic.
Michael: actually, you know, looking at the 130 candidates I've got for editing, I. Uh, right now I wouldn't be shocked if I'm not pushing a hundred that I may end up eventually releasing, which sounds ridiculous. Um, but there's so much variety there. And I would say the difference between your file count and my file count is I actually took behind the scenes photos, unlike
Jeffrey: Oh,
Michael: know.
Jeffrey: I have some behind the scenes. I just haven't edited those either. I do have a handful, probably not as many behind the scene photos as you do. Uh, but I do have a few, uh, that I took that you didn't know I was taking. So, uh, I've just, I've just gotta get 'em out there. A couple cool ones too, but No, no, I unlike it.
Jeffrey: No, it, they're good. They're good. But I do have to pull those off
Michael: I've seen so far of behind the scenes of me is me standing next to Jeffrey as he makes tea and [00:09:00] coffee. So not even
Jeffrey: and
Michael: anything for, oh no, there is the one you took as a joke because I was showing somebody how to photograph bark.
Jeffrey: yes. And we know how much you love the photograph bark so.
Michael: That's a, that's a whole other, uh, side story we'll say for another day. For the audience. I got nothing against
Jeffrey: Yeah,
Michael: Um,
Jeffrey: yeah,
Michael: I have something against some types of photos of park, but anyways, we'll leave, we'll leave that as a teaser.
Jeffrey: yeah.
Michael: of that. Um,
Jeffrey: But before you leave your folios too much, just to, to put that out there, um, that box, that should be pretty interesting. I'm anxious to see that one of the early, I've forget how long ago I've actually known you. We met, you know, through an online community, but I purchased one of your, your first folio set and it was just really well done.
Jeffrey: So if people are interested, I can vouch for the, the quality of workmanship. I, and I bought this before Michael and I were really collaborating on anything or, know, it was pretty early on to, to know and I'm, uh, but it's really. Uh,
Michael: him.
Jeffrey: exactly. He did not. But, uh, it, it, it's a really well put together, [00:10:00] set, uh, high quality paper.
Jeffrey: The presentation is Apple like, which I think is always a good thing. It's just very well presented. Uh, so if you're, you're looking to build your print collection or something like that, keep an eye on both, either on the folios that Michael already has out, uh, and keep an eye on that box set because like I said, he puts a lot of, uh, time and energy into it and it's not a half baked release.
Jeffrey: It's very good. And there's really great imagery in it and just really well put together. So just to toss that in there.
Michael: thank you. I, I honestly, I totally forgot and you bought that first, uh, first edition, so Yeah,
Jeffrey: Yep. I was early supporter. I, I think its value is going up. You know, I'm, it's, that's, it's got, it's gonna be, it's an investment.
Michael: Well, I appreciate that. I, yeah,
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: I will see about that. But, uh, kinda on that note though, I do have additions left of volume one and volume two. One of the things I'm changed with volume three as well. I did tiered pricing on the first two so that as they sold through a certain amount, the price would go up. Um, for the third one, I'm just doing one flat price. But I'm also reducing the addition count from 50 down to 25. [00:11:00] Uh, partly because like I said, the, the demand hasn't been quite what I'd hoped and honestly, I haven't really promoted and advertised them quite as much as I probably could. But also since I'm switching from the paper portfolio, which when they come, they are flat in a box.
Michael: So very minimal storage. Now go in an actual, uh, collector's box. As you might be able to tell if you're watching this on video, I don't have a ton of space in my 10 foot by 10 foot office,
Jeffrey: Hmm.
Michael: um, I'm making that consideration in terms of a storage standpoint too. So they sell through quickly. Then volume four, maybe we'll go back up to 50, but, um, we'll, we'll go with 25 this time.
Michael: So thank you for
Jeffrey: Awesome.
Michael: unsolicited, um, uh, advocacy for my, my print collection.
Jeffrey: Yeah. Yeah.
Michael: that. So with that outta the way, and, and actually one quick note before we move into the actual topic of this podcast or this episode, I would say, again, we talked about it in episode one. If you got feedback, if this little like, Hey, what are you up to?
Michael: What have you been working on, kind of thing. If this is going on too long, you want more of it, less of it, a different take on it. [00:12:00] Again, give us the feedback and um, you know, we want this to be a collaborative effort with our listeners and our viewers. So if you got feedback, ideas, whatever, uh, don't be shy to, uh, to share it with us.
Michael: So that outta
Jeffrey: Sure.
Michael: let's talk about in your bag, or as I keep
Jeffrey: Yes,
Michael: of the seven meme, what's in the bag?
Jeffrey: yes, yes. What's in the box? What's in the box?
Michael: you know, you and I talked about this the other day and kind of planning this episode out, but you've got the basics of course, and one of the first questions you get from any potential work workshop attendee. And I've had this just from, uh, you know, one-on-one questions, uh, with my own folks here, my local park or whatever is, what lenses do I need to bring of
Jeffrey: Right,
Michael: and the joke on the workshop is, is kind of similar to the joke on the Discord server Jeffrey and I hang out on, but my answers tend to fall under.
Michael: It depends, uh, a lot
Jeffrey: for sure.
Michael: uh, depending on where you're going and, and what types of scenes you wanna photograph and everything. for me personally, I [00:13:00] try to cover the whole gamut of what I might need, even though I may use one lens 70% of the time. I wanna make sure I've got the flexibility, uh, at hand, so to speak.
Michael: And it doesn't mean that everybody's gotta have every lens and, and, you know, cover the whole thing. I personally carry my Cannon rf. to 35. It's an F four lens, so it's nice and small and compact. I've also got the Canon 24 to 1 0 5, also F four Lens, uh, uses the same front filter size 77 millimeters, so I'm not having to worry about different filter sizes. And then the third lens I always carry with me and is the one I use the most is Jeffrey Sulfur hand in, in Tennessee at Smoky Mounds is my 100 to 500. It is a variable aperture given the, uh, the length of the focal length on it. But the nice thing with the Canaan lenses and that, uh, that kind of trifecta I'm carrying is they're all 77 millimeter front element threads. So I've got one set of filters that works on every single lens that I carry with me. That way I'm covering myself from 14 millimeter all the way up to 500 millimeter. [00:14:00] And, uh, no matter what kind of scene I come across, I'm good to go.
Jeffrey: Yeah, that is super nice
Michael: yeah,
Jeffrey: on that, that filter size piece is super nice,
Michael: that's, that is actually one of the reasons why I. wanting the 100 500, I had the Tamron 100 or 400, the old EF lens, and I was using it with the, the adapter mount for the can of mirrorless, it was a 67 millimeter front thread. So I still had to carry adapter rings and, you know, go through all that junk and
Jeffrey: right?
Michael: and I don't like to carry extra stuff.
Michael: So it's nice having everything under, under one. Um, what's the word, filter size? That's, that's the
Jeffrey: Yes,
Michael: I'm going for. So what
Jeffrey: yes.
Michael: I can't, I know you've got the 100, 400. What else have you
Jeffrey: Yep, yep. So I, I'm very similar to you. Uh, it, I, I like to have that as much focal length range as I can. So I carry the Nikon, , 14 to 30, also a F four lens. , Nikon makes a 14 to 24, which is a F 2.8, but I don't, and it's a very high quality lens, but I used a 14 to 30 [00:15:00] because, uh, the two point eight's heavier, it's bigger and it's filter because it's got the, the bulging lens element in the front.
Jeffrey: It uses a special adapter and you get into 110 millimeter filter size to be able to, , put on front. So I, I just find it super awkward and anyone that follows my YouTube channel knows I like to keep things as compact and, , as I can just because of the hiking and, and the type of work that we do. So I opt for the 14 to 30, which is also a great lens, F four lens, uh, that covers my wide side.
Jeffrey: then on the, the mid, I'm a 24 to one 20, uh, great lens from Nikon, , that covers my midsection. Nice and versatile. It's nice. It can hit the 24 all the way up to one 20 and then the 100 to 400 on the, the, the zoom side, the telephoto side, which, uh, it is the Nikon 100 to 400. I wish I could get out to 500 with that.
Jeffrey: Like I wish Nikon had the 100 to 500 millimeter lens. I feel like that's a nice, sweet spot. And as I've gotten to see more in that 100 to 400 focal length, , I, I could see myself wanting [00:16:00] that extra, uh, a hundred millimeters. I'm sure I, like I said, I'm a little jealous of that. Uh, but I'm, it's, it's a great lens.
Jeffrey: You know, I cover 14 to, uh, 400 pretty easily. It doesn't take a lot of space in the pack. The 100 to 400 weigh the most. And, and like we were just touching on before, the downside is our filter sizes are different. So. run 82 millimeter filters, uh, which covers my wide lens, but then I have to use StepUp rings on my, , mid and my telephoto to, to adapt.
Jeffrey: It's not terrible you, I just leave 'em on and you get used to it. Uh, but there, there is something to be said for just one filter size with no adapt, no StepUp rings or anything to work through that. So I'm a little jealous there as well. But that's my setup. Those are my three standard carry lenses on a photography trip.
Michael: Yeah, so you carry three lenses. I carry three lenses. you had to leave one lens at home, which one would it be?
Jeffrey: Usually it's actually gonna, it It depends just to, you know, to do that. But my, my [00:17:00] default most often right answer would be I would probably leave the 14 to 30 home. , Just because I don't break that one out very often. That 24, 1 20 gets pretty wide,
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Jeffrey: which limits how often? I really need to break out the 14 to 30 and I would miss the 100 to 400 if I didn't have it with me.
Jeffrey: , So it's the 14 to 30 that would tend to get left home if I'm dropping one of those lenses.
Michael: yeah. No, I'm right there with you. When, so before I had the, the Cannon 14 to 35, I was rocking the Tamron EF 15 to 30 millimeter, and it had. Two marks against it. It was an F two eight. So it was
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: It was heavy.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: had the bulbous front element like, like you were talking about. , So honestly for the better part of two, three years that things stayed at home more often than not. Um,
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: I didn't shoot in those wider angles a whole lot, and b it was just such a pain to carry around. It was, it was the, in terms of just sheer, like girth, snicker, snicker, [00:18:00] um, in terms of the diameter,
Jeffrey: They're gonna censor this. They're gonna put us as the adult PO Podcast now.
Michael: Um, it was the, it was the bulkiest lens that I could carry. So even just working with it in the bag, it, it fit okay.
Michael: But it was just awkward. And then, yeah, the
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: and I think that's one interesting fact, and I don't want to go on too many side tangents, but I think this one's worth touching on you. You mentioned you had glass.
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: out, even when I was still on a crop sensor, as I started upgrading my lenses, everything was 2.8.
Michael: I had the 2.8 15 to 30 from Tamron. My whole lineup was Tamron. So I had their 15 to 30, I had their F 2.8 24 to 70, and I had their 2.8 70 to 200, and that was my, my kit until I
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: 400 in 2020. And I think most nature photographers, I, at least from my perspective, that's kind of a similar path that we all seem [00:19:00] to have taken, where when we're starting out, just like anything you read, oh, you gotta have the best, you gotta have this, you gotta have that. And a common trope is you gotta have, you know, the fastest glass you can get. And certainly that's valid if. You know, you're shooting Milky Way or Night Skies or something like that, or you tend to shoot in really low light and you just want to minimize the amount of shutter speed you need. But honestly, since ditching all the 2.8 and going with the f/4 glass and then obviously the 100-500 I don't, I don't miss it at all.
Michael: And especially these days with
Michael: how good
Michael: cameras are at higher ISOs, and then you've got the fantastic AI denoising technology, whether the, you know, the, uh, the Adobe version built into Lightroom and, and Adobe Camera Raw or Topaz or what have you. I really, I don't miss the 2.8
Michael: and then, and I stopped photographing night Sky stuff several years ago really?
Michael: So me personally, the trade off of, well, maybe you lose some of that low light performance and, you know, I can't, do Astro [00:20:00] with F four, but again, I don't really, , having the size advantage and the weight advantage of the F four glass. To me more than makes up that loss. And frankly, if I ever wanted to do a night sky session, I'd probably know that ahead. I've still got my tam run 24 to 72 8. I could bring that, um, or push come shove, you know, case scenarios, I rent one for as
Jeffrey: right.
Michael: it, it'd probably be worth it. So,
Jeffrey: Yeah,
Michael: then, yeah, like, I said, you mentioned, was it just your, your whitest that was a 2.8 or did you kind of do the same
Jeffrey: so my wide is, I, I actually don't own the, , 14 and 24 from Nikon, which is the two eight, but it was a conscious decision. I didn't want to go that route because the F four was gonna work. And on that two eight note, I mean, I've previous life shop portraits and events, so I still own my 24 to 70 and 70 to 202.8 lenses, but they never go out and landscape photography for me.
Jeffrey: They're pretty much dedicated to events and portraits. Where, where then there is [00:21:00] a, a, a case for it. But for my landscape stuff, I have zero regrets and leave those two eights at home just because, like you said, they're little smaller
Michael: Right?
Jeffrey: more in your pack. They weigh a little less, so you, which to me, lets you hike further and not be tired when you get there.
Jeffrey: So you can focus on the photography and I have zero regrets at building my kit around an F four, , or higher, , speed lenses and stuff. It works great for me.
Michael: Same here. Alright, so I think we've talked plenty about lenses. It does go back to an extent of the location you're going to and what you're
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: but tend to carry all three of those. And again, as it sounds like we're both on the same page. If we were to leave
Jeffrey: Yeah. Let's,
Michael: our widest,
Jeffrey: what if you, let's just, and I agreed, I don't want to spend too long on lenses, but say you were going somewhere and, and you were going as light as possible, and you could just take one lens, it leave two what? So instead of just what you asked me, you're gonna drop one lens. Now you can only take one lens.
Jeffrey: Is it something you already carry or do you have a different lens you swap in? Or [00:22:00] what would you take?
Michael: Wouldn't it be a different lens from what I already carry?
Michael: I know that the, the theoretical question here is if I needed to go as light as I could, but I'd be inclined to say the 100 500 just ' cause I
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: that by far more than anything. If I was really, if my hand was really, really forest, I'd probably opt for the 24 to 1 0 5, though it's got that good mid range.
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: use it for wider landscape still, but you can also use it for closer up shots like, you know, in streams of the Smoky Mountains or, , you know, tighter woodland photography, uh, depending on layout of the land and things like that.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: again, shooting with the R five and 45 megapixels, you can always crop, always throw the
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: into crop mode and get another 60% reach.
Michael: So on the 1 0 5 that take me up to. Call it one 60 mil, um,
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: mode on the camera. So it's nowhere near the 100 500. But if I was absolutely going for like the lightest with only one [00:23:00] lens, um, I can make an argument for the 24 to 1 0 5, but I would prefer the 100 500.
Jeffrey: I, I'm, I'm very similar. I would go through the same thought process as, as you did, and I would end up with a 24 to one 20 if it was just one lens. Just be for the very reasons you said. I shoot the Nikon Z seven two, so I have 45 megapixels to play with. So I've got some crop room, uh, to help out. I could switch it into DX mode, so I would do 24 to one 20 if I was only taking.
Jeffrey: Uh, one lens probably, but I have a feeling I would have some, and I agree. 'cause I would find, especially if I was headed out west, and maybe that would change my, my factor a little bit where I had those bigger views. Uh, here on the East Coast, as you know, from the Smokies, yes, there are 100 to 400 scenes, but there's also a lot of streams, a lot of closer, closer up scenes where Amid works out really well.
Jeffrey: But, uh, so I'm sure there would be a scene where I was like, man, I really wish I had my 100 to 400, but I would probably go 24, 1 20
Michael: Yeah,
Michael: think if I did the 24 to 1 [00:24:00] 0 5 only, I would probably be far less productive.
Jeffrey: I could, yeah, I,
Michael: harder to pick out all, you know, harder or impossible to pick out all the little distant, you know,
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: scenes and compositions that are out there. All right. Enough about lenses? So, uh, we've talked about that. thing, I think our clients did pretty well with it, but, uh, I think we did have to loan them a couple here and there. Microfiber cloths and
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: especially if you're going near a stream or waterfall or there's rainy conditions. Um, and, you know, we had a lot of questions about the weather ceiling for the
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: different folks had. Now I shoot with the R five. You've got the Canon Z line, which are both, I
Jeffrey: Nikon Z Line.
Michael: is, or Yeah, sorry. know
Jeffrey: It's all good. I know what you meant.
Michael: that, that other brand. Uh, but anyways, the R
Jeffrey: Yeah, exactly.
Michael: is um, you know, one of Canon's best rated water and dust sealed systems. All the lenses that I've got are, are water and dust sealed and I think you're in the same boat.
Jeffrey: Yep. Same boat.
Michael: [00:25:00] with, I've got right back here behind me, even when I was shooting with my old Cannon R the original mirrorless. Um, it's not officially rated, uh, at the same level, but I use that thing, not torrential downpours, but I would use it in light rain and I used it in snow. And you know, I think as we gave the disclaimer to the workshop folks like, Hey, I'm not gonna make you any promises, but are just about any camera is gonna be okay with a little bit of moisture.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: lenses, I think you gotta be a little more careful with, especially the barrel lenses that, you know, the barrel
Jeffrey: Right, right.
Michael: out ' cause you can suck water, back in on, on some of the cheaper ones that aren't, uh, maybe as effectively sealed. Which again is partly why, you know, going back to when I switched to 100, 400, 5 years ago, I went with the Tamron over the Canon RF 100 400.
Michael: 'cause the canon's not whether in dust sealed as well as the Tamron is.
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: So, especially the lenses, um, I think is [00:26:00] probably your bigger. Failure point or point of concern. And that's where having the microfiber, you know, the cloth really is gonna be for the front lens element. The tile though, is so that you can wipe your gear off every so often, either while it's
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: you know, drizzling or misting or whatever.
Michael: And also, obviously before you put it back in your bag, just give it a, you know, I would just give it a quick wipe down and, and get the bulk of the moisture off. Very nice thing with the towel is, you know, I don't have a huge towel, actually. I conveniently have my bag sitting open behind me, but, you know, this
Jeffrey: Hmm.
Michael: I
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: for those of
Jeffrey: Very similar
Michael: Um,
Jeffrey: carry two.
Michael: that, maybe eight inch by eight inch, if that. Um, but I'll actually drape this thing over my front element if I'm not using
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: or like my 24 to 1 0 5, and especially the 14 to 35. The lens hood really isn't gonna keep, uh, you know, water off of the, the front element. So I'll just drape the, the towel over the front of it and when I'm ready to take the shot, pull it off, take the shot. Put it back on that way I'm not constantly having to wipe off, [00:27:00] um,
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: off the front of the, uh, my lord, my words are escaping me. The lens, the front of the lens. That's the word.
Jeffrey: My cloth, a towel approach is pretty much just like yours. Um, you know, they're important and I carry both the one for the front lens element and then the towel to either drape or wipe it off before you put it. Put it away. And I have similar experience with, wow, I won't tell people yes, you can take your non weather sealed camera out into the elements.
Jeffrey: I have certainly done so myself many a times and not suffered any huge ill effect. But I always warn people, maybe I was lucky, maybe I just wasn't right, right. Spot. But I do think cameras are more robust than, than you think, but either way, in either case, whether sealed or not, microfiber, cloths and towels are good.
Jeffrey: the.
Michael: but we make no promises.
Jeffrey: Exactly, there's your own risk. Uh, that's been our experience anyways. Uh, you know, other things to bring, there's always despairs. There's little things that you, you forget. So like spare batteries. Um, I know making the jump from DSR to [00:28:00] mirrorless, it was a, a new world for battery life. Uh, for me, DSRs would last seemingly forever.
Jeffrey: Whereas the mirrorless chew to do a little more for me. I think it's 'cause I tend to, you know, it's, it's got the EVF and then I tend to use the LCD more than the viewfinder a lot of times when I'm on mirrorless for some reason. Uh, so spare batteries are good. I've seen too many times, I've even on workshops, I've happened to have a spare battery that fit a person's camera and I've been, had loaned them.
Jeffrey: But,
Michael: Yep.
Jeffrey: spare batteries is definitely important. , While you're out there, you know, if you're doing long exposures that choose up battery faster than you might otherwise. So making sure to have spare batteries with you, I think is important to, to have in your bag. And I always try to have some extra batteries with me as well.
Michael: a pro tip on that one too, if I can reach it. My audio is probably faded out there, so I carry two packets for those of you on video. I've got, I've got two, not packets, but pouches, whatever you wanna call 'em for my batteries. So the one with the blue stripe indicates that [00:29:00] these are my good ready to go batteries that are fully charged they die.
Michael: I put them into the gray stripe pouch and that way I know these are the ones I need to charge up when I get back to the trucks. I've got chargers plugged into my Jacky or when I get back to hotel room, whenever, wherever we're going. Um, but this is coming really, really handy 'cause I used to just throw 'em in my bag and then I'd be sitting there looking, okay, which ones are charged?
Michael: Which ones aren't charged? So a little pro
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: these on Amazon, dirt cheap. You can find them for different manufacturers. , For those of you not watching the video, they're just little Velcro pouches. They each have four battery pockets and like I said, one's blue, one's gray. That way I can make a determination of which is my charged upset and which is my dead and needing to be charged set.
Jeffrey: Yeah, that's super smart. I am not that smart and I usually have to play, let's try to spin the wheel. Did I grab a charged battery or a dead battery, uh, type thing. So I, I may,
Michael: used to do
Jeffrey: I, I may have to go look for some of those pouches. Make that a little easier.
Michael: batteries, [00:30:00] we actually have a story, related to this from our workshop on our last morning. Do you remember what
Jeffrey: We do. Yes, I do. I do. , So yeah, so we are, we're down by this creek and it had been rainy that morning, so all the rocks were slippery. And this particular rock, while it didn't look slippery, was certainly slippery. And someone slipped and luckily kept from falling into the fast moving water, but their battery had popped out of their camera and they did lose the battery to the, to the water on that particular one.
Jeffrey: So that is certainly a case of where if you didn't have the spare, your day is over. , But with a spare, they were able to just toss it in and it was, yes, lost a battery, but at least it didn't ruin their trip from that standpoint. So, yeah.
Michael: that's where a lot of the items that we're gonna talk about here. It's not that you're gonna need it every day or every
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: be going out and say, I'm only gonna be out for an hour. I don't need spare batteries. then something like that happens, you slip and fall and the battery happened, the door somehow popped open and the battery went, [00:31:00] and
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: in a stream in the, uh, Tremont area of Smoky Mountains Park. Um, or you know, you trip and fall and same thing happens and you, you know, tumbles down a cliff or whatever.
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: those unknowns that, hey, just make sure that you at least got some form of backup equipment, so you're not gonna be just totally SOL if some
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: and kooky. I mean, that was really just a freak thing,
Jeffrey: Right?
Michael: slipping, we've all slipped and fallen, but I've never seen a battery door pop open and the battery go
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: So, um, just one of those freak accidents. But he had spares, so he was, he was still good
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: , The
Jeffrey: yep. Good point.
Michael: on the workshop was. Around tripods. So we had one client that had, what the, um, what's the brand? I'm
Jeffrey: The black rapid camera strap is how they tended to carry their, uh, camera around, so,
Michael: of the, um, the, the tripod itself. The one Mando.
Jeffrey: oh, yeah. Yes, yes. Which is, yes.
Michael: she
Jeffrey: Good.
Michael: morning she had the tripod, but she [00:32:00] left the mount for the tripod back at her hotel, which that particular brand of tripods has a proprietary, , tripod mount. So she couldn't just borrow like one of our ARCA Swiss plates or whatever.
Michael: Fortunately I had my older backup tripod with me and, uh, ahead as well. So we were able to put the Arca Swiss plate on that and she was good to go. But there's another example of just one of those off the wall things. For some reason you took it off, maybe it loosened or you know, or I know whatever reason you might take it off, misplace it, forget it. Got a spare in your bag, you're good to go. In that regard, that's another scenario where if I hadn't had the backup tripod and and ball head for her, she wouldn't have had a tripod that that day, unless she skipped a morning session and, and, you know, either borrowed somebody's car or, or had somebody take her back to get it.
Jeffrey: Right,
Michael: another
Jeffrey: and that happens.
Michael: of just one of those, you don't necessarily think it's gonna happen, but maybe it will.
Jeffrey: And it happens more often. And you'd think, I had a, just on my most [00:33:00] recent Hawking Hills workshop, someone, they had a tripod. It was an ACA tri tripod, but for some reason, their plate was not on the camera. I don't know if they'd switched it or, or, or, or what, but they, the plate wasn't there. But I carry spare ACA Swiss plates, and so it really wasn't a big deal.
Jeffrey: It was like, oh, cool. Let's just pop this on your camera and you're good to go. But, you know, there's just two workshops in a row that you and I have been involved with in some form or fashion that having a spare plate or a spare setup, uh, enabled the person to go out and get their pictures and photograph.
Jeffrey: Uh, so it's, it's uncanny how often that particular one seems to happen.
Michael: know. And I almost did it to myself. I just, this is the first trip I've been on. first big trip I've been on where I've had two R fives. So again, I, I was shooting with the R that became my backup when I upgraded to the R five and during Cannon's holiday sale, I, I bit the bullet and went ahead and bought a second refurbished R five, which now with tariff uncertainty, maybe that was a great move on my part.
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: but I didn't have the L bracket for it. And
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: like, I think six days before I [00:34:00] would've been leaving for the trip, I was starting to get things organized and I had that, oh crap, epiphany of I don't have my l bracket, which meant I would've been relying on my backup arcus with, uh, mount plate at the very least.
Michael: And I would've
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: 'cause I wouldn't have had the, the, the convenience of the L bracket. Uh, which we'll
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: more about in, in just a second too.
Jeffrey: yep.
Michael: what's the other thing we have on here? Allen Wrenches,
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: back to mounting your brackets to your camera, tightening your tripod legs or other components of the, the tripod. Um, you know, one nice thing, if it's on this one, on my R five L brackets, I keep turning away from the microphone. Uh, on my R five L brackets, there's actually an Allen wrench that clips in magnetically to the L bracket itself. So if the L bracket loosens up, I know I've always got that, but I also carry, I'm not gonna bother digging it outta my bag, but it's a full set of, um, Allen wrenches
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.[00:35:00]
Michael: you know, everything from the thinnest to the thin to, I don't know, maybe a quarter inch. Allen wrench
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: you know, those come in handy. From anything and everything. The random accessories stuff in my truck I've used them on. Uh, you just
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: So again, it's kind
Jeffrey: Loose tripod legs.
Michael: exactly.
Jeffrey: leg gets loose, it's, it's some, some tripods tend to that, so it's nice to be able to just tighten it up and get the wiggle out of it. So yeah. Super handy for those.
Michael: Again, you, it's not something I need all the time, but it's nice to have. Um, the next one, we've got a section where we'll talk through some emergency emergency preparedness and we almost put this next one in there, but
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: it's really something you should just always carry, uh, as a headlamp,
Jeffrey: for sure.
Michael: a headlamp with good batteries. Uh, you know, I
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: I keep a spare headlamp in the truck all the time, mostly for using when I'm at camp, so I'm not having to dig it outta my camera bag.
Michael: But, uh, happened to pull it out and the batteries were half dead, so I could barely see what I was doing anyways. But I know the headlamp I use and my camera bag runs on aaas, which on one hand is nice. 'cause if it [00:36:00] dies, I can just pop in some new aaas and I'm good to go. I think
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: me though, you've got one that charges, but also you can also put aaas in
Jeffrey: Yeah. So yeah, I've got a Petzel headlamp. It's the one that stays in my camera bag and it, it comes with a rechargeable. Battery so it's, I can recharge it. And uh, the downside is it's micro USB and not USBC. I couldn't find a petzel that had the USBC when I bought mine, but, um, it's rechargeable. But if I'm out or and burning through batteries or the rechargeable dyes or something like that, it will, you can pop the rechargeable out and it's slotted to take in three So I also have the option of swinging by grabbing three aas or keeping ' em in a forerunner and being able to do it that way. So I really like the versatility of that just 'cause it's, it, it plays into that whole backup redundancy thing. It's like, oh, something wrong with the rechargeable, I can or don't have a quick means to recharge it.
Jeffrey: I might have aaas, I can just pop in there to get me through. But, uh, the headlamps are super handy for those early morning sunrises to hike up the trail in the dark. And same for those sunsets when you're out past [00:37:00] the dark and being able to have those, uh, to come, come back with. So I always keep a headlamp in my camera bag,
Michael: And again, even if you don't think you're gonna be out late. You never know. I mean, if I'm gonna my local
Jeffrey: eh.
Michael: in the morning, I know I'm not gonna need it, but it's still in my bag.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: but in the case of like, again, being in the Smokies or my trips to Colorado or Utah or wherever, may be going out for sunset and thinking, oh, you know, I'm not gonna be out until it gets dark.
Michael: But then maybe I don't think through the fact that I've got a hike a few miles back or, you know,
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: So always have that there and, and I love that idea of having the option to either charge it or throw the batteries. And that's really the,
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: main reason I haven't to A USB, ideally USBC chargeable headlamp, is I've, I've always had that anxiety about, well, what if I freight the charge it up, or it dies quicker than expected, it's really cold out or something, you know, then I've got no backup plan.
Jeffrey: Yeah, yeah,
Michael: I just throw the batteries and you've got the flexibility of either one. So I might have to get that link from you,
Jeffrey: yeah, yeah. It's super [00:38:00] nice. I like it.
Michael: Yeah, that'd be
Jeffrey: It's served me well.
Michael: Uh, spare memory cards. Again, this is something else that, uh, popped up on our workshop. , I think second to last day with actually the same guy that lost the battery, but he started having issues with, uh, the camera was thrown an air message.
Michael: Uh, I don't think it was, I don't think it was failure to write to card or something. It was some kind of unusual error message. It was throwing, and what I understand, it just, he swapped out to a different memory card and to go. Again. It wasn't because the card was full, he technically didn't need to have that backup card with him.
Michael: But the unexpected happened and he was prepared and had himself covered, um, for, uh, for that type of scenario. So, again, as I said, all of these things, or many of these things on here are not expected to be used all the time, but thinking through the what ifs, those
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: if scenarios, um, you know, I've got just a little plastic clamshell case.
Michael: The nice thing about mine, I guess I can pull it out, is. Again, for those of you on video, I [00:39:00] can just hold it up. But, you know, one side, it's got kind of this like rubber gasket on it, which is conveniently red. So the ones that I know have good files on 'em, I put 'em on the red side, the ones that I know are good to go and I can format 'em, clear 'em off are on the black side. And that way I am, I'm keeping it organized in terms of not accidentally overwriting or formatting data that I want to keep. just make that determination of, okay, I'm gonna put all of my cards that I need to protect and I need to back up on that red side. And then the black side is the ones that are good to go. So just
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: little
Jeffrey: Super handy.
Michael: that I've learned over the years, 'cause I did accidentally, thankfully it was a card that had nothing important on it. It was,, just a few shots I think I had taken, um, on a previous outing that wasn't very fruitful, but. I wasn't thinking, I grabbed the card, put it in, formatted it, and then I had that epiphany of, oh crap, I just overwrote a
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: So, um,
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: again, sometimes it takes that hard lesson and learn to think of a better way to
Jeffrey: Yes,
Michael: so.
Jeffrey: I have it so ingrained in me from my portrait [00:40:00] and event days that I'm so careful with cards and like verifying that data exists somewhere else. 'cause then it was, you know, landscape photography, it's annoying enough, especially if it was a big trip. Right. And you just lost a whole trip worth of photos.
Jeffrey: But, so I have pretty strict guidelines for when I will format a card and lots of extra cards to help prevent. But yeah, that's gotta be a terrible feeling to accidentally wipe a card.
Michael: if you did that with a hundred files on it or
Jeffrey: Oh,
Michael: you know, from a trip you just got back from, and then
Jeffrey: exactly.
Michael: or you know, you just weren't thinking and
Jeffrey: Yeah,
Michael: Because yeah, once you
Jeffrey: that would,
Michael: and start taking photos, there's really no way to recover it.
Jeffrey: yeah. That's heartbreaking,
Michael: new files on it, you might be able to recover the data, but odds are, if you've done that, you're not gonna realize it.
Michael: And.
Jeffrey: right?
Michael: you start shooting, you're pretty much outta luck.
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: alright, so we talked about it a little bit, but filters, and I
Jeffrey: yep. Filters.
Michael: pretty similar in this as well. We have different brands. I carry case filters. Um, I did go with the Wolverine, I went with the Skyview series, which is, [00:41:00] I guess you would call it their basic lineup.
Michael: But as far as uh,
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: able to find in my research, the only difference is they're cheaper. not as shadow resistant. So it was a balancing game between cost versus, I know I'm pretty careful with my stuff, I guess you could say in this regard. I'm not accounting for those unexpected, you know, events that may occur and I wouldn't have a contingency plan in place if I did accidentally drop one and shattered. anyways, that's neither here nor there. I opted to go with the sky views, basically the same great color accuracy. You're not getting weird color cast or anything like that, but for
Jeffrey: Magnetic.
Michael: I, yeah. And magnetic, yes, that's one thing definitely I think is worth mentioning. So. Specifically, I know you and I talked about it, we both basically keep CPLs on our lenses at all times.
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: it's very rare for me to take them off even, even when it's not doing anything. I just leave it on that way. I know it's always there as, as often as I do use them. but yeah, the magnetic piece, and I'll let you talk [00:42:00] to this guy. You've got the Maven set as well, which I really
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: the setup of that. Um, magnetic filters are game changers and I'll let you
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: that piece a little bit.
Jeffrey: Yep. So I use the Maven, , magnetic filters. , They were one of the first ones of color coding. , Again, they're magnetic, and once you go magnetic filters, it's just, it makes you so efficient in the field. And a lot of these tips are about being efficient in the field. Magnetic really helps with that.
Jeffrey: But the Maven filters are color coded, so it's super easy to look however you're storing them in a pouch, in a, in a bag or anything like that. And, or, or if you do what I do and sometimes leave a filter in the lens and wonder where did I leave that filter because they're color coded. It's super easy. Oh, it's on the 100 to 400 and, and grab it.
Jeffrey: They work great for me.
Michael: are magnetic too. And I, and I love my case filters, don't, I've, I have no complaints with the case filters than sometimes like I've got the mag or yeah, I've got the magnetic, uh, lens caps as well,
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: also super convenient. And, you know, sometimes the CPL will come off with the lens cap.
Michael: And
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: point [00:43:00] now where I just know how to kinda get my fingernail in there and kind of hold the CPL to the, to the lens front,
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: while I get the cap off. So really no complaints. Like I said, they're great. There's no color casting or anything like that? No, I really haven't had issues with flaring with them. Um, but I did really like the mavens that you were rocking just simply for that color coating factor. I don't
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: indie filters a ton, but my other beef with the, um. With the case, and actually I was just, as I was tidying my office before this, again, I moved away from the microphone. As I was tidying my office before this, you know, case has, of labeling their filters with stops, the ND 32, ND 64 ND 1000, which I know, Jeffrey, I think you have this memorized in terms of how that equates and stops. I don't, so for me it's more of a, oh, well I think for this scene I need a little bit of Indy, so I'll grab my, my lightest [00:44:00] one. And I
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: go above that anyways. But that is one complaint I have with the case is that they don't just put the stops and on
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: on the edges of the, the actual
Jeffrey: Yeah. And it sounds weird, but I do think better in stops than I do the in D eight and D 64 and all of that. I mean, yes, I've, I've, I can do the mental juggle in the head, but it is, uh, super nice. The other thing Maven did was, and, and I do use this filter a lot, is they did a combined, uh. ND and CPL filter.
Jeffrey: So, and my favorite one to use of those, I have a three stop dark CPL and essentially it's a three stop ND filter combined with A CPL in like one pane of glass. So you put it on, you get the ND effect, and then you rotate it just like you would A CPL. And I, I find I like to photograph a lot of waterfalls, and I find it's a very handy filter for that.
Jeffrey: And, and the advantage is it
Jeffrey: it
Jeffrey: helps reduce vignetting if it happens to be on your widest lens.
Jeffrey: So my 14-30 if I put a dark CPL on, I minimize any vignetting I'd get where I normally would have to stack a filter to get that effect. And I get the vignetting. So [00:45:00] another cool little thing Mavens done with those combined, uh, ND and CPL filters,
Jeffrey: Yeah,
Jeffrey: which is pretty cool.
Michael: have. Actually. I don't know if Case has that or not. I'd have to look.
Jeffrey: I don't think they,
Michael: think, I don't think they did when I bought 'em, but it's
Jeffrey: yeah.
Michael: years at this point. I'll have to
Jeffrey: I don't think they do. There was someone else, I think that does have one. I can't remember what brand it was and I'm not even sure it was magnetic for sure. But, um, but it, it is a really nice feature. Uh, I was super happy when they did that.
Michael: for sure. and then just the basics, like the other stuff we
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: here, of course, a water bottle. Um, and I think, I think we had a
Jeffrey: And the water bottle's actually way more important. I've seen so many people get hot and tired on, on hikes and I'll ask, you got water? Oh no, I didn't bring any water. It's like you really look like a person that should have some water.
Michael: brought
Jeffrey: Um,
Michael: know, plastic bottle of water and I, you know, slammed it
Jeffrey: yep. Yep.
Michael: ago and, and I'm
Jeffrey: Ex.
Michael: thirst. So I
Jeffrey: Yep. So
Michael: our participants on our workshop are pretty good. But I know I
Jeffrey: yes.
Michael: if I'm just going out to the local park and I'm in a
Jeffrey: Uh,
Michael: I have left my water bottle [00:46:00] in the
Jeffrey: yes.
Michael: I've always regretted it.
Michael: And, uh, especially if I were in someplace like Utah or. Like the first time I
Jeffrey: Oh, for sure.
Michael: and it was in the middle of summer, which was horrific.
Jeffrey: I.
Michael: amazing, but horrific. Um, yeah, definitely keep that water even in the Smokies, as humid as it was and all
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: getting, I was super thirsty that trip.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: water nonstop. Uh, so yeah, definitely making sure you've got the water bottle again, even if you think it's just gonna be a quick little thing. never know if you take the approach like
Jeffrey: Right?
Michael: I do, where you just, you're going out to wander and see what you see. That quick
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: could turn into an hour very easily,
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: or more.
Jeffrey: yep.
Michael: the last thing we kind of touched on it, well, we did touch on it from a camera and lens standpoint,
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: a bag standpoint is rain protection.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: got the Shimoda bag and you do too,
Jeffrey: Yep. I'm Shimo Bag as well.
Michael: So I've got the rain cover for it. Honestly, I've never used it. Even the Smokies, I thought maybe I would break it out, but at least the version one bag isn't officially [00:47:00] rated as. Rain repellent, but I find it to be pretty decently rain repellent. I think probably the biggest failure point would be the zippers.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: but I've been out again in not downpours or anything, but steady to light rain drizzle. I've been out with it in snow and I've never had any issues with water getting into the bag. But I do carry that shimoda rain cover
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: in case I get caught out in an unexpected downpour or something like that. I've got that kind of additional little peace of mind that, uh, I've got that protection there. I'm assuming
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: on that one too.
Jeffrey: yep. I definitely have the rain cover stashed, uh, below the core unit, so it's always with me whenever I'm out. I, I tend not to put it on as, like you said in the Smokies, we hit some drizzle and a little bit of light rain. I didn't bother with it at all for that. There have been times I've been caught in like a downpour, like literal downpour that I'll put it on just 'cause I don't wanna push my luck with it.
Michael: Right.
Jeffrey: But I [00:48:00] really, it's never really been an issue. I have it for those downpours, I've been in a couple and it, it does a great job for it, but a normal drizzle, light, rain, snow, uh, I trust the bag to, to keep things safe. And it always has so far.
Michael: Yeah.
Jeffrey: it's there just in case. 'cause sometimes, like I said, especially if you're wandering further away from the car, like, you know, in the Smokies we were doing a couple miles here or there, and you could be a little ways in the car and if a downpour happened, it's at least you could throw the cover on it to, to help it, uh, stay dry in case you were worried.
Jeffrey: So I do recommend carrying one, even though my use of it's fairly infrequent.
Michael: Yeah, and we didn't list it on here, but for the days where there was a greater chance of rain, I know you had a bigger umbrella. I had a couple
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: that I would just throw in the top part of my bag. And you know, at least that way if somebody didn't have a rain cover, you've got that umbrella.
Michael: But I only carry those in a case of like that workshop, , where maybe somebody's got a bag that wouldn't be as resistant or we know that there's a likelihood or a chance of rain in the area,
Jeffrey: Yeah,
Michael: take it even on my own personal outings. [00:49:00] But again, nice to have from that workshop leader's perspective too, to cover your,
Jeffrey: YY yeah. I carry, I, I don't know if I've ever carried an umbrella when it's just me. 'cause I tend, I, I have my rain gear, I have my rain jacket, so I have my camera set up and so I have rain gear for me and my wife makes fun of me 'cause I'm not an umbrella user. Just a normal day-to-day life where she's breaking down an umbrella and I'm like, just wear a rain jacket.
Jeffrey: But for workshops, you're having a miserable time, sometimes just five minutes under an umbrella, it can really change your, okay, I'm dry. 'cause it can wear on you if you're not prepared or expecting it or just not used to being in it. So, and to Michael's point, I carry those big, giant. Uh, golf umbrellas.
Jeffrey: I get 'em, I get 'em dirt cheap from Home Depot. Home Depot sells 'em for like six or eight bucks and I go and buy three or four of 'em at a time, keep 'em in the forerunner, they fit on the side of the pack nicely. And it's really just more for workshops where I know yes, being sheltered for even five minutes can make a world of difference.
Jeffrey: Or we did have a case where we put 'em, the [00:50:00] camera bags under the umbrella just 'cause we were waiting, uh, to meet back up and it was like, ah, they're just sitting here. We'll, we'll put 'em there. So, yeah. But yeah, it's not my normal course. But if, if you don't like rain or you're worried about rain and rain's, what's keeping you from getting out, then grab a big umbrella.
Jeffrey: It's a totally valid way. And it, it can give you that little respite from the, from the weather to keep you energized while you're out there.
Michael: for me personally, I'd rather just pop an umbrella open than mess with putting the rain cover on.
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: really stuck in a downpour, that's probably the approach I would take. If I didn't have the
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: then I would pull out the, uh,
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: cover. And one of our clients, uh, I think it was that last overlook we were at where we kind of had the, the washout on it. She had the, uh, tripod mount
Jeffrey: I saw that. I saw that.
Michael: which
Jeffrey: That
Michael: been intrigued by. I mean, it is one more thing to carry. Uh, if it was something like an out overlook like that, then, you know, have it in the car at least. , The thing that it's always worried me about those is if there's any wind
Jeffrey: yes,
Michael: there's
Jeffrey: that [00:51:00] goes
Michael: you just added a huge sail, uh, onto your very expensive. , Tripod and camera set up. So I would definitely say if you go that route, conscious of when you're using it. I would,
Jeffrey: yes,
Michael: even if it was just
Jeffrey: yes.
Michael: I don't think I'd be comfortable. And also, you know, getting into the technical aspect, if it is just slightly breezy and it's not putting your gear at risk of being blown over, it's still gonna be introducing vibration and shake. So I would say you're less likely to be getting a clean shot versus just holding an umbrella over by, you know, with your hand and, and not having it on the camera or whatnot. But it, that is a clever idea, especially for those still moments where maybe you're gonna be standing there for a little bit and you don't want to hold the umbrella the whole time.
Michael: Or, you know, as we said earlier, you can throw a microfiber cloth on top of your camera, but at some point it's gonna get soaked if you're standing there
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: So I can see a use case for it. , I would just be very cautious about when I would
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: to use that.
Jeffrey: [00:52:00] Yep.
Michael: Um, may note of a couple bonus items.
Michael: I know.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: You've got wired remote, right? For your
Jeffrey: I have a wired remote that I have just in case I don't use. I know you use what you'll get into a whole lot, your wireless remotes. I don't use a wire wired remote much. I mainly have it in case I find myself near. Uh, but, uh, seashore photography is what leaps to mind where you, where my exposure, delay, trick of delaying the shutter is not as great 'cause I wanna snap it just as a, a precise moment.
Jeffrey: So that's the biggest reason I carry it, just to be prepared for that event. , But I know you, you can talk about your setup. I know you love it. And I will admit after watching Michael work and like he's 10 feet away from his camera take, oh, I'm just gonna take that pic 'cause he is got the scene set up.
Jeffrey: He can see the light crossing. I'll shut up because you should explain it, but I will admit a little bit of jealousy at your approach, , after seeing you work in the Smokies.
Michael: So this is probably the favorite thing I've bought, and I've got two of them now. One for each camera body. the Canon cannon [00:53:00] BBR dash E one wireless remotes, , which to Jeffrey's point, I can walk 10, 20, 30 feet away. If I'm at a, a pullout or an overlook or something, I can pop open the tailgate on the back of the four runner and get some shelter from sun or maybe a little bit of drizzle or whatever, and just fire the shutter if the light hits what I want. Since I do have two of 'em. I put a, a, uh, I took an Exacto blade and put a little notch on the one button so that I know which is for which camera. but man, I use these honestly, I, I, I can't think of a single shot in the Smokey's. Other than when I was shooting handheld, of course, if I was set up on the tripod, I pretty much exclusively use the remotes just simply because I don't have to worry about shake at that point, regardless of the focal length I'm at. your point, with the seascape stuff, like you can use the delay timer, but if you're trying to catch a brief fleeting moment,
Jeffrey: Yeah, you miss it,
Michael: seascape, like we were saying at that one overlook and trying to get the [00:54:00] dappled light on the landscape, and
Jeffrey: right?
Michael: can only last a second or two.
Michael: So if you're using a two second
Jeffrey: Agreed.
Michael: timer
Jeffrey: You've missed it.
Michael: and it counts down, the moment's gone. Also, as I was pointing out to some of the clients that are kind of getting familiar with using the longer focal lengths in the 100 to 400 range, out at 2, 3, 400 millimeters or beyond, that two second timer's probably not gonna be enough to let the camera settle back down before the the shutter is triggered, so you're still at risk of having some shake.
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: frame and, and introducing some blur blurriness because of that shake. So you say, well I can go to a ten second timer, but again, if you're trying to shoot between the wind or catch that, that fleeting moment of light or you know the rainbow that just popped up over there and you wanna fire it off, you're not gonna wanna sit there for 10 seconds and wait for that to count down.
Michael: And having that anxiety and biting your nails that you know, is it gonna count down before the moment ends. So whether you've got a wired remote, which I used to use, I honestly, I looked into the wireless ones 'cause the L
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: [00:55:00] on my R5 it's really difficult to plug in the wired remote just with the design of
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: , I suspected I would like the wireless, but I did not suspect that like literally if I don't have these with me, it's one of my greatest fears. Like this is almost the one thing I always triple check. Is it in my
Michael: bag
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: do I my carabiner with my remotes on it? Because I've got 'em on a carabiner. I just loop 'em onto my, my belt loop that's I, where they are all day. So I always know where they're at. I'm not having to hunt them or, you know, track 'em down in my bag. I don't have to worry about them falling outta my bag or they're in my pocket and fall out, or I set 'em down somewhere. They're just always dangling at my hip. And like I said, I've got the one remote notch and obviously I know I'm kind of talking from a, a place of privilege to be having two camera bodies, but I know the notches for my primary with my 100 500, the smooth button is for my secondary camera, whether it's got the 14 to 35 or the the 24 to 1 0 5.
Michael: So as you can probably tell, I'm very excited about
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: the wireless [00:56:00] remotes that, uh, that Canon has. And even if Nikon doesn't have a first party or Sony, there's third
Jeffrey: Yeah,
Michael: they are probably gonna be bulkier. 'cause a lot of times you've gotta attach something to the hot shoe, which does
Jeffrey: right.
Michael: Um, so that's what I love about these is they're just, they work seamlessly with the Bluetooth on uh, the Canon cameras.
Michael: So definitely, definitely,
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: Love him. Love him so much.
Jeffrey: Yep. Now it was a nice setup. It was a nice setup. Made me a little jealous.
Michael: That's my aim.
Jeffrey: So you mentioned L bracket, , and that ties into another one of our bonus items, uh, l bracket's on a camera. I get asked on workshops. What's that little thing on your camera? My, I have a three-legged thing for one of my Nikons.
Jeffrey: It's orange. So it's pretty, it stands out in videos and, and when I'm using it, but, , an L bracket is, is super useful and I think it's one of those underestimated accessories. I know even when I first got into landscape photography, I was like, why do I need this? I can just rotate my camera on the tripod head, uh, to the, into the little notch and get from landscape to portrait view.
Jeffrey: But after using an L bracket, um. know, it, [00:57:00] it lets you, it gives you multiple attachment points for the camera, gives you, even if you're in landscape mode, you've got a much bigger surface area to latch onto. So it's, it's a little more efficient, faster in the field. And the, the biggest thing is if you're switching from a landscape orientation to that portrait orientation, you, you can just rec clamp it, just tilt the camera, it looks like an L on the camera, and you can just, you get to keep your camera centered over the top of the tripod.
Jeffrey: And it doesn't disrupt your composition quite a much, quite as much. You didn't tilt it and dip it, you just tilted it and are able to keep things centered. And for people on the video watching the video version of this, Michael is sort of showing one off, uh, right here on camera,
Michael: to.
Jeffrey: one looks like. But go on, Michael.
Jeffrey: Like I know you and I are both huge fans of L Brackets, so.
Michael: Yeah. And honestly I was surprised. I guess that was a, a learning point for me with the workshop and, you know, leading my first group workshop is probably, I don't, did, any of the attendees have a out bracket? Maybe one.
Jeffrey: [00:58:00] One or two. I, I, I think one or two one did. Beyond that, uh, I don't think so. It, we always had to rotate and dip and then we had to recompose and, and stuff, and.
Michael: Yeah. So I was, I was a little surprised by that. I guess I thought they were a little bit more, common knowledge than, than maybe what they are. Maybe people don't see the value 'cause they're not cheap. I mean, the ones I'm using for my R fives, say are 150 bucks each. Um, I did go with a specific one because of the way the canon screen is some l brackets, like what I have on my, my original RI can't flip the screen out and rotate it all around.
Michael: The L bracket gets in the way. So these are specifically designed for the R five and the R six. Actually it's the, this one works on either, can still get the full movement of the screen. Uh, but yeah, to Jeffrey's point, you can reorient your, your ball head or you know, whichever head you're using.
Michael: But maybe you're wanting to switch back and forth between horizontal and vertical 'cause you're not sure what you're gonna end up liking the [00:59:00] most. you've. It moved your ball head. And now if you wanna go back to horizontal, you're probably not gonna get it back to the same point. So it's just so much easier to just detach the, the arcus whi plate on the L bracket.
Michael: Flip the camera and you're good to go. So, um, yeah, I was
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: by, um, the lack of really awareness. I don't feel like many of the attendees really were even
Jeffrey: Um.
Michael: like, what it was or what the purpose of it was. so yeah, I would say that is definitely, it's, it's a nice to have. You don't have to have it obviously, but to me it helps you work faster. easier, you know, the nice thing you look at this one that I've got on the R five, for those of you on video, like it's a little bulkier because it's, it's the, the left hand l portion of it's offset for the sake of the screen, but also gives me a secondary place to actually hold and carry the camera.
Michael: So actually I, I like that aspect of it too. So definitely if you've never looked into it, um, definitely something to consider. And again, make [01:00:00] sure you're getting one that's got the acus Swiss attachment plate that
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: as assuming your tripod head is acus Swiss compatible. Um, you've got that set up there. Uh, so I think that
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: in terms of like, what should you always be bringing, what are some bonus items to consider? And then I think
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: piece, and we've got some examples that aren't necessarily related to our experiences in the field. well some of them are, but also some other, uh, occurrences that have happened, , to others that speak to the importance of emergency preparedness.
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: first of all, for me and
Jeffrey: Of.
Michael: leading a workshop in a national park, uh, on any kind of, , federal land and, and a lot of state parks and state land as well require, workshop leaders or guides that you have First aid certification, in our
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: first aid, CPR and a ED or
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: defi. Um, so we had to have that and, you know. Thankfully we didn't have anything serious happen. We didn't have one person fall and, and sprain a finger ligament, um, far [01:01:00] from, you know, being as bad as, as what it possibly could have been. in that particular case, Jeffrey had a great set of walkie-talkies that, uh, he had brought and we were using.
Michael: But on that particular outing, we both left him in the truck. So we're along a, a, a stream with loud water and everything, and I'm trying to stay with the, the attendee or the participant who had just fallen. And, you know, it was, uh, a little shook by, by I think and what could have happened versus what actually happened. And I had
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: to get in touch with Jeffrey to say, Hey, I need some help down here, or, you know, just to let him know as my co-leader what was going on. , So definitely the walkie talkies were huge between us as leaders. But also you left, I ended up going out on a hike and a and a shoot with Brent Clark and. have your walkie talkies anymore. And I didn't bring mine, 'cause mine, the, the ones I had were just pieces of junk that died as I liked to joke in like five minutes they would just die. Um, so you had the [01:02:00] rocky talkies
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: play on where? Walkie talkie, which I have since ordered and are now sitting somewhere back behind me here. , 'Cause they were great as workshop leaders and we could communicate while we were driving, kind of plan the next thing you know, et cetera, et cetera. There was
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: session we went out where you took half the group, I took half the group, my group, we went up like another mile or so up the trail, but
Jeffrey: yep.
Michael: able to communicate and uh, I had one participant that wanted to head back a little earlier before it started getting dark and she got too tired.
Michael: So I was able to let you know, hey, so and so's on their way. Keep an eye out for them. So that was all great. But again, that
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: of me and Brent going out didn't have the walkie talkies and we were we were shooting together all well and good. We were able to communicate and, you know, kind of keep an eye on each other. then I was at a location that I had shot before, but wanted to reshoot it and I told him about another location further up the trail that, , I thought was worth checking out and I was gonna take him to it. Well, he wanted to go on and, and go ahead on up to that. Okay, great. You know, when I'm done here, I'll, I'll [01:03:00] continue hiking on and I'll meet you up there. Well, I ended up where I was for longer than expected. ended up going to that spot, but then also hiking much further up the trail, uh, beyond what he had expected. So I ended up hiking like an extra mile up, trying to find him and, you know, did he slip? Like, is this
Michael: worse case scenario did he
Michael: slip
Michael: and fall and in the stream and get swept away? Well, I was downstream, so I probably would've seen him, but what if he's lodged against a rock or a fallen tree? So,
Jeffrey: Or
Michael: know, all these things started going through your mind
Jeffrey: and I had no
Michael: way to try to reach out and, and communicate with him, which is really what spurred me to go ahead and get the, the better set of the, uh, the walkie talkies.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: meantime, once. I decided like, I'm just gonna hike back to the trailhead. Maybe he's already at, at his truck. Get back there. He's not. Well, I'm sitting there for like five minutes, kind of hemming and hawing. Like, I hang out here longer? Do I go back up the trail and see if I run into him? Finally here, he comes back
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: and we're both kinda like, oh, thank God you're okay, because he's thinking that something maybe happened to me.
Michael: I'm worried something's happened to him. [01:04:00] The walkie talkies would've would've
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: Um, so
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: to you, man. Those rocky talkies, R-O-K-R-O-C-K-Y, just like rocky
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: rocky talkies, those things were fantastic. Great battery life, great sound quality, great range, especially for the locations we are in.
Michael: So, yeah, that
Jeffrey: I thought they did really well and they were super nice to have. And like you said, I think we only recharged them once over the course of like the nine days, eight, nine days we were out there.
Michael: Yeah.
Jeffrey: then given the conditions, uh, you know, the Smokies, lots of foliage, lots of moving water, lots of inclines, , I thought their range was pretty good for, there was a couple times it got a little scratchy, but I think in an em, like you wouldn't wanna carry on a lengthy conversation over them, but I think you could get through in an emergency case, simple phrases to just let someone know something is wrong and get enough communication to figure out am I moving towards you or are you coming towards me?
Jeffrey: Type situation. So they definitely proved their value on that trip. I've used them on other workshops and I know even the morning you [01:05:00] and I went out when it was just us, we left them in the trucks because we're like, oh, it's just us. We'll be close enough. And it was, there were times it wasn't as bad as you're and Brent's uh, uh, situation, but it would've been nice to be able to say, Hey, I'm just ahead of you a little bit, uh, to do.
Jeffrey: So. I think they have their place. And, We're certainly worthwhile and, uh, good to have on that trip.
Michael: like let's say we had been in C'S Cove and you know, we stopped at a big medal and you went this way, and I went
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: and one of us comes across an amazing scene. We're like, oh my God, I should get Jeffrey here.
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: able to just, Hey, man, you need to get, get your butt over here.
Michael: This
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: incredible whatever. Um, so it's not just an emergency standpoint to me, that's obviously the
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: value of them, but there's other benefits to them too. I wouldn't take 'em out
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: if I was by myself, but
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: do think if I'm going out with even one other person, I probably will make sure I've got those with me just in case we get, we split up or get split up somehow.
Michael: And, and we need to, uh, to keep that line of communication open.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: Cool. So we talked about our first aid certifications. Honestly, [01:06:00] having gone through it now, you know, I built it up as like this big thing. Oh my God, you know what if I fail, it's, it's not, you have to know it, but it's not like, it's not AP AP Algebra,
Jeffrey: No. No.
Michael: I, I would say like having gone through it now, like. I'm kind of thankful I have it, not just from a photography standpoint, lean workshops, but I'm kind of glad I got it just from a general day-to-day life standpoint. , And we were joking yesterday actually. I ran into a scenario where somebody needed a bandaid. I was like, oh, I'm first aid certified. I've got my kit.
Michael: Lemme go get my kit. , So speaking of the first aid kits, that's the other piece is you and I I think both have one for keeping in our truck and then we've got a smaller one
Jeffrey: Yep, yep,
Michael: in our bags.
Jeffrey: yep.
Michael: you yesterday what you carry. 'cause I, I've been feeling for a while and especially after going through the first aid training that at least the one in my bag is probably lacking in a few things.
Michael: It's been a long time since I've even gone through it. So I guess why don't you talk to, or if you wanna talk to the kits you've got and kind of the essentials that you make sure are in 'em. More so [01:07:00] probably
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: what's in your bag standpoint. We can talk about car camping and that stuff later. But
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: I'll let you take
Jeffrey: So
Michael: you've got a little bit more experience and you had a doctor scold you apparently about needing more stuff.
Jeffrey: yeah. Yeah. Yep, yep. I've been on workshops before where, uh, uh, Dr. Long was like, you should probably carry more stuff. Uh, that I, I didn't, so I have one of the, I, I think it's one of the adventure medical kits, uh, REI sells them, and there's different sizes. They have like a hiker version, a mountain version, and like a guide version, I think.
Jeffrey: And I'm just using a, a, a hiker version, which is like, sort of a, it's, it's geared for two people, two days, and I figure for how I'm using it. I'm never gonna be away from the vehicle more than an hour or so, most likely, maybe a couple hours. So I really just need enough to get back to my forerunner. And my goal is to be able to get someone, me, or someone on my workshop back to the forerunner, where I will cover what's in the forerunner another time, but a more extensive first aid kit with even more items in it.
Jeffrey: But it's a small kit, and I've got the [01:08:00] typical, , bandaids, bandages, antiseptic. I even have little ibuprofen packets that way if someone has a headache or allergy or anything like that, uh, in there. But, and bandages, , different types of bandages, you know, not just the bandaids, but ones that could handle a larger cut.
Jeffrey: Things like that. I have safety pens in there, just, uh, in case I have a syringe in there. , Just more to irrigate a wound with clean water. So if you get cut on the trail or something like that, you know, there's not always a lot of clean things around, but if with the syringe you can squirt and, and get the, the debris out of the wound before you, you know, start trying to put gauze on it or stop any kind of bleeding or anything like that.
Jeffrey: , It's not a super complex kit. , I've added, uh, my kit in the bag didn't use to have cold compresses, but I've started curing those 'cause just in the past couple weeks I've needed to use those, uh, multiple times. And so it's just those little chemical packets. It's similar to a heat packet. Did you break?
Jeffrey: And it provides some cold relief for a little bit. Um, so I have have those as well. But it's a fairly [01:09:00] basic kit. My premise being for how I'm using it. I'm not a multi-day hike. I'm. Uh, probably at most an hour or two up the trail. And I need to be able to handle whatever could happen in that hour or two to get someone back to, the, the fore runner where if I needed more stuff, I've got even more stuff in the, the fore runner.
Jeffrey: But that's my approach. It's, it's small fits in there. Uh, it's, it's handy. But it's just the, those bare essentials, basic meds,
Michael: Yeah. Yeah. And again, kind of going back to, we could have very well had a need for it with that one client that fell early on in the workshop. Thankfully it wasn't any worse and we didn't. But then you also go to just the, I. The other scenarios that may just come up in life. And you know, there was another leader with another group that we were talking to and they came upon a really bad accident.
Michael: And you know, a
Jeffrey: Mm-hmm.
Michael: uh, after running off the road. There wasn't really anything from the do in terms of stabilizing the person, but at least they were and ready to ask the appropriate questions and check on 'em, et cetera, et cetera. And [01:10:00] then just yesterday saw a case where another photographer, I wanna say it was Taylor Stone, if not, I apologize, but she was going out on a hike and they encountered somebody that had been like basically, you know, limping or dragging their leg back, you know, throughout the night or whatever.
Michael: 'cause they had severely injure themselves and they were in an area without any kind of cell phone coverage or anything like that. had her Garmin GPS satellite tracker, which is a segue to the next item here.
Michael: So Taylor had a Garmin, , satellite tracker on her and was able to initiate the SOS sequence on that and get emergency responders out to assist this hiker who had been injured. obviously didn't have anything like that with them. So here's somebody that was out on their own, pretty badly injured from the sounds of it, and had no way of getting help. , Which is the main reason that I've always carried the Garmin, is it gives me that peace of mind Heather, my fiance, back at home. It gives her the peace of mind that if something happens, I've got that on me. [01:11:00] Also, just. If I'm camping somewhere without cell signal, I can at least send, you know, some messages back and forth via text, , to let her know I'm okay, let her know where I'm at. If I'm getting ready to go on a hike, a lot of times I'll just shoot a quick message, Hey, I'm at such and such trailhead, I'm heading north, or, you know, whatever. but again, if you run into a scenario where that unexpected happens, it's one of those things like, eh, maybe you're never gonna need the SOS feature of it, if you ever do, boy, are you sure as hell gonna be glad that you got it? Or if you encounter somebody else, like the, you know, the scenario is just talking about that
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: needs it and you know they don't have it, but you do, you're gonna be
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: thankful and you've got the potential to, you know, maybe save somebody else's life or at least get them help that they need sooner than later so that they're not, uh, at further risk.
Michael: So definitely
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: got the older, larger one, I think you've got the mini, which I kind of wish I had gone with myself.
Jeffrey: yep.
Michael: They
Jeffrey: Yeah, I've got the mini.
Michael: Yeah, the reason I would say I wish I had the mini is when I got [01:12:00] mine, I was thinking, oh, well not as used to like using waypoints to track locations and that, so I, I want the bigger screen to message and, you know, view the map and all that stuff.
Michael: Except that I never used the screen on the actual satellite tracker. It syncs up with Garmin's earth made app. So I do all my messaging through the app. I do my mapping through the app, and the whole bit. So it's just, you know, it's sinking via Bluetooth with the tracker. So that's where I wish I had the mini.
Michael: It would take up a heck of a lot less space and
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: be good to go. But whether you get the mini, the larger one Garmin or something else, again, just from a case scenario, what if, uh, definitely recommend something you consider, especially if you do go out hiking on your own backpacking, certainly on your own, uh, anywhere without cell phone coverage. , Definitely recommend it. And that is another segue into something you and I both tested while we were in the
Jeffrey: Yeah.
Michael: without cell phone coverage is, there's been a lot of chatter about and the new [01:13:00] satellite, you know, the ability to text via satellite and send your location and SOS and all that. I would say it's great to have in a pinch, but it is a pain to use
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: not. So the Garmin, like I can have it in my, my chest strap on my bag and it's gonna get signal if somebody messages me or if I fall and I can't get it out, whatever. But I can get in there and at least flip the cover open and hit the SOS like odds are it's gonna have signal and, you know, it'll connect to the satellites and, and send it off. But the iPhone one, you gotta hold the iPhone up, figure out, let it figure out where the satellite is. And apparently there's like one satellite circling the earth for it. Probably more, but it feels like one
Jeffrey: Right?
Michael: figure out where it is going to turn left or right. Find it, hold still, let it connect. then as you're trying to use it, the satellites continue to move.
Michael: So at some point you gotta make sure you're kind of turning and tracking with it, which it's [01:14:00] doable like for
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: Okay. It's fine. It, it is frankly annoying, but it's, it's workable.
Jeffrey: It's usable. Right? It's It's usable.
Michael: I would not wanna rely on it for an SOS emergency situation.
Jeffrey: no, because like you said, you could have fallen. Right? Exactly. And I have, I agree with you. I have way more faith that the garment is actively working to stay connected to satellites on its own without my involvement. And yes, there might be a delay while it tries to get that satellite, but I don't have to hold it or stand in some goofy position to do it.
Michael: Or
Jeffrey: Whereas like you said, right, exactly. Whereas the iPhone, it was like I had to hold it up a little bit, hold it in the direction you had to move as a satellite moved. And while it was convenient to send a quick text message, it could be hours before I remembered, oh yeah, I should probably try to reconnect because I've lost my connection and I have to go.
Michael: Yeah,
Jeffrey: Yes. That that part was annoying to me. Uh.
Michael: So with the Garmin, I can give my [01:15:00] Garmin number out and Heather can message me. You could have messaged me from another Garmin, uh, somebody back in town with a signal could have text message me. It would've come through to my Garmin. And again, I'm not having to actively search and connect to a satellite.
Michael: It's just the
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: come in when it comes in. And it's not quick, but it will get to me the iPhone, let's say there's an emergency back home, or you're trying to communicate with emergency responders, and to Jeffrey's point, it loses that connection. You're not gonna get any inbound messages until you actively position
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: and the phone to reconnect. Or to figure out where the satellite satellite is, realign yourself, get it connected, sure you're not letting it move out of range.
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: you know, if you're injured, that's again, a huge problem. But to me, the bigger thing is again, like you don't think to do that, you're never gonna get that inbound message.
Michael: It's a
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: um, active of connecting. Whereas with the [01:16:00] garment, it's pretty much passive. Yes, there are times like if I'm inside my truck, it may not get through the metal. Um, but even there at night, like I just put it up on top of my sun shade from my sunroof, and as long as it's up there, I know I can be in the back of the truck and I can send a message off.
Michael: I'll receive messages and all that stuff. So yes, the iPhone, it's good that it's there. Certainly good
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: but. Never would I recommend relying on it from
Jeffrey: Yep,
Michael: emergency, like there's a true emergency union, SOS or you know, whatever the scenario might be, definitely would not rely upon it there.
Michael: Maybe
Jeffrey: yep,
Michael: it'll get there, but right
Jeffrey: yep.
Michael: way too much fussing about to get connected, stay connected, receive inbound messages. It's certainly not just kind of, not the garments plug and play, but similar
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: turn it on. You're probably gonna be good to go.
Jeffrey: Yep. I agree with that.
Michael: this is longer episode. This went
Jeffrey: [01:17:00] Who knew? Who knew?
Michael: here.
Michael: I was worried like, man, this thing's gonna be like 20 minutes long and, and we're well over an hour. I would again say
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: listeners, to our viewers, if there's something you got a question about or something you'd like to carry with you, either from a convenience standpoint, photography or from a safety standpoint, uh, by all means, you know, we could even get into, like, I carry a compass with beyond that compass is a little whistle.
Michael: So, you know, there's
Jeffrey: Right.
Michael: other things beyond, just what we covered here. If
Jeffrey: Yes.
Michael: questions, if you've got stuff that you carry yourself that you wanna share, uh, head to our Patreon and leave it as a comment on the, uh, the episode. Post and, uh, we can either discuss it in a future episode or just make note of it and it's out there for other members to see.
Michael: The community aspects of Patreon free for anybody. All you'd have to do is become a free follower, essentially, of our Patreon or the Shutter nonsense Patreon. And, uh, you'll be able to interact with us and communicate things like if we do monthly q and a sessions or live stream, stuff like that.
Michael: That'll be the stuff that's kinda [01:18:00] above and beyond extra for paid members. But we want the community to be able to participate, whether you're a paid
Jeffrey: Yep.
Michael: or just a free follower on Patreon. I think at this point, let's shut up. I can already feel my throat getting a little
Jeffrey: Awesome.
Michael: does when I talk a lot. And, uh, until next time, thanks for listening. Thanks for watching and, uh, take care.
Jeffrey: Thanks everybody.
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Follow your Shutter Nonsense Hosts
Michael Rung
Michael is a nature and landscape photographer based in Texas, with a deep appreciation for quiet forests and the unique character of trees. His photography often explores the subtle beauty in overlooked scenes, capturing atmosphere and emotion through careful composition and light. Michael brings thoughtful insight, honest reflections, and a grounded perspective to every episode of Shutter Nonsense.
Jeffrey Tadlock
Jeffrey is a landscape photographer from Ohio who finds inspiration in waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and the ever-changing light of the natural world. He enjoys sharing stories from the field and helping others improve their skills through practical, experience-based tips. With a passion for teaching and a love of the outdoors, Jeffrey brings clarity and encouragement to fellow photographers at all levels.
