I realize these come up from time to time and they may or may not be fun for
everyone else, but I enjoy reading all the replies b/c someone often points
out an angle or approach that I would have overlooked. I also want to share
my latest journey with the rest of list :-)
So here goes:
On August 21st I leave for Palmyra Atoll. Don't fret if you have never
heard of it b/c it sits dead center in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1000
miles south of Hawaii and 5 degree north of the Equator. The Nature
Conservancy bought this little gem to protect it from development,
commercial fishing, and nuclear waste, among other things. The 50 islets
cover only 680 acres and there are no permanent residents aside from TNC
staff. It has five times the number of hard corals as the Hawaiian Islands,
three times the number of corals as the Florida Keys/Caribbean and
scientists continue to discovery more on each dive. Above land there is the
second largest colony of red-footed boobies and the largest land
invertebrate in the world, the coconut crab (it can get as big as a trash
can lid). Like the Galapagos, some of the birds are nearly tame. My
responsibilities will be to serve as hospitality/camp assistant, which
includes waiting on the donors TNC flies down to the island in hopes they
will leave their checkbook. When not fulfiilling my camp duties, I will
help with the rat eradication project.
Anyway, I need some suggestions on what to take. I'll be staying 12 weeks,
and I'm only supposed to take 40 lbs of gear total (including clothes). I
may be given and extra allowance b/c I'm staying longer than most or they
will bring down more stuff on the next flight 10 days after I arrive.
So what I need all of you to do is imagine you had access to any lens or
body (I don't, but that's okay) and tell me what you would take. Keep in my
the expected subjects: birds, landscapes and general macro...and don't
forget about the weight considerations.
One of my major concerns is flash. The atoll receives 175 inches of rain
per year, so the islands are densely covered with vegetation and forest. I
have a 4T and a F280 and the discussion of flash condensers/extenders has me
curious. Is fill flash with a T32 out of the question?
What about underwater pics?
TIA,
--p.j.
If anyone is curious about my destination, here are some links:
http://nature.org/palmyra/
http://www.owj.com/palmyra/
http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20000504.me.14.ram
http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archives/000724.palmyra.html
http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/vandiest/palmyra.htm
http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/janeresture/palmyra/ (this site has sound)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0103/feature2/index.html
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