Hiking and Photography

In a comment appended to the post chronicling Day 9 of my Colorado trip last fall, David, of the Hidden Lens blog, asked a poignant question:

“Since you do a fair bit of hiking for your photography, do you find others doing the same, or [are] they sticking mainly to overlook areas to take vista-type images?”

The question made me think about the broad subject of hiking and photography, coupled together.  The combination is something I do quite a bit of so I have some (probably disjointed) thoughts on the matter.

Merced River, Mist Trail, Yosemite National Park, California

Answer the Question

I’ll start by providing an answer to David’s question–something that I’ve deferred for more than a week.  The truth is, running into someone who is doing anything much more than pulling out a cellphone for a quick snapshot while hiking is a rare experience for me indeed.  Take the Colorado trip.  I completed three lengthy (ranging from four to nine miles) hikes during my time in the Rockies, and a number of shorter hikes as well.  During all of this hiking, I saw exactly one other person with a tripod and/or dedicated camera.  During my May trip to California, during all of the many hikes I took (more than a dozen), I saw two other people with tripods and/or dedicated cameras.  To be clear, on both trips, I saw countless other photographers, but almost always at roadside locations of one sort or another.

Rainbow Falls from the Gorge Trail, Watkins Glen State Park, New York

This has routinely been the case over the years.  A semi-exception would be short (a mile or less) out-and-back trails with a clear payoff destination:  a waterfall, for instance, or a scenic viewpoint.  When those criteria have been met, a bit more photo-hike traffic is often evident.  But generally speaking, if any appreciable amount of hiking is involved, dedicated photographers are typically few and far between.

Coastal Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

The Low-Hanging Fruit Factor

I think the most cogent explanation for the absence of photographers on trails is that…well, there’s an awful lot of scenic beauty to be mined without going to the considerable effort of undertaking a hike so, why bother?  There’s some obvious logic to this notion.  Hiking in and of itself requires some effort (how much depends, of course, on the length and difficulty of the trail), but even the easiest trails involve more effort than….well, no trail at all.  Many photographers aren’t in the best physical shape to begin with and, of course, in addition to hauling yourself, you have to haul your gear–some of it anyway.

Long Pine Key Trail, Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida

There’s a bit of a cost-benefit analysis rationale to all of this, and it’s pretty easy to convince yourself of all sorts of ancillary reasons not to get out and hike:  for instance, hiking sucks up time that could be better spent visiting more locations (by vehicle, of course) where more things can be seen and, presumably, photographed.  And who knows what might happen out on the trail; the horror stories (potentially dangerous wildlife encounters, injuries, etc.) are legion.

Big Tree Trail, Bendix Woods County Park, St. Joseph County, Indiana

And Yet…

Everything laid out above is true.  Yes, hiking involves effort and, yes, taking your gear along with you amounts to even more exertion.  But it also provides something entirely positive:  access to spots decidedly off the beaten track.  That’s a substantial positive that should be heavily considered in the aforementioned cost-benefit analysis because there’s very little, if any, chance of encountering less frequently visited spots in this day and age without getting out on the trails.

Mary Lake and Cathedral Mountain from the West Opabin Trail, Yoho National Park, British Columbia

I not only hike frequently on my photo excursions, I often incorporate hikes that aren’t merely of the destination variety–the hike out to the waterfall or viewpoint that I mentioned earlier.  My favorite kind of hiking excursions are ones that involve potential photo opportunities all along the way.  That was what was so rewarding about the Dark Canyon Loop Trail at Kebler Pass in Colorado, for instance–a hike of about seven miles that I spent most of an entire day conducting, because I stopped so frequently to photograph.

Aspen Intimate, Dark Canyon Loop Trail, Kebler Pass, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado

This sort of trail belies the idea of the hike as nothing more than a means to a specific end; sometimes the hike is an end unto itself.

Cyrstal Cascade, Ravine Trail, Pinkham Notch, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

Solutions

Hauling gear on a hike is a hassle and if you take so much that you’re weighed down it may be a deterrent to making the excursion at all.  There are ways around this problem, however.  One option is simply to limit the equipment you take.  (Here, you’re going to have to do as I say, not as I do because I typically haul just about everything I have with me on hikes…though I will, on occasion, leave the macro lens behind if I have little reason to believe I’ll use it.)

If you’re hiking with an SLR, one lens–in the form of a 24-120 or 24-105 mm walk-around option may be just the ticket.  That along with a light-weight tripod (whatever you do, don’t leave the tripod behind!) is just about all many photographers will need for at least 90% of their opportunities in most instances.

LaSalle Canyon, Starved Rock State Park, Illinois

Another alternative is to go with a smaller format (APS-C or m/43) mirrorless system, where a camera and a full complement of zoom lenses, from ultrawide to long telephoto (along with the tripod!) may weigh less than five pounds.

There are ways to equip yourself to engage in “serious photography” without burdening yourself to the point where you don’t want to venture out on the trail in the first place.  That of course, is the key.  If you’re carrying too much weight you’re going to ruin the entire experience.  Photography is a creative endeavor and it’s nearly impossible to focus on aesthetics if your shoulders are aching and you’re breathing so hard that you want to collapse.  Knowing your limit and uncovering the optimal way to avoid exceeding it will make for a pleasant experience hiking and photographing along the way.

Pink Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada