If you want to know how good your camera is, the better way to find out its capabilities. The combination of speed, vibration, and low light will increase its photography capabilities, while flying mud, rain and dense fog will also help you.
Both my sister and her husband have won a host of Husky racing awards, including former European and World Sled Dog Association champions. They now operate the only purpose-built sled dog training center in the UK. Set atop a mountain in Perthshire, Scotland, I raised my camera Bowland . Trail to get pictures of her 50 dogs, 100 cattle heads and 200 sheep.
They can’t now race because Brexit quadruples the cost of bringing the dogs abroad, making it expensive. Similarly, they no longer organize international races. However, they still train other riders and their dogs, plus take guests around the mountain farmland, moors, and forests where highland cattle and wild deer share. their land. Dog teams pull a converted quad bike.
It’s not ideal shooting conditions but is perfect for dogs as they can overheat if the sun is out. Dull skies and trails running through forest trails meant that I was shooting in flat and meager light.
The huskies reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Stopping motion blur is essential; I will need a fast shutter speed to do that. I also wanted to involve the entire team in the shots and include some of the surrounding scenery for background. Therefore, I have equipped Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO lens to My OM-1. That lens, even when shooting wide open, will give me enough depth of field if I manually focus on the dog in the background. Even wide open, the super focus distance is just 23.6 inches (60 cm) at f/2.8, and I focused further than that.
An often overlooked advantage of Micro Four Thirds is the greater depth of field possible at wider apertures. However, even when shooting in extended mode, there was still not enough light to shoot at ISO 200 which is recommended for my camera. So I set the ISO to auto with a maximum of 12800 and the shutter speed set to 1/1600, at this speed I knew I could still achieve a usable image.
I wanted to take pictures that showed dogs running, so I used continuous raw shooting at 100fps.
After wearing protective waterproof gear and impact helmets, we were ready to go around the 6-mile trail. Before setting off, the dogs screamed with excitement, but with a word from Mary, they fell silent and stood still waiting for the ride. In the process, they were completely in her control, slowing down, accelerating, and turning left or right on command. It was an experience.
The track was bumpy, with flying mud and water from the puddles the dogs darted through. Flying dust and splashes are not an issue for the camera as it is IP53 dust and weather resistant which is more than enough for the conditions. However, there is a risk of flying into the lens. In most cases, I would install a UV filter with a protective screw in such situations. But the bulbous front element of this lens forbids that. So I resorted to hiding the camera as we approached a puddle.
Despite my precautions, the lens got splashed a few times, and I lost a few shots because of a large lump of mud sitting in the middle of the lens for a while. However, I was able to rinse with water – don’t try that if your lens isn’t IP53 – and gently dry it with a microfiber cloth.
Shooting with one hand, I’m glad I went with a smaller sized Micro Four Thirds camera. Anything bulkier or heavier will be challenging to handle collisions along rails.
Of course, it’s not the ideal lens for capturing wildlife as we sped past it. However, I did catch the wild deer watching us ride. They did not seem to be disturbed by the disturbance of the racing dogs, although they kept a much greater distance when we walked afterwards.
I also took some photos of Mary, John, and their longtime volunteer Lucy, a qualified veterinarian, racing teams around the trails; Other volunteers come to stay on the farm for different periods of time from all over the world. I used a 40-150mm f/4 lens for this part of the shoot. Although slower than the f/2.8 version, this smaller, lighter lens gave me enough depth of field to focus on more than just the pack dog. This time, I used the camera’s continuous autofocus and AI object detection for animals. It locks onto the animals perfectly every time, even if they are too far away for a successful photo. I quickly changed it to bird detection when something interesting flew into the frame.
There are a few common sayings in Scotland: “If you don’t like the weather, wait half an hour and it will be different” and “If you can see the mountains, it will rain; If you can’t see them, it’s raining. “I have experienced clouds, rain, fog, wind, stillness and bright sunshine in my short time. Snow and hail would give me a complete set. This erratic weather means that a trip around the moor in a Kawasaki Mule utility vehicle also offers plenty of opportunities for landscape photography.
Next time, I plan to come back and focus more on wildlife photography. So I’ll get a longer lens and suitable clothing for crawling through mud and heather to stalk prey.
This article is not a kit review, but the camera and lens work well under these difficult circumstances; I wouldn’t choose any other system. Portability combined with excellent image stabilization, a battery that lasts over 2500 frames in silent shooting, and the excellent low-light and high ISO performance of OM-1 All made a successful photo session.
Mary is considering attaching a 360-degree camera to the rig. She is also thinking about using a drone with a “follow me” app, and I am currently researching different options to see what would work best for a bumpy, muddy ride. wade through low trees. If you have suggestions or advice, I’d be happy to hear them in the comments. Also, have you pushed your camera to the extreme? It’s great to hear about its successes and failures.
