Galápagos Islands - Have any of you been there? Any tips to share?

[Otavio]

Hi fellows,

I am planning a trip to Galápagos Islands for next May. I have studied the most important things about the place, but was wondering if any of you guys have been there and have any important tips to share. Anything will be welcomed, as I have never been there.

Ps.: About gear, I will upgrade my D5100 to a D5200 (more Megapixels (Nikon's extra crop factor) and a stronger focus system (39 points, same from D7000)) and take it with me, with the following lens: Kit Nikkor 18-55mm, Sigma 70-300mm, Nikkor Prime 50mm 1.8. Also: a 1.4X TC, a lot (I really mean it ) of SD cards, Polarizers, NDs and UV filters. Tripod is something I am not sure about, due to size and weight. I thing there are some opportunities for night long exposure landscape shots. It would be interesting hearing about the use of tripods, from those who had been there.

Thanks in advance for your comments!

[FrankMi]

I've never been there Otávio but I would be more than happy to carry your kit bag for you! I'll even carry the tripod as well!

[Stagecoach]

Otavio,

I have not been there but I will comment about a tripod. It's always worth considering taking a cheap lightweight one if worried about size and weight, it's better than not having one.

Grahame

[benm]

I was there last November. Some tips:

The travel company will know in advance which islands they are allowed to go to (set by the Galapagos government). If you can get this information then you can determine which wildlife you will see on each island (not all wildlife is on every island).

Tripod is useful if you are a regular user. Tripod or monopod is useful if you are using 300mm + TC.

I would recommend bringing a netbook/laptop for backing up. Also one or two external hard drives. Then you won't need so many cards.

You will take more pictures than you think you will. Guaranteed.

I would recommend bringing a backup camera, even if it is only a point and shoot.

A waterproof camera is recommended. You should have multiple opportunities for snorkeling (if you don't you picked the wrong travel company).

Don't forget chargers for every electronic device you bring and the right plugs.

The wildlife will allow you to come close, even very close, but you will still find you are using the 300mm end a lot.

Get into shape, there is lot of hiking up steep hills. In some locations I thought I was on the set of "Lost World".

If you have the opportunity to stop over in Guayquil or Quito do so, both are recommended.

[Otavio]

I've never been there Otávio but I would be more than happy to carry your kit bag for you! I'll even carry the tripod as well!

LOL!!. Be my guest there, Frank!. Cheers,

[Otavio]

Otavio,

I have not been there but I will comment about a tripod. It's always worth considering taking a cheap lightweight one if worried about size and weight, it's better than not having one.

Grahame

Hi, Grahame. I think you're right about the tripod. I would like to do some night landscapes there. Thanks for the tip. Cheers,

[Otavio]

I was there last November. Some tips:

The travel company will know in advance which islands they are allowed to go to (set by the Galapagos government). If you can get this information then you can determine which wildlife you will see on each island (not all wildlife is on every island).

Tripod is useful if you are a regular user. Tripod or monopod is useful if you are using 300mm + TC.

I would recommend bringing a netbook/laptop for backing up. Also one or two external hard drives. Then you won't need so many cards.

You will take more pictures than you think you will. Guaranteed.

I would recommend bringing a backup camera, even if it is only a point and shoot.

A waterproof camera is recommended. You should have multiple opportunities for snorkeling (if you don't you picked the wrong travel company).

Don't forget chargers for every electronic device you bring and the right plugs.

The wildlife will allow you to come close, even very close, but you will still find you are using the 300mm end a lot.

Get into shape, there is lot of hiking up steep hills. In some locations I thought I was on the set of "Lost World".

If you have the opportunity to stop over in Guayquil or Quito do so, both are recommended.

Hi, Ben. Thank you very much for all your tips. They will surely be considered. I do appreciate it. Kindest regards,

[deetheturk]

Looking forward to all your great images Otavio,no pressure bud,have a great trip!

[Otavio]

Looking forward to all your great images Otavio,no pressure bud,have a great trip!

Hi, David. Well, still 2 months to go, but I am also looking forward to this trip! Regards,

[drjuice]

Hi, Otavio -

A couple of thoughts.

First, I'm now a believer in tripods (I've always had one, but never took the time to understand the differences in quality that I could achieve by using a tripod). A photographer I met in Death Valley made me a believer. Now I'm doing really good star fields and I got a really excellent image of the Funeral Mountains along the east side of the central part of Death Valley taken on the night of a full moon.

I've always wanted a Gitzo or Manfrotto, but when my last tripod crumbled (fortunately without a camera on top), I got a MeFoto tripod, which the Benro folks make. I'd think that it's their entry level tripod and is typically $80US and I've been very satisfied with it. It expands to just over 6' high with reasonable stability. And, with its rather unique foldup process, it's under 17" long and comes with its own case. So far, I haven't found ANYTHING I want to do with it that I haven't been able to do.

Second, I'd suggest finding a good spot for gigantic turtle pictures. Find out whether they're laying eggs at the time you're there. Typically they come out of the water shortly after it's fully dark and they get disoriented if you've chosen to stand in front of something like a resort or other brightly lighted place.

Third, be prepared for wildlife pictures. Any species you see on the islands is likely to be pretty unique simply because they're so far from other points of land. And, one of the things a friend who recently went skin diving there found out is to get a critter/plant identification book or CD because he couldn't find one after he got back to southern California. One of my friends does research there so she picked up one for me to lay on him for his (recent) birthday. Another thing is that catching pictures of a bird called a red-footed boobie is apparently a huge deal. I have no clue why, but figured I'd mention it because my friend who went skindiving there was really disappointed that that he never was able to photograph one.

Fourth, the vegetation varies on the islands. So I'd suggest looking out for it and different geological forms.

Fifth, plants and animals may grow/be/swim around different islands. So if you're interested in these, you might do some library work and see what you want to photograph, then make decisions about which islands you want to visit.

Last, take a significantly large number of camera media. For example, I typically shoot about 16GB per day when I'm in the US and I have a workflow process figured out so that I can get by with three 16GB memory cards. But, if I were going to some remote place, I'd probably triple that for a 1 week trip. It would be a bit expensive, fer sure. But, if anything goes wrong, I'd still have enough memory cards to cover me. I would NOT get bigger cards than that just because I'd lose so much if anything goes wrong. I might consider getting 8GB memory cards to be safer than safe! So figuring that out for a one week trip, I would have 7*2 for my base number of cards and then multiply by 3.

Have a great time there.

virginia

[benm]

Another thing is that catching pictures of a bird called a red-footed boobie is apparently a huge deal. I have no clue why, but figured I'd mention it because my friend who went skindiving there was really disappointed that that he never was able to photograph one.
virginia

That's because they don't seem to be as prolific as other species. To get this photo involved a 1 1/2 hour hike up a steep trail and a 300mm lens.

[Otavio]

Hi, Otavio -

A couple of thoughts.

First, I'm now a believer in tripods (I've always had one, but never took the time to understand the differences in quality that I could achieve by using a tripod). A photographer I met in Death Valley made me a believer. Now I'm doing really good star fields and I got a really excellent image of the Funeral Mountains along the east side of the central part of Death Valley taken on the night of a full moon.

I've always wanted a Gitzo or Manfrotto, but when my last tripod crumbled (fortunately without a camera on top), I got a MeFoto tripod, which the Benro folks make. I'd think that it's their entry level tripod and is typically $80US and I've been very satisfied with it. It expands to just over 6' high with reasonable stability. And, with its rather unique foldup process, it's under 17" long and comes with its own case. So far, I haven't found ANYTHING I want to do with it that I haven't been able to do.

Second, I'd suggest finding a good spot for gigantic turtle pictures. Find out whether they're laying eggs at the time you're there. Typically they come out of the water shortly after it's fully dark and they get disoriented if you've chosen to stand in front of something like a resort or other brightly lighted place.

Third, be prepared for wildlife pictures. Any species you see on the islands is likely to be pretty unique simply because they're so far from other points of land. And, one of the things a friend who recently went skin diving there found out is to get a critter/plant identification book or CD because he couldn't find one after he got back to southern California. One of my friends does research there so she picked up one for me to lay on him for his (recent) birthday. Another thing is that catching pictures of a bird called a red-footed boobie is apparently a huge deal. I have no clue why, but figured I'd mention it because my friend who went skindiving there was really disappointed that that he never was able to photograph one.

Fourth, the vegetation varies on the islands. So I'd suggest looking out for it and different geological forms.

Fifth, plants and animals may grow/be/swim around different islands. So if you're interested in these, you might do some library work and see what you want to photograph, then make decisions about which islands you want to visit.

Last, take a significantly large number of camera media. For example, I typically shoot about 16GB per day when I'm in the US and I have a workflow process figured out so that I can get by with three 16GB memory cards. But, if I were going to some remote place, I'd probably triple that for a 1 week trip. It would be a bit expensive, fer sure. But, if anything goes wrong, I'd still have enough memory cards to cover me. I would NOT get bigger cards than that just because I'd lose so much if anything goes wrong. I might consider getting 8GB memory cards to be safer than safe! So figuring that out for a one week trip, I would have 7*2 for my base number of cards and then multiply by 3.

Have a great time there.

virginia

Thank you very much, Virginia, for the very usefull tips. I appreciate it. Cheers,

[Otavio]

That's because they don't seem to be as prolific as other species. To get this photo involved a 1 1/2 hour hike up a steep trail and a 300mm lens.

Very nice, Ben. Do you remember in which island did you find this one? Cheers,

[benm]

The red footed booby was found at Punta Pitt on San Cristobal Island.

[Otavio]

The red footed booby was found at Punta Pitt on San Cristobal Island.

Thanks, Ben. I hope I am that lucky...