Note: This of course comes with the caveat that it will be safe to travel next summer and that things will be somewhat back to normal by then (no major quarantines/lockdowns, etc.) In a worse-case scenario everything will be delayed by a year or two but will still happen. It also comes with the assumption that it will still be safe to fly with film, that I'll be able to avoid any scanners that might destroy my film in one pass (for next year's trip I would probably stock up on film in either Montreal or Ottawa and get everything processed in Toronto or Winnipeg, depending on how my travel dates work out, just to minimize the number of x-ray scans).
So I'm planning a trip through the Northwest Passage (starting in Resolute and ending in Greenland) next August (flights will start out of Ottawa and will return back to Toronto). A few years after that I'll hopefully be headed for Antarctica for what will be a big 50th birthday present to myself. In both cases, I'm not too worried about the temperature as I'll be travelling in each region's respective summer, but I am curious if anyone here has done any photography in either one of these regions and has any recommendations, whether it be for cameras/lenses/filters/film speed/tripods/drybags/etc. This can be anything from what has worked well, what you did or didn't need, filters (if needed) to get the most out of glaciers and icebergs, etc.
I'd like to spend the coming months upgrading my gear which has gotten a bit worse for wear as now seems like the right time to replace some gear as well as simplifying films/development/techniques that I want to use. I will probably bring two 35mm bodies (one with B&W film the other with colour), in all likelihood my F100 and soon-to-bought FM3A. I normally shoot primes as I'm not a fan of zooms, but I feel like both these locations would benefit from both wide angle and telephoto zooms for both near and far wildlife and landscapes (I do have both, barely used - 18-35mm zoom and 70-200mm zoom). I may be able to borrow some lenses from the tour company I go with as they partner with Nikon, so hopefully I won't have to invest in 200mm or 400mm telephoto lenses just for these trips (my longest prime is 105mm, widest is 20mm). I'd also be bringing a MF camera as well, which will be a toss up between my Mamiya 6 or my Rolleiflex 3.5 Planar. The big issue will be to keep the weight limits low, but to cover myself with backups and the right variety of lenses (hopefully not more than 2 or 3 for 35mm). Again, I won't be shooting all these cameras at the same time, but will want them for backups and specific locations.
I've also been searching for photographers who've shot film in either of these regions to get a sense of what I can expect with the same, but it's hard to find anything since of course everything is digital now. I'm slowly building up a library of books to read about the explorations in both regions, but I'd like to find some books, blogs, or websites more dedicated to (film) photography in this regions as well, if anyone has any suggestions.
So I'm planning a trip through the Northwest Passage (starting in Resolute and ending in Greenland) next August (flights will start out of Ottawa and will return back to Toronto). A few years after that I'll hopefully be headed for Antarctica for what will be a big 50th birthday present to myself. In both cases, I'm not too worried about the temperature as I'll be travelling in each region's respective summer, but I am curious if anyone here has done any photography in either one of these regions and has any recommendations, whether it be for cameras/lenses/filters/film speed/tripods/drybags/etc. This can be anything from what has worked well, what you did or didn't need, filters (if needed) to get the most out of glaciers and icebergs, etc.
I'd like to spend the coming months upgrading my gear which has gotten a bit worse for wear as now seems like the right time to replace some gear as well as simplifying films/development/techniques that I want to use. I will probably bring two 35mm bodies (one with B&W film the other with colour), in all likelihood my F100 and soon-to-bought FM3A. I normally shoot primes as I'm not a fan of zooms, but I feel like both these locations would benefit from both wide angle and telephoto zooms for both near and far wildlife and landscapes (I do have both, barely used - 18-35mm zoom and 70-200mm zoom). I may be able to borrow some lenses from the tour company I go with as they partner with Nikon, so hopefully I won't have to invest in 200mm or 400mm telephoto lenses just for these trips (my longest prime is 105mm, widest is 20mm). I'd also be bringing a MF camera as well, which will be a toss up between my Mamiya 6 or my Rolleiflex 3.5 Planar. The big issue will be to keep the weight limits low, but to cover myself with backups and the right variety of lenses (hopefully not more than 2 or 3 for 35mm). Again, I won't be shooting all these cameras at the same time, but will want them for backups and specific locations.
I've also been searching for photographers who've shot film in either of these regions to get a sense of what I can expect with the same, but it's hard to find anything since of course everything is digital now. I'm slowly building up a library of books to read about the explorations in both regions, but I'd like to find some books, blogs, or websites more dedicated to (film) photography in this regions as well, if anyone has any suggestions.
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Take LOTS of film - you won't find anything up there- and ask them to inspect it by hand instead of the scanner. Also bring backup equipment - double of everything if possible. Especially batteries. It can also be very windy and If you primarily shoot with a tripod, get into the habit of laying your equipment on the ground between shots - mine fell over several times in 100+kph winds. Thankfully I had a backup Camera but still lost many shots because I hadn't tested the backup before leaving... so make sure EVERYTHING is perfectly functional and tested before leaving. Tripod spikes also help. Bring good waterproof hiking shoes - the tundra can be very swampy even in the summer and ressemble bogs. And waterproof sandals - there are lots of streams and rivers with no bridges to cross - I would take off my hiking boots and socks roll up my pants and crossed rivers in my plastic sandals. Be wary of polar bears - they're a constant threat - ask locals if any have been spotted. Try to get a gun permit before you leave and carry a shotgun especially if you will be exploring the land alone. Maybe look into bringing bear spray which is more effective than a gun - I couldn't find any bear spray in Nunavik. A flare gun is good to scare them away too. Another good way to explore is with a quad - see if you can get someone to lend you one. Or become friendly with the locals or natives and they will offer to take you places. Oh another good tip for your film camera, use your phone camera and find a setting that ressembles the field of view and format of the camera to get a good preview before wasting film. Hope that helps. Oh and insect repellent!
