Sat - April 1, 2006

Timo Ripatti from Finland on Paddling Photography


Timo Ripatti
Timo Ripatti, a photographer and paddler from Finland sent me an e-mail with some interesting comments on paddling photography and a cool picture shot with the Pentax Optio WP.

Timo Ripatti:

I live in Finland. Google Earth can show my neighbourhood (home, actually) at N 60˚ 28.114' E 025˚ 05.140'. I am a professional photographer, my employer is a magazine publisher, and I run a studio which serves some 20 of our magazines.

I am nearly an owner of three canoes! I purchased a Wenonah Spirit II just a few months ago, I am building an ultralight Snowshoe 16 according to Mr. Monfort. I'm also looking for a Russian baidarka style collapsible, preferably the "Taimen"...

My Pentax Optio WP is the older 5-meg model, and it is the only digital camera I would take with me to a canoe. If I need an alternative or a backup, I choose a 35-mm or a roll film camera loaded with color negative film, for a number of reasons.

With film, you always know how many exposures you have left, and with a full-mechanical camera you are not dependent of batteries. The lightmeter has a battery though, and you can carry a spare. Mechanical camera works better than a digital camera in freezing temperatures, and you can use long exosure times without noise. My Optio WP has crashed once, it was so profound that the camera started from zero.

Scanning from color negative film is extra work but I have learned that from a trip of 200 exposures, you end up using maybe 12 images, or sometimes just three... if you don't have a film scanner, your friend probably does...

With digital, you can shoot video capture, you can check what you have gathered, and the package is neat and compact.

The above image, downgraded from the original size, is included just to prove a point: With the Optio WP you can shoot closeups much easier than with an analog camera, and you can use built-in flash to open up the shadows. You can sink the camera halfway to water prior to exposure, and get an image of both worlds, over and under the water surfage. I don't know any other camera which would do the same with this ease of use!

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Posted at 09:10 PM    


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