Hello!

[WanderingBrian]

Brian from Orlando here. Glad to "meet" everyone! I am planning my first solo Camino (Frances in March 2019) with great support from my wife (who probably is happy to get some alone time ).

I am a photographer however I have mixed feelings around the magnitude of time I want to spend taking pictures and detracting from the walk, itself....something to think on in the coming months. Insight is always helpful.

I am well traveled however I have never tackled anything like this before so I am excited. I would love to go sooner however we have a few trips in between that prevent that from happening.

Thanks in advance for the advice I have yet to receive from the questions I have yet to ask.
~BW

 

[peregrino_tom]

Hi Brian
i see your dilemma - take a proper camera and you're taking your work life with you. Plus, I guess, people who know you will expect something special in the results, which then puts more pressure on you to spend time on the photogrphay... perhaps.
One idea might be to just take a simple film camera and a limited number of rolls of film (limiting time spent shooting each day) and see what happens. There are squllions of amazing digital images of the camino out there but far fewer film ones shared - and most of those are from the bygone era. The atmosphere of film and the camino experience might make an interesting pairing?
Cheers, tom

 

[WanderingBrian]

Brilliant idea! I love it. Also you won't know what you've got until you get home.

 

[jungleboy]

Welcome and ¡buen camino! I'm sure it'll be an amazing experience.

I am a photographer however I have mixed feelings around the magnitude of time I want to spend taking pictures and detracting from the walk, itself....something to think on in the coming months. Insight is always helpful.

I'm not a professional photographer by any means but I enjoy travel photography and it's a big part of what makes travel fun for me, and the same is true for me on the camino. The camino is different from normal travel, of course, and with photography as with everything else, you don't really know what you'll get from day to day. Some days you take some nice photos. Some days it rains all day and you take no pictures at all. Other days you wish you were at a particular place at a different time of day for better light but you need to keep walking so you just forget about it. When it's all said and done, you should end up with some nice shots that add to - not detract from - the experience that you had.

So my first piece of advice would be not to obsess about photography on the camino, but if it's something you enjoy, then by all means don't avoid it. My second piece of advice would be not to carry heavy equipment. There's no need for a tripod. And I actually transitioned from a DSLR to a compact camera specifically for my first camino, and have barely looked back since.

 

[WanderingBrian]

Thanks for your input! I agree, I have to desire to carry bulky camera equipment. I have a Google Pixel 2 and that camera is plenty good. But I really do like the film suggestion above as well.

 

[peregrino_tom]

Also you won't know what you've got until you get home.

Absolutely - to live in the moment, without being able to review it immediately afterwards - that's a slice of old skool camino.
Yes, phone camera still handy for capturing those dimly lit communal suppers..

 

[tomnorth]

I too am a photographer...not a full time professional photographer, but a photographer nonetheless. When I walked in 2015 I carried my Nikon D800 with only one prime lens, Nikon’s 35mm f/1.8G lens. I’ll be walking the same time as you in 2019. I plan to carry my Nikon D850 and the same 35mm lens. I’ve toyed around with the idea of carrying my Nikon F3 film camera with a 35mm f/1.4 lens, but not being able to share photos with my wife and daughters while I’m walking is a non-starter for me. I didn’t shoot a ton of photos on my Camino in 2015...roughly 1200 over six weeks, or about a roll of 36-exposure film a day. I did not obsess over my photos at day’s end. If you’d care to check out my Camino photos you can do so at the following link: www.tomnorthenscold.com/camino

 

[WanderingBrian]

@tomnorth cool! did you find lugging the dslr plus gear a worry, pain, or distraction? I'd likely bring my Canon 6D with a 50 or 85mm 1.4

 

[tomnorth]

@tomnorth cool! did you find lugging the dslr plus gear a worry, pain, or distraction? I'd likely bring my Canon 6D with a 50 or 85mm 1.4

No, I didn’t find it any of those things, although I did almost lose it a couple times. I rigged up a method of carrying my camera that hooked into my backpack straps so that the weight was spread across the pack straps and not on my neck. That was critical. I’ll post a photo of that setup so that you can see. My D800 has taken its share of knocks, so I wasn’t worried about the body much. It did go out of commission for about ten days due to moisture. I had been using a plastic bag to protect it from rain. I think my mistake was putting it in the bag wet. The condensation buildup is what affected it. When I got to Santiago I bought a big bag of rice and put the camera in a garbage bag filled with that rice. After a day it came back to life and has been fine ever since. Next time I walk I plan to use a lightweight plastic camera protection bag that I bought on Amazon. It will allow me to shoot without removing the camera from the bag. I didn’t want to keep my camera in my backpack. If I had I’m afraid I wouldn’t have wanted to stop to get it out to make a photo. Plus, I really didn’t have room in my 36l pack for the camera.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Snapshot takers on Camino may find taking photos a distraction from the pilgrimage but professional and hobbiest photographers have taught themselves to see. As long as you are doing that you may as well trip the shutter. Take the camera.

 

[KJG]

Hi Brian
i see your dilemma - take a proper camera and you're taking your work life with you. Plus, I guess, people who know you will expect something special in the results, which then puts more pressure on you to spend time on the photogrphay... perhaps.
One idea might be to just take a simple film camera and a limited number of rolls of film (limiting time spent shooting each day) and see what happens. There are squllions of amazing digital images of the camino out there but far fewer film ones shared - and most of those are from the bygone era. The atmosphere of film and the camino experience might make an interesting pairing?
Cheers, tom

I love this idea too. I only shoot film, and I find when I travel it's especially great - I don't spend time editing or staring at my photos while away, and then when I get home and get my film developed all the really special places and moments come back to me. Plus, film cameras' batteries last forever, you don't have to worry about charging it, there are a lot of compact ones with high quality lenses for dirt cheap around, and you don't have to be too worried about getting it stolen. And most importantly I'm always happy with my photographs. Keep us updated if you go for this option, I'd love to see your photographs!