What equipment do you need to shoot at the poles?

Lead: The two poles are the guide pole and the North Pole. Because these two places are too large, most people say that they have been to the poles, but they actually mean the South Pole and the Arctic Circle. Most people can't go to the Antarctic center, and the Arctic center can't be too ostentatious because of environmental problems.

What equipment do you need to shoot at the poles? I went to the Cold Coast Islands in the Arctic Circle and the Falkland Islands in the Antarctic Circle, mainly in South Georgia. Both of them are inhabited by human beings and do not need icebreakers. At the same time, it is also an ecological photography route with high CP value.

As for when to go? What do you want to shoot? Basically, the two poles can't go until summer (sunlight and temperature), but because the seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres are opposite, the South Pole leaves about11-February, while the North Pole leaves from June to August. As for what to shoot, there are great differences. Antarctic animals shoot killer whales, whales, penguins, sea lions and so on. While the Arctic is shooting beluga whales, polar bears, whales and sea lions. But for most people, it is the Antarctic that shoots penguins and the Arctic that shoots polar bears.

There is usually no sunset in polar tourism, because it is daytime.

There are beautiful glaciers in both places, so I won't elaborate on the rest. After all, both places are huge, and it seems impossible to describe the biological landforms of Taiwan Province Province in just a few words.

As for the aurora group, it is different. The time and place will fall in the Arctic Circle between September and March, and most of them will be filmed in northern Europe, Alaska, Canada and other places.

Like East Africa photography, everyone chooses different equipment, shooting purposes and preferences, and I can only provide personal experience to share. Some basic accessories will be similar to those in Africa. Please note that the following equipment recommendations are mainly based on the bipolar itinerary of QUARK EXPEDTION, a European and American travel agency. What are the main ways to travel in bipolar summer? Living on a boat and exploring in a boat? But not every company or all polar tours are like this.

Double fuselage

You never know which fuselage will break, so I always bring two fuselage. My choice is Canon 5D III+7D, mainly because they use the same lens, memory card and battery, which is very convenient to carry. This combination not only has a safe backup, but also can be equipped with lenses with different focal lengths, which avoids the dilemma of temporarily changing lenses but not being able to take pictures, and greatly reduces the chance of water ingress. Unlike Africa, the two poles are afraid of entering the sea, fog, rain and moisture caused by different temperatures.

The quality of high-power zoom lens is really bad, but it is very convenient.

Polar bears often shoot in kilometers.

Penguins are often photographed within a few meters.

The lens you need

I am light-oriented, so APS-C brought 24- 105, 100-400, 18-200. Different from Africa, bipolar photography often needs to take a boat and walk, so it is very inconvenient to carry two cameras, so most of them choose the fuselage and lens to match according to various situations. The insufficient part is usually the wide-angle end. I will use iPhone instead, or I can record. 18-200 is a poor quality universal mirror, which can be used when a wide focal length is needed, but it is not necessary to look at the distance at high magnification, such as a boat that does not go ashore to explore the journey. If possible, I think 28-300 is the most suitable lens for the North Pole, but I really can't afford that price.

tripod

A tripod can be used as a crutch, but it is unlikely to be used for shooting. The main reason is that most of the time when I went ashore, I was constantly exploring and walking, and I didn't have the opportunity to stop and take pictures. The time of the polar journey is mostly eternal day (no night), so there is no need for night scenes and sunsets that are often exposed. People who are really demanding can still bring them, but I think most of them are used for video recording.

Rescue team, you never know what will happen.

Three or four batteries

It must be reminded again that the two poles are not necessarily suitable for shooting with two sets of fuselage, because there are too many' bad weather factors'. Because of this, I suggest taking only one camera and one mirror at a time and confirming with the tour guide which combination of scenic spots is more suitable for each visit. Many people ask whether the battery is easy to die in cold weather. Personally, I have used Kano 450D, 5DIII, 7D, Nikon D80 and Sony A55, and there is no such problem at present. If you are really worried, bring two more batteries and put them in the lining of your coat to keep warm.

Large capacity memory card

As in Africa, many people are excited to use their cameras as machine guns when they come for the first time, and with more and more RAW files, they will soon run out of memory cards. So I suggest taking more. I still like to use SanDisk, which is very stable in my personal experience. Because considering the possibility of recording with a camera, they all use extremely fast 64G. I usually take 64SD card, 64CF card and 32CF card for backup. I never use it up. Of course, it's also because I seldom use RAW, and I don't like to keep shooting.

Many times, special composition and aesthetic feeling are more likely to attract people's attention.

Don't forget, people are also one of the beautiful scenery.

You never know what you are going to shoot.

A convertible computer +IPAD

Because polar ships spend a long time on board, if they are surrounded by ice floes, they can't get off the ship all day. It is recommended to bring at least one computer and one iPad. This combination can not only retouch pictures, but also have some leisure time for entertainment.

The focus of bipolar shooting is all manual, because it is often necessary to change the settings of shutter, aperture and exposure according to the situation. Personally, I suggest that the aperture should be used first, and the ISO upper limit should not exceed 3200 (generally controlled below 400, and the shutter should not be lower than 1/640, depending on your preference. Of course, this is a reference value, which varies according to everyone's preferences and the artistic conception they want to interpret.

other

No matter where I am, I am used to taking my important photographic equipment with me, and so are the poles. Remember that the hand luggage can't exceed seven kilograms, and the tripod can't be carried in the luggage, otherwise it will be confiscated.

Basically, my photography and important objects must be accompanied on the plane.

Check with the shipping company before taking a boat every time if you have landed today. What are you going to shoot? Which lens do you recommend? Quark has a professional photographer, so it's safest to ask.

If you compose a composition, it is recommended to lower it, not to use a overlooking angle, which is more vivid.

The reflection in the eyes

A polar bear scratched in the distance.

Bring more snacks, especially instant noodles and beef jerky, which are particularly popular in my impression. I almost always come home empty-handed with a box full of things. I brought it for six people, not me.

Please bring the basic camera rain cover, or use the hotel shower cap. The water in the boat over there is often splashed by water, plus fog and rain.

In case the camera falls into the water, take out the battery and memory card and don't continue to use it. The camera is mechanical, and turning on the power may burn out the IC inside, so the safest way is to take it back for repair. It may not be fully reimbursed.

There is a lot of salt in the polar waters. When cleaning, you may find white salt crystals. Pay attention to clean up all the salt before zooming or wiping the lens to avoid damaging the lens. As salt and moisture can easily corrode the camera, it is normal that the pull ring and plastic case may fall off.

This camera is used to take pictures in the polar regions. I have been to the polar regions, Africa and islands for photography, and that one is basically a myth. Just use it. Don't worry about some falls and bruises. It is also happy to die with good equipment.