 MONOPOD
When I am carrying a heavy lens in the rainforest, I often use a monopod. A monpod is a one legged support. In the image you can see the monopod mounted on my Canon 600mm lens. When I walk I rest the lens on my shoulder, and I can quickly position the monopod on the ground and start taking pictures if I see something interesting to photograph. Sometimes I also use the monopod when I am photographing from a boat. It is important that the boatman switch off the engine when I am taking pictures, to avoid camera shake and unsharp images. On my photo tours in Panama, I am using a very experienced boatman who knows how to position the boat for best photo opportunities when we see wildlife, and he also knows when to switch off the engine. I have worked with this boatman for many years, and he is always my choice when I guide other photographers on my photo tours in Panama. The photograph is from way back in 2008. A curious squirrel wanted to check out my camera! To your success, Øyvind Martinsen  FLASH BEAMER
A useful photographic tool on our photo tours in Panama, Central America, is a flash. But, an even more useful additional tool is the flash-beamer. The flash-beamer is easy to bring, and when it is not in use it takes up very little space in your photo bag. The beamer is mounted on the flash, and it will reinforce and narrow the lightbeam from the flash. The light will be concentrated in a smaller area, and it allows the flashlight to light up for example a bird 15 meters, or more, away from the camera. That is very useful for wildlife photography with a telephoto lens. The advantage of using a flash can be big when you are inside a rainforest. Very often we can find birds and animals in shady areas, and the flash with the beamer sends in the light and allows the colors of a bird to "pop-up" in the photograph. In the picture you can see the norwegian photographer Erling Halseth using a flash beamer mounted on his flash and a telephoto lens. He was with me on a 2 weeks photo tour in Panama in November 2019. I have two flash-beamers and I purchased them at www.bhphotovideo.com To your success, Øyvind Martinsen  A SUNRISE TO REMEMBER
It was dark when I went out, and I walked through the rainforest with a flashlight towards the viewpoint. I had pre-vizualised the scene I planned to photograph. When I arrived it was still dark, but after a few minutes I could start seeing details in the forest canopy in front of me. Sunrises and sunsets are very fast in Panama, so I worked quickly to set up my camera gear. The howler monkeys startet to howl and roar somewhere in the rainforest behind me. It is sometimes hard to tell how far or near they are, because the sound they make is so powerful, and it can be heard from many kilometers away. When the sun came over the horizon I was taking several pictures of the scene as parrots flew above me, and I heard toucans in the distance. I used a Canon EOS 5D mk2 camera housing, with a 18mm Carl Zeiss wide angle lens. I also used a Gitzo mountaineer tripod with a BH55 ballhead from Really Right Stuff. To avoid camera shake when I pressed the shutter, I used a cable release. That is fine so far, but the most important tool was a 3-stop Daryl Benson reverse graduated filter from Singh-Ray. (see www.singh-ray.com) I used the filter to balance the light between the foreground in shadow and the brighter sky. I handheld the filter in front of the lens, and I darkened the brightest part of the sky with the darkest part of the filter. It is hard to convey 100% of what I saw and sensed while I was out there. But I will always remember this sunrise, and when I am looking at the photograph I am back there out in the rainforest. To your success, Øyvind Martinsen  RECOMMENDED PHOTO GEAR
What do I recommend you bring on a photo tour in Panama? On our tours you will be given many different photographic opportunities; landscapes, macro, wildlife and you can also interpret the nature as art. It is of course up to you what you will focus on. But, if you want to be able to cover the above mentioned topics I recommend this basic equipment: Tripod (preferrably a carbon tripod with a solid ballhead) Monopod (useful in telephoto photography when things happen fast) Camera housing (eventually another backup housing if one fails) Telephoto lens in the range 300mm to 600mm Macro lens Zoom lens 24-70mm, or 24-105mm.(for landscape photography and some of these lenses also have a macro function) Wide ange lens for example an 18mm lens. (Super for landscape photos and tour photos) Flash Cable release to avoid camera shake when you press the shutter. (I use it mostly in macro- and landscape photography) Extra batteries for your camera. Plenty of memory cards Graduated neutral density filters (to control extreme contrast situations in landscape photography) Polarizing filter Photobag/-backpack with raincover for the above mention gear Raincover to protect your camera and lens when you are photographing in rainy weather. Optional: If you want to upload and edit your photographs during the tour you can bring a laptop with your preferred photo editing software. To your success, Øyvind Martinsen  SEASONS IN PANAMA
Panama has basically two seasons; the dry season (summer) and the green season (rainy season). The dry season is from December to April, and the green season is from April to December. It is really not a very clear distinct line netween the two seasons. You can have elements of the green season in the dry season, and elements of the dry season in the green season. The temperature is basically the same year round, so what differs the two seasons is the frequency of rain showers. In the green season we normally have a 30-60 minutes rain shower in the afternoon. There are also local weather variations depending on where you are in Panama. Some weather systems can be local. To protect you from the rain it can be wise to bring a poncho. In the photo is Ole Bjørn Engen from Norway. He was with me on four different photo tours. Sadly, he passed away in 2018. In the picture he is wearing a poncho with head protection. He was also protecting his camera and lens with a rain cover. So if you come on a tour with me in Panama, I recommend you bring a poncho and a raincover for your camera/lens. To your success, Øyvind Martinsen |
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