How-To
Text And Photography By James Kay
Getting the most out of a point-and-shoot camera is about understanding the limitations. James Kay used a small Canon PowerShot on an ultralight hiking expedition in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, and these are some of the images he brought back. Above: Last light on the north ridge of Goodale Mountain, John Muir Wilderness.
Perhaps you were channel-surfing with me a couple years ago when I stumbled across a fascinating special about a team of underwater photographers working to document the prolific underwater habitat surrounding Cocos Island off the coast of Central America. The first 15 minutes of the program dealt with all the camera and diving gear the team would need on location. The camera slowly panned across an enormous pile of equipment assembled on the floor of the chief photographer’s studio. It was enough to fill a shipping container.
That image leapt to mind in the summer of 2012 as I debated how much gear to bring on an expedition to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. My climbing buddy, Ken Bilak, and I were looking to tackle a rugged 30-mile section of the Sierra High Route between Bishop Creek and Taboose Pass. As opposed to the John Muir Trail that, for most of its length in the Sierras, travels along low-altitude valley bottoms, this high-altitude, off-trail route parallels the jagged crest of the Sierras over high, boulder-strewn, windswept passes in the shadow of the range’s most spectacular 14,000-foot peaks, a few of which we’d climb along the way.
As I assembled gear into a pile on the floor of my studio, I had to be ruthless in deciding what to bring and what to leave behind. Since we’d be negotiating SUV-sized boulders, steep scree slopes and occasional Class 3 climbing moves along the way, I didn’t want a huge, ungainly backpack throwing off my balance. The goal was to travel fast and light with the minimum amount of gear necessary. As I whittled away at the pile, I kept glancing at the small chest pack, which contained my Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the 24-105mm lens attached to it. This lightweight setup is always my default choice for trips where I need to keep my gear’s weight down.
After more whittling and refining, I finally reduced my camping gear to an acceptable minimum, but that camera pack was still the same size. It only weighed in at a little more than six pounds, but every pound counted, and the thought began to creep into my mind that perhaps I should just leave it behind entirely and take a vacation from photography. I’d be camera-free and could simply concentrate on the experience instead of always being preoccupied with looking around for that next shot. But, of course, as a photographer, that would be tantamount to heresy, wouldn’t it? How could I possibly consider spending a week in “The Range of Light” without my camera?