Alpkit Compact Ultra II Walking Poles

I remember the first time I saw photographs of mountaineers in the Himalaya using ski sticks to aid walking. Jump forward 30 odd years and we now see them being used to aid walking along the streets in Lake District towns. They have become an almost essential ingredient in the ‘fashionable walking holiday wardrobe’. I was ‘anti poles’ initially and still believe that to some extent we are better to manage our own balance when on difficult terrain. I first began to take note however when older mountaineers expressed the view that the use of walking poles reduced the stress on their knees and hips when descending. As we age and our leg joints wear and this seemed a reasonable response. One might extend the knee support argument further and postulate that perhaps the use of poles might also reduce the wear and tear in joints if used before they become ‘needed’. The research carried out certainly suggests that this is the case. Views and perspectives change over time and from being anti poles, I am now a frequent user and especially so in the case of photography in the mountains. I’m much more likely to use poles when photographing as my pack weight is likely to be substantially greater than any normal day sack weight. I also find them to be enormously helpful when wading out into flowing water (even if less deep than the height of my wellies) for that perfect spot from which to photograph. Finally given the value of the contents of a photo backpack, I find them a reassuring support when crossing fast flowing water by wading or stepping from rock to rock. There is a bewildering choice of poles out there at a huge range of prices and including esoteric materials such as carbon fibre. After trying and using a number of options from familiar brands, I settled on the subject of this review, the Alpkit Compact Ultra II folding poles. The route to this choice was relatively straightforward although it took some years to navigate. There are essentially only a few choices to make:

• Budget - This ranges from about £5 per pole to well over £100 per pair.

• Twist lock or snap lock

• Sliding (telescopic) or folding

• Material / weight - usually ranging from alloy to carbon fibre.

• Shock absorption - some poles have an internal spring section to reduce impact shock.

• Grip style these vary from a simple foam cylinder grip to carefully moulded anatomical grips.

My own reasoning was as follows. I don't like things sticking up over the top of a rucksack so the two/three section sliding poles are usually too tall even when stowed. This is particularly relevant when negotiating  woodland with poles strapped on to your pack. Anything that reaches above the bag can and will get caught on branches.I find that twist lock poles become much harder to tighten and loosen when they and hands are wet and (from the samples I’ve tried) are prone to being jammed completely by ice in winter. I find the folding snap lock system quicker and easier. I’ll pay the cost to obtain the performance I want but don't choose to ‘over cook’ the specification. The weight saving from alloy to carbon fibre doesn't seem worthwhile to me (unlike with tripods for instance).I also have a leaning towards new agile small companies trying to do things right and in a good way. Alpkit have a very sound ethical approach and I believe such ethics should be supported. Combining all the above I bought a pair of Alpkit Compact Ultra II poles and have never looked back. The poles, sold individually or as a pair, weigh in at a quoted 275g each. My pair weighed 500g.The only change to the quoted spec is that I don't carry the point protectors. These are too easily lost in my opinion and best left at home.  When stowed they are delightfully compact and measure no more than 38cm. To save having to readjust for working length each time they are used, I leave mine ready set at my normal length while stowed and this results in a slightly longer packed size of 51cm. When packed at minimum size, not only will they stow neatly on the outside of a rucksack, they will fit inside even some very small 10L day sacks.This model represents an improved version of the original on which the hand loops were a little undersized. On these, the loops are sufficient for all users. There are poles with better adjusters and those with worse, these are about the middle in terms of smoothness or difficulty of adjustment. The grips are lightly contoured foam and are both comfortable and offer good grip in use. I was a little suspicious of the locking mechanism for the bottom section when I bought the poles. This is a spring loaded ball which pushes through a hole in the leg. Despite my concern the mechanism might clog with dirt,  has been flawless for the year that I’ve owned the set.If you walk the hills and tracks, I’d recommend that you consider a set of walking poles. If you are a photographer, carrying a heavy photo backpack and working in wild terrain, I’d recommend the investigation still further. In my case not only is stability increased and knee/hip pain reduced but I feel less tired after a long day on the hill than without them. If you decide that poles are for you, I’d recommend these Alpkit poles without the slightest reservation.

A hierarchy of Landscape Photography

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A number of posts on Twitter this week have set me thinking. There are many ways in which we as landscape photographers may choose to describe our work.We may seek to produce entirely representational 'forensic records' of a scene we witness. We might give the viewer an amended version that seeks to relate what we saw and  perhaps more importantly felt at that moment. We might create a piece of art by manipulating the forms that were present by combining multiple exposures or using Intentional Camera Movement. We may engage in entirely conceptual or abstract responses delivered via the medium of photography. If we pursue the clasifications we may eliminate or embrace the use of filters in camera, we may adopt or abhore the use of processing with software and we may chose to make our images digitally or with film. We may choose a high technology photography instrument or a pinhole camera or even no camera at all.These and all manner of alternatives seem entirely laudable and in their own measure satisfying or mystifying. What is however abhorrent and the most fruitless waste of time and endeavour is when photographers or critcs seek to create a hierarchy out of the above and to arrange them into some nebulous set of stepping stones across which any aspirant photographer must pass and will inevitably be judged based on how many steps have been completed.To suggest to any artist that the only way in which they can achive work of quality is by leaping from one of these stepping stones to the next is not only arrogant but a complete failure to understand the essential personal nature of any artistic process. Denigrating the work and efforts of others is a very poor alternative to gaining satisfaction from your own work.Enjoy what you do, respond to rather than judge the work of others and encourage all to enjoy and achieve fulfillment from what they do. Of all these, simply showing kindness instead of point scoring is not a bad place to start.Rant over.... 

Why don't you come on over Vallerret?

Vallerret are a young Norwegian company trying to conquer a niche market. Their core product is an insulated glove with up to two fingertips that can be slipped back to allow fingertips to more easily operate camera controls. There are two gloves and one mitt in the range along with some inners. Refreshingly they offer a women’s specific glove but sadly not alternatives to every model. In every case the hinged fingertip can be secured out of the way by use of sewn in magnets. Having found the perfect glove setup as described here, it was with much interest that I decided to investigate these specialist gloves from Vallerret. I’m fussy if not obsessive about gloves and as the years go by this seems to be increasing. Increasing partly because I see no justification for accepting anything less than the best I can manage and increasing because I seem to feel the cold more and more. I’m also fussy about the fit of gloves and so waited until The Photography Show, last April,  so as to be able to try them out under a number of permutations with various liners. The model I was interested in was the iPsoot, their premium glove. This is their top of the range glove, designed for deep winter. It uses a combination of Merino wool as a lining and Thinsulate as the primary insulation. Thinsulate has been a round for a considerable length of time but has been very low profile for many years as advances and advertising have driven a search for more down like synthetics. The glove is advertised as being suitable for the addition of a liner glove but oddly the sizing guidelines suggest that no size adjustment is needed to accommodate such a liner. I was a little nervous from the outset as the advertising equated ‘deep winter conditions’ with deep powder snow and we know that for those of us who are UK based,  deep winter usually means low temperatures but accompanied by wind and wet. Two very different scenarios and a thoughtful purchaser should note that these gloves are not sold as waterproof, it isn't even hinted at. If the buyer is considering using these in the mountains the presence of magnets should also be noted. They hold the fingertips back nicely but also wreak havoc with compasses. The first note of caution is in the sizing as thought has to be given to the balance between length and breadth. I preferred an XL for the relaxed fit and space for a decent liner but in XL, the fingers were so long that when the tip was peeled back, my own finger didn't reach out of the end.  Delivery was very swift as promised but a large stock shipment had just come in to the warehouse, I’ve noticed a regular set of ‘out of stock’ notes over the time I’ve been looking. First impressions at the show were very good. A high quality product, well made and thoughtfully designed.The stitching and assembly were neat and well finished. Unfortunately the show had been a great success for Vallerret and they had run out of stock in many sizes. Having tried on demo models, I had to pay and wait for delivery.My own hand measurements are Length 19cm Girth 21.5, they equates to a size Large as detailed above.  I struggled to get a good fit as the XL size was better around the palm but the fingers were so long that my finger didn't even reach the peel back flap.In use there are issues with which to contend. As mentioned above the gloves are not waterproof in any useful way. Few gloves are, even among those that claim to be, these don't make any such claim. This is not a failing of the glove of course, it simply means the information needs to be read carefully before purchase and our typical winters taken into account along with a realistic set of expectations. I don't knock any points off for waterproofing as the description is accurate and honest. We therefore have a product that has had substantial design work done, high quality materials and as far as I can see very good workmanship. They look superb. However the biggest issue that I have with the gloves is the substantial lack of dexterity that results from their thickness and lack of flexibility. This came as a bit or a surprise having tried them on at the show and the only reasonable explanation that I can come up with is that the gloves were warm. In normal cold outdoor use I found them to be unusable for my purposes, destroying any real dexterity when trying to handle camera, lenses, filters or other smaller items. Although very personal, I also didn't find them nearly warm enough for the advertised deep winter conditions. As a comparison, the Rab baltoro Glove  is much, much more flexible for a similar if not better warmth and allows small items to be handed precisely and confidently. Finally and of course it is a highly personal perception, I didn't' find them nearly warm enough for use when there was snow lying on the ground. Adding a liner increased warmth but reduced dexterity still further. I liked these gloves as  a piece of thinking and design but could see no reason to keep them and they have now moved off to the well known auction site. I'm much, much happier with my existing MacWet/Montane combination and so far have found nothing that improves upon it. I do see that Vallerret now offer a zipped mitt with a primaloft lining which will probably tempt me to investigate a little more closely. I am also mulling over the Heat Company's Heat 3 Smart Mitt which may also offer an interesting alternative. 

Some hours in a hole in the ground

I have a bit of a mantra that I trot out on 1:1 ‘s or in conversations, debates etc. I’m happy to share a perspective and share my approach. I’m never an advocate of expressing a view that this or that is the ‘right way’ or ‘best way’ of approaching any aspect of what we do. A little non harmful anarchy can be a good thing. I’m not an evangelist for any approach, philosophy, technique or piece of equipment. The only situation where I’ll take a firm stance is on an approach to avoiding damaging the very beauty we come to look at or photograph.Many landscape photographers have bucket lists, I seem to have a few vague ideas kicking around rather than a hit list of places I must see. Most of the places that feature frequently on the bucket lists of others don’t excite me - I’m not being critical of them or of those who add them, many of them simply don't ring my idiosyncratic bell. There is also an often observed practice of ticking locations off and collecting them like stamps. This leads to some high speed driving and a schedule of collecting multiple locations in a day. This isn’t wrong, it’s just not my way. I like returning to familiar places and I like spending time in one place. The last two trips I’ve made to Skye (despite a 7 hr journey) have resulted in time spent in just a single location, Elgol. I’d rather spend three days just being there than collecting locations across the island. Last week I managed to spend a day in North Wales and as is my way, devoted the whole time to just one location.Within that general location, I made all my photographs in just one spot and of just two trees. I didn’t make an enormous number of exposures but I did spend a significant amount of time there. As usual, I generally wander about a bit and spend a substantial amount of time just sitting. I am a great believer in spending time being still, sitting is a comfortable way of achieving this for me. The longer you sit the more you notice and the physical or apparent size of what you notice diminishes. You start to see, hear, feel and generally be aware of more. Sometimes I close my eyes and just listen or notice the scents of trees, plants etc.Of the two trees, one composition came immediately and it was just a question of getting up and across the fallen boulders to find a spot where I could bring it to fruition. I shot a couple of variations but there only ever one that was going to be right.The other tree, was much more interesting (in terms of challenge)  and presented many more questions. It was a little ‘odd’ shooting it from below the horizontal but it was the only way to gain some separation for the lower branches from the boulder on the right and the pile of stones on the left. The need for that separation was instinctive and no alternative was given any significant consideration. To the left and below the tree is a tunnel opening, I found it distracting and so all compositions eliminated it. My portrait format is always 5:4 but landscape can be anything from 3:2 to 18:6. Square is also always possible .The aspects that first impinged upon me were the bright greens of the tree and the dark blues of the wall behind. I knew immediately that this contrast was key and would need to be exaggerated beyond a ‘forensic’ record shot. This then led to the obvious decisions about:

• How much space to leave around/above/below the tree

• Vertical and horizontal placement of the tree

Final Choice

To slim this post down to a manageable length, this led to the following choices. Tree low in frame or tree lower centre in height. Tree far left/ far right and tree central. A consideration was also made between how much importance was given to the ‘tongue’ of rock and grass leading down from the tree and the large expanse of wall behind. Finally there were some interesting colours in the wall behind that could be used to set against the colours in the tree. The thoughts below are brief but represent what went through my mind at the time of making the images. The picture at the top was the 'final' choice and currently remains my favourite.The version where the tree is placed to the right has a relative balance. The main feature being offset is usually pleasing on the eye and in this case, the tree is balanced by the substantial collapse feature on the wall to the left. I dont like the way the green tongue disappears out of the bottom of the frame and also feel that the tree feels a little compressed by the lack of space around it.  With the tree to the left the 'balance is brough to some extent by the remains of the blast hut partially hidden under the overhang at far right. Allowing the tongue to finish however causes the upper part of the frame to be compressed.  This was a more successful composition for me using my most comfortable 5:4 ratio and allowing the tongue to lead out through a favoured frame corner. There was just enough wall at the top aided by the light to give a little space above the tree. Although I am partial to a square, this composition seemed very cramped and I couldn't make a variation with more space without also including an unacceptable level of peripheral distraction. I very much wanted this variation to work as I felt the entire scene was about the relationship between the tree and the huge quarry wall behind. In my heart it still works but in order to include the wall a decision had to be made about where to crop the bottom part of the frame. Cropping any lower, and including any more of the feature on which the tree stands, included far too many distractions. The crop at the base of the tree, as it stands, seems much too abrupt to me at the moment. This is one I'll return to at some point to see if a re-working might improve things. The final choice, as featured larger at the top of the post is currently my favourite. (Give me six months and I'll hate it...) Most 'guidelines' for composition warn against a central placement for the key element however for me, it works best here. It both emphasizes the fine tree, lit from above and seems to best set that tree off against the wall behind. It allows some sense of scale to the wall and finally allows the best compromise (that I managed to find) between giving space around the tree and excluding distractions. The processing of all is pretty straightforward being mostly a case of a little vignette around the tree, some split toning to emphasis the blue of the slate and a curves adjustment to darken down the wall behind.

Little by little

Today was  another day devoted mainly to the 24mm PC-e lens. I set off for one of my very favourite places, Deepdale. This is a lonely valley accessed from the road to Patterdale. Despite easy access, very few people make their way there in comparison with the standard Lakes honey pots. In 7 hours I only saw one walker heading up the valley. This provided an interruption and distraction free time in which to develop greater experience with this challenging lens. I understand the general principles of Tilting and have read all that I could find in terms of practical usage advice. I was also helped enormously by Andy Phillips who generously shared with me his precise step by step process.I felt that the only way to develop was simply to use it a lot until some of the thinking was replaced by feeling. That's what I've been doing since buying it. Not all situations lend themselves to a T&S lens or indeed to 24mm however and I havent tried to 'force the issue'. Today was the first day in which I have felt the balance shift towards a majority of success rather than failures. Today I made progress in a number of aspects. I think I am beginning to get a 'feel' for the tilt and refocus process; when things look right, they are increasingly right. I also chose use the viewfinder more than live view in the initial setup. I had also been focussing on the nearest point before tilting for the distance but today I've been focusing on a point a little further out and the number of iterations seems to have decreased.Probably the key gain today is that I felt the lens was working with me and not against me. I was enjoying using it and not fighting it. Perhaps the peace and tranquility of the location helped, perhaps it is just another inevitable step. The attached image was made with the 24mm f3.5 PC-E, 30s at f11 with a Lee Polariser and 3 stop ND.

Intimate Landscapes

Perhaps I'm the last human on the planet to discover this, but if not.... The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) have a free copy in pdf form of Eliot Porter's wonderful photographs 'Intimate Landscapes' being an Exhibition Catalogue from 1979. There is no real substitute for a physical book but this is still a delightful collection and best of all, free. Have a wander over tohttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/intimate_landscapes_photographs

Learning Curve

I'm on a learning curve that has suddenly steepened. A few weeks ago a 24mm PC-e lens arrived along with a determination to achieve control over it. This morning was another instalment, beginning at 4.30 (which is frankly getting ridiculous...) and concluding with more thoughts about selling it.I think I understand the principle. Frame the image, focus on a point about 1/3 of the way up the frame then apply a tiny amount of tilt forward to bring everything into focus. I know everyone applies too much and am careful of that. I use live view and magnification to check the focus. I have a Lupe to allow me to magnify the live view screen. I feel I'm doing it all right but still failing to make a substantial or indeed any significant improvement over using my 16-35mm well stopped down and carefully focussed. I'm going to edit and add to this post as blog within a blog. I'd be really keen to hear others people's views and experience. If you have one or have ever had a PC /T&S lens, do contribute.Update 6/5/17 The Pc-e lens has gone. I am in the fortunate position of being able to do what I enjoy. I wasn't enjoying this lens and it wasn't adding to what I could achieve. Even allowing for the need to learn and practise I was hating the fuss necessary to make a photograph. I don't mind slowing down and taking time but this lens sucked out my desire to live. I don't know whether I expected too much or if I simply failed to make the lens perform to its full or even if the lens was faulty. It would have required an even greater financial investment to investigate and my patience was done.Lit is being replaced by a Zeiss 25mm f2 that comes with a colossal reputation. This will no doubt become the subject of further ramblings in this blog.