Colour & Light Photoblog

Must change my password after this… Using some misc dodgy free internet kiosk in Hong Kong Airport. Only been here an hour our so, still got another 7 to kill before departing for Paris. Positives – I didn’t drive the guy next to me on the plan crazy. Anywho, a whole lot more to come when I get time. Hong Kong Airport first impressions – SMOG, ugh. Second impression – rennovations underway, kinda feels like AKL did for a while. Just noticed I’m standing next to a Starbucks, maybe I’ll grab a coffee… <- Hmm, appears I have gone insane.

0 Days & Counting…

3am and off to the airport… Not much more to say at this point

4 Days and Counting…

0k, here’s an example of the sort of thing I hope to be posting up on a semi-regular basis while I’m abroad. A few quick works about the place – Whakatane blah blah..
Then a geoencoded photo (click on it to see where it was taken)

Overlooking Whakatane

And that’s about it for the dress rehersal. If I get trapped by a rainy day or something then I may process a good sized batch of photos and upload a gallery if I can get some workable internet, but hey, even achieving this as a minimum will be great.

1 Week to go…

New Zealand based insurance options for a 29 year old going to Europe with about NZD 7k of camera goodies:

Travel Insurance Options

First column indicates whether the insurer covers items left overnight in a locked car, second is the base premium, third the total premium including cover for the camera equipment.

Take your time, do your research, make a spreadsheet

There’s lots of options, and lots of wordy policy documents to sift through, but it’s really worthwhile to pick out the key details and lay it all out in a table.  In a far more comprehensive table than my summary above,  I looked at how much was covered under each type of loss and noted any specific exclusions.  For those that looked promising I also spoke with reps on the phone to confirm specifics (in this case the clauses around cover for items left in a car – as detailed in an earlier post)

Anyway, this time it was a well done to State Insurance as they take $383.50 from me…  Though I don’t expect they’ll cover me if I drive like this guy:

Travel Insurance Cover?

11 Days and Counting…

I’ve already got a Lowepro Slingshot 200AW, but it doesn’t cut the mustard for taking a lot of gear plus the odds and ends I need as carry on.  So, enter the Lowepro Fastpack 350:

Lowepro Fastpack 350, can you tell?

And after a day in the field the verdict is – great pack.  Had it loaded up with lots of unnecessary gear (about 10 kg) and wore it for a day taking rally photos.  Room in there for the 40D with 70-200 attached, 580EX Speedlite, the 17-55 f2.8 IS, Sigma 10-20 and misc flash triggers, CF cards and other odds.  And of course that leaves the whole top section still free for a jacket, drink bottle, snacks….

Lowepro Fastpack 350 - Got a little dusty

With the chest straps it was comfortable (as comfortable as an unneeded 10 kg can be) after wearing it and clambering around for several hours.  So it passes the first test. Next stop, the streets of Europe.

Carrying it doesn’t seem to have negatively impacted on the photos…  I was still able to climb enough fences etc to get around the course and collect some snaps.  I was also able to get away quick enough when this guy threw half the road at me:

Rocks Heading My Way

It’s not always the fastest route along the course, but it sure is entertaining….

Canon NZ Service Turnaround

I’ll take the lens out for a stretch this weekend and see if I still know how to work it…

20 Days and Counting…

I’m not going to cover actually surviving  long haul flights (as in avoiding Deep Vein Thrombosis), but more about maintaining some degree of sanity while couped up on a plane.  That said, I will be taking some aspirin in advance as a DVT preventative measure.  As seems so trendy today, I like to claim I’m afflicted by elements of ADHD, so pinning me into an economy class seat for 2 x 12 hours stints in a 30 hour period is just asking for trouble.

To prevent me driving those around me insane with questions, fidgeting, and playing tricks on them, I’m putting a lot of stock in 8gb of MP3s…

Samsung YP-P2 MP3 Player

I wouldn’t want to be around me if the battery drains out before the 30 hours of travel is up.  Mind you, 30 hours of music on it’s on is probably just as likely to push me over the edge, so I am mixing it up with a few podcasts and comedy sets.  There’s plenty else I’d like to have on the flight to help pass the time and stay fresh, but I’m going to be struggling to meet carry on weight limits as it is.  Why is the 7kg limit going to be such a challenge?  5.5 kg of camera gear and a 1.5 kg laptop…  Doesn’t exactly leave much room for other long haul niceties.

I was hoping to save a few grams by throwing all the camera and flash batteries into checked luggage…  However there’s some regulations that forbid Lithium Ion batteries in checked bags, and loose batteries in carry on.  If only there was some way to exchange my lack of body weight for some extra kilos of luggage.

25 Days and Counting…

I’ve decided it’ll be interesting to post up little previews of the places I intend to visit.  Ok, that in itself isn’t going to be all that interesting.  However, after I’ve actually visited these places it’s going to be fun to compare my preconceptions with the reality.

I’ll kick the preview of with the Stelvio Pass (Passo dello Stelvio).  Tucked away in the Italian Alps north of Bormio, it’s a little over 2.7km above sea level, making it the second highest sealed road in the alps.  It’s known by many keen motorists as one of the most challenging roads in the world.  60 hairpins all up.

Stelvio Pass by Christ Lemay (click image for flickr page)

I’m going to be in a diesel Peugeot 207, so it’s not quite the same as blitzing it in my Altezza,

My Toyota Altezza at a recent trackday

but I’m still looking forward to catching the landscapes.

Also, at this point I don’t think I’m going to be lucky enough to actually drive the whole pass, as I expect it to still be closed in early April when I’m there.  The Stelvio Pass forms a key part of Top Gear’s World’s Best Driving Roads…  Maybe I should reschedule for an August trip and hire something more fun to drive…

27 Days and Counting…

So yesterday my 40D arrived back from the Canon NZ Service Centre after a sensor clean.  That’s 6 working days after I sent it…  The day prior they even called to let me know they were going to dispatch it.  Ok, so it was just a sensor clean, and they still have my 17-55 f2.8 IS in with them, but after some of the nightmare stories out there I’m really pleased to have the camera back in such a short time.

Canon NZ Service Invoice

“Cleaned camera’s sensor.  Replaced focusing mirror.  Upgraded camera’s firmware.  Checked & tested all functions.  Shot count 22426.”

10k of 40D photos in lightroom, shot count of 22k.  Looks like I’ve got a 50% strike rate.

29 Days and Counting…

The direct line from Paris to Rome has now started to take on a much more tortuous route as it tries to snake way across the continent hitting some key scenic spots. This is the draft version of the first half of my journey, about 13 – 15 days.

This averages about 250 km or 4 hours driving per day, which seems manageable.  Of course flexibility is still key, so if it’s too much or too little driving I ought to be able to change plans. More on some of the specific spots I plan to hit soon…