Cave Exploring Photography - article by Reports and Reviews

Photography Tips for Cave Exploring

You need light to take pictures, and there isn't a lot of light inside caves. If you haven't been to a cave yet, you would be surprised at how dark it can get. However, photography in caves isn't completely impossible as many have already succeeded in taking pictures of this amazing world. With the right knowledge and equipment you can take pictures of caves.

Here are some tips for photography inside caves:

1. Use very fast film or ISO settings - because it is very difficult to use tripods safely inside caves, you would have to resort to very fast film or exposure settings for your camera. Most cave photographers use ISO 1000 or ISO 1600 when taking pictures inside caves to get sharp pictures without tripods.

2. Instead of using a tripod, you can use a bean bag to hold your camera still. There are beanbags that can be screwed onto your camera’s tripod socket. You can easily mount your camera on any surface without damaging the casing.

3. The flash is useless unless you are taking pictures of stalactites and stalagmites a few inches away from you. You won't be able to capture the depth of caverns with a normal flash. What you can do instead is to set your camera in open shutter and then flash your light several times to capture as much light. You would have to hold the camera very still with this technique.

4. If time permits, take pictures at a very slow shutter speed and just allow the camera to get exposures for long periods.

5. Don't sacrifice safety for photographic opportunities. What use are photographs if you won't be able to get out of the cave to see them. Prioritize yourself and not your photographic equipment when inside the cave. Don't sacrifice space in your pack for photographic equipment, you need more room for your cave exploring kit.

Photography while exploring caves is indeed very difficult and thus it needs so much practice. It is therefore best not to attempt photography during your first few cave explorations. You need to be a good cave explorer first before you can become a cave photographer.

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