TIP 1: Be Prepared

"Is there anything I can do to make myself enlightened?" "As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning" "Then of what use are the spiritual exercises you prescribe?" "To make sure you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise"

-Zen Master to his disciple

AS PHOTOGRAPHERS, unlike Zen pupils, our studies and learning exercises do give us deeper understanding and appreciation for what works and doesn't work. Nonetheless, we must "be there," physically and emotionally, for the sunrise or the sunset. Preparation is critical. Assuming you are setting up camp before sunset, look around for the best composition--remember the rule of thirds and framing to create depth of field--to make the most of early evening and early morning light. The light changes so quickly that you must be ready to maximize your shooting opportunities.

Even if we are awake, however, it makes no difference if our camera is not ready. Whether you shoot digital or film, a dead battery creates nothing. Know your camera's specifications regarding how long its battery will last under normal shooting conditions. Using the flash, reviewing/deleting digital images, anything that requires battery power affects the number of images you will be able to shoot.

I did a Google search under the heading of "battery life of digital cameras" and came up with a number of articles. Also, go to dpreview.com or dcresource.com to evaluate the specs of your camera before you buy. Or, if you already have purchased one, use these sites to learn about your camera from their reader forums.

With digital, you have the choice of regular batteries or proprietary batteries, i.e. brand- specific, designed only for that camera. Obviously, standard batteries can be purchased anywhere, but both the batteries themselves and recharging units weigh quite a bit. Proprietary batteries generally are lighter (but more expensive), and come with a lightweight charger that plugs into a wall. Recharging time is generally less than ninety minutes.

Whatever your choice, you need to know roughly how many shots you can take per battery charge. Then carry at least one replacement, and figure out how you are going to recharge at your re-supply locations. There is no one easy solution; only a series of compromises that best fit your style. I certainly would encourage readers to share their solutions/style in letters to the editor, because this debate is of critical importance.

Finally, create a mental checklist for yourself before you start shooting. If you have changed your camera settings earlier in the day, be sure those settings are still applicable for your current conditions. Both film and digital cameras allow you to adjust numerous settings, such as light metering or white balance. (White balance in a digital camera is a specific mode that adjusts to different forms of light conditions, such as sunny, cloudy, shade, sunset, incandescent, fluorescent). All too often, I find I blow a shot because I did not remember to double check if earlier settings were right for the image I was taking now.

To sum up: Be there, charged up, literally and figuratively, with your camera reviewed and ready. It's the proverbial "be prepared." And if we sleep late, or if our camera isn't ready to shoot, know that we still have a great day ahead, and our learning curve does improve.

TIP 2: Digital Dynamics

"If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead."

-Gelett Burgess

FORTUNATELY, Pacific Crest Trail hikers have strong pulses and are very much alive, physically and emotionally. Yet, we all fall into the rut of doing things the way we always have done. When it comes to photography, most of us who are over 30 have been raised on film. We are used to prints, negatives, and slides, rather than bits, bytes, and pixels. Entrenched in what we understand and are used to, we tend to be nervous about trading the security of film for the mystery of memory cards which store the data of the digital camera.

I bought my first digital camera two years ago, as the quality of digital results was beginning to reach that of film. I finally embraced digital fully this Christmas and purchased an SLR Canon 20 D, which was fully compatible with the Canon lenses I used for my 35 mm camera.

In considering whether or not to go digital, comfort with old ways remains a legitimate reason to stay with film. The trail offers sufficient challenges without the added worry of figuring out unfamiliar technology. The purpose of this issue's column is not to educate about the inner workings of digital photography, but simply to set out the advantages as I see them today.

As a long time film user, I have nothing but praise for what digital offers. Within this field, one can choose among three types of cameras: point and shoot, advanced compact, and SLR. More details can be found at the web sites listed at the end of this article.

The first two cameras are smaller and lighter, generally have fewer features, "add-ons" and mega pixels. The SLR's present the same body as a full sized 35mm camera. Hence they are heavier, but they offer more internal features, lens options, and mega pixels. A pixel (short for "picture element") is simply a tiny colored dot. A million of these dots comprise one mega pixel. In a simple sense, the number of mega pixels determines the resolution and hence the quality of your pictures at the particular dimension you choose to print.

So, what are the advantages of digital over film?

Compactness/weight: Advanced compact digital cameras with 4 mega pixels come the size of a deck of cards. They are extremely light, fit easily into a pocket, making them instantly accessible.

Memory Cards: Now quite inexpensive, they can store huge amounts of data. This storage enables you to shoot as many images as dozens of rolls of film would record, thus allowing you to save bulk and weight. They also allow you to mail them from your resupply points to whoever you would like to post them on your website, or email them to. You simply be sure always to carry an extra or have a spare one included in your resupply package. Your friend or family can erase the one they receive, and send it to your next destination.

Review/Editing: Although it takes extra battery power, you can edit in the field, discarding shots you do not want. When you return home, you download your images to your computer and edit them further with the proprietary software that comes with your camera, or through a program such as Adobe Photo Shop Elements or, if you can afford it, full blown PhotoShop. Your computer becomes a digital darkroom, enabling you to crop, adjust colors, eliminate distracting objects and touch up dust spots or scratches. You become much more like an artist in fitting the image to your own aesthetic vision.

Organization/Storage: Once you download and edit your images, you have an incredible array of options: store them on your hard drive, on a CD or DVD, set them to a music, text, voice slide show, print them, email them to friends. You no longer have to wait for slides or prints to come back from the film processor and then decide how many prints to make for friends, and where to store them.

Dynamic joy: Instant gratification is yours! Whether in the field or in the digital darkroom, your mistakes are quickly remedied. You are no longer restrained by the worry of messing up--if only personal shortcomings could be rectified so easily. You do not have to worry about saving/squandering limited film. In fact, a digital camera will pay for itself as you save the money otherwise spent on film.

So, go out with enthusiasm and confidence. Get a basic book on digital photography. And, for starters, check websites like Imaging-Resources, www.imaging-resource.com; Digital Photography Review, www.dpreview.com; Digital Camera Resource, www.dcresource.com; and Photo.net, www.photo.net.

TIP 3: Your Camera-Don't Leave Home Without It!

"We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time."

-T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

AS TRAVELERS on the Pacific Crest Trail, whether through hiking or segment hiking, we carry more than what is in our packs. We bring a vast amount of naivet'e and wisdom, common sense and stupidity, physical fitness and unpreparedness. This article is not about how we arrive home and how we adjust. Rather, it covers the more mundane topic of how we choose to remember our explorations.

My sons continually exhort me not to bother with the extensive photography I do. They claim I can record it all in my memory. Wrong. The trail is much too long and varied to hold it all in one's mind. I am continually amazed when I look at my photos and realize how much I have forgotten. Additionally, the act of composing a picture, taking the time to look more deeply into the scenery, helps intensify its inscription on the brain. And finally, how do you best share your memories with friends unless it is through your pictures?

So, the first piece of advice in this tip: carry a camera. Or, if you are blessed with more talent than I, a sketch pad. You have many options regarding what kind of camera to carry--from a simple light weight point and shoot, to a heavier SLR to a digital. And, you can shoot print film, slide film, or record your images digitally.

Regardless of your camera choice, the second piece of advice is to know your camera. Just as you do not break in your boots on the trail, do not break in your camera on the trail. Gain a reasonable understanding of its potential and its limitations by shooting- and recording what you shoot (f stop, speed, object you were focusing on, lighting conditions)-ahead of time.

You know your camera; you carry your camera. Then, thirdly, you must understand light. Just as the Eskimos are supposed to have a hundred words to describe snow, so photographers should have one hundred words to describe light. Light never ceases to renew and stimulate, to transform and enfold.

As photographers, we must remember, our film does not record the light our eyes see. Our eyes are fearfully and wonderfully complex-the physics, the chemistry, the biology of the eye are beyond easy comprehension. Our eyes can simultaneously see detail in the deep shadow at a camera's aperture of f/3.5 to bright sun at f/22. Our film, however, cannot. Print film will record detail generally up to four or five f/ stops; slide film will record about three f/ stops. Digital range is roughly similar to print film. This concept is labeled film latitude.

In other words, if the brightest area of the scene you want to shoot is f/16 and the darkest is f/5.6, your resulting image will either be partially washed out (overexposed) or deeply darkened (underexposed). So, what to do?

If your camera is sophisticated enough, spot meter the brightest area and the darkest area to determine how far apart the two aperture readings are. If the distance between f/ stops exceeds your film's latitude, then you must choose which portion of the scene -the bright or the dark-you wish to include in your composition. If you only have a point and shoot camera, then you must mentally estimate the range, and make the same choice. Whereas digital presents about the same latitude as print film, you do have the option of manipulating the result in a program such as Photoshop to balance the spectrum of light and dark. However, it will be easier to obtain the digital adjustment you want if your initial image is closer to a reasonable range of contrast

More advanced solutions include using a neutral density filter (ND filter) or fill flash. Those are topics for another column, or for your own research. Both techniques are excellent ways to go beyond the boundaries of your film's (or pixel's) latitude.

Many of us who backpack subscribe to the Communicator and Backpacker Magazine for hiking advice. I recommend subscribing to Outdoor Photographer for at least a year. The photographic tips, covering all kinds of camera formats, including digital, are excellent. Additionally, the magazine obviously presents many photographs. Study what professional photographers do, and start to imitate them. Once you have learned the basics, you can then develop your own unique vision.

As this deeper way of seeing expands, then we begin to know "the place for the first time." Eric is happy to answer questions about his columns/tips or photography in general. You can reach him at evalenti@eoni.com