High Speed Drop Photography–Getting Started by Joseph Calev

There are many things in photography that if given enough time and financial resources, I’d probably try out. However the reality of my life is that I don’t have enough time or money to do cool things like High Speed Drop Photography. As a result, my friend Joseph Calev is here to guest blog again to tell you about his experience getting into this cool new world.

NOTE: The content that follows is Joe’s opinion. I have not made edits beyond fixing typos or sizing.

Ron

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Introduction

For quite some time I have been interested in high speed photography.  Last week I finally bit the bullet and picked up some gear to make this a lot easier.  In the following article I will discuss my setup and some of the decisions I have made thus far.  Keep in mind when reading this that I have been doing high speed photography (so far just drops) for only a week and I am still figuring a lot of things out.  Below is one of the first shots I took with my setup.

Water Drop by Joseph Calev

The basics of high speed photography

Some time ago I spent a great deal of effort photographing drops from melted ice.  I spent several hours outside with my camera in the exact position I needed it and continuously pressed the shutter at the right moment.  More often than not I missed my goal and out of every 100 shots I would wind up with about four or five in focus.  Of course, of the photos in focus many of them were quite uninteresting.  As you can imagine, it took quite a few shots and a lot of time to get something decent.

The real problem in high speed photography is improving the odds by making sure you have something in focus in the viewfinder with each shot.  This allows you to spend more of your time working on the most crucial part - making a photo that is actually interesting.  The key here is firing your camera and flash at the exact moment you need to.  There are really four parts to high speed photography.

The trigger - This is the thing that has to happen for some action to start.  For all of my water drops thus far this has been the act of pushing a button.  There are many types of triggers though.  You have infrared and laser triggers, microphones, and special triggers for ballistics.  The idea is something needs to happen to start the events in motion that will lead to your photo.

The flash - This is one case where it is better to have a small speedlight rather than a larger powered light.  You need your flash to freeze your subject as most cameras only go down to 1/8000 second - too slow for a lot of high speed work.  What many do not know about lights is that a 'more powerful' flash creates this by holding the light for a longer period.  Therefore for high speed photography you need to set your flash at the lowest setting.  I currently use two 580EX flashes set to 1/128 - which gives a duration of around 1/40,000 second.  At some point I hope to pick up the Microflash Pro.  This flash gives the same power as two 580EX flashes at full power at a speed of 1/28,000 second.  Alternatively it can go down to speeds of 35 microseconds.  However, at a price of £1800 it was too much to include in my initial setup.

The camera - As I previously mentioned it is the flash that illuminates the subject.  The camera doesn't do much in the equation except cause problems. :) The main issue is there exists a lag between when the camera is triggered and when it actually fires.  On Canon cameras, this lag actually varies unless you use mirror lock.  With mirror lock, I measures my 5D Mark II to have a shutter lag of 83.7 milliseconds.  For drops this is not much of an issue.  You simply need to factor your shutter lag into the equation.  However when photographing things that move invariably and quickly - such as insects - this will not work at all.  For this type of photography you need a special solenoid shutter that typically fits in front of your lens.  You then place your camera in bulb mode and trigger your solenoid.  A good solenoid shutter will have a lag of less than 5 milliseconds.  I currently do not have such a shutter but I anticipate having one by the summer.

The orchestrator - The most crucial piece of equipment you need is something that reacts to the trigger by firing the flash and the camera.  There are several triggers available on the market today.

• Hiviz - These are very simply hobbyist triggers that depend on the camera being placed in bulb mode in a dark room.  Given a particular trigger it then fires a flash.  Images from these triggers typically have dark backgrounds.  The triggers themselves are not very sophisticated compared to the other options.
• Mumford Time Machine - This is one of the first high speed devices I heard of and I almost purchased this model.  It is close to the Stopshot in functionality, but I found the specs of the Stopshot to be more flexible.  Stopshot offers more outputs and a lighted screen (add ons to the Time Machine) and it is possible to connect two Stopshots together.  The user interface of the Stopshot also appears to be better.
• Cognisys Stopshot - This is what I ended up purchasing.  I had a lot of questions about this device before I purchased it and they were very prompt and helpful in answering them.  They are also continuously innovating - unlike the other triggers which seem more like static products.
• Phototrap - While I am sure this trigger works just fine, from looking at the specs it appears to do less than the Stopshot.  I have the feeling this trigger is more geared towards wildlife photographers in the field, but they do seem to heavily push their system through wildlife photography classes.  Basically you take a wildlife photography class where a photographer shows you some of the great things you can do with the trigger and you wind up buying it before you are done.  From what I can tell though the Stopshot and Time Machine will do more for less money.

My setup

Below is a shot of my current setup.  As I have already stated, keep in mind that I have only had this gear for a week and am still working on things.

One aspect in which I have deviated significantly from many drop photographers is I prefer to use store bought components rather than building things myself.  A quick search on the web will reveal a number of different ways to create a drop setup from wood.  However I wanted something that offered more flexibility.  I am also quite limited in time.  Therefore the following is what I put together.

• On the sides you can see two light stands.  It doesn't really matter which ones they are.  I tend to prefer taller air cushioned ones but I currently own four different light stands - none of them the same.
• At the top of the light stand I have a Bogen Clamp on either side.  Between the two light stands I then have a Bogen Arm.  Originally my plan was to attach a background stand holder to each clamp and then rest the arm on the holders.  However this allowed the arm to spin - which is very bad for precision scenarios.  Therefore I have the arm actually held by each clamp and the clamps screwed in to the top of the stands.  This is one great advantage of buying flexible parts as it allows me to improvise when necessary.  This setup allows me to easily vary the height of the siphon.
• On the top you can see the water siphon from Cognisys.  This comes as part of their water drop kit.  Here is a close-up.

The siphon is attached to Cognisys's tripod holder for the siphon.  I am not crazy about this holder but it works.  The most annoying thing is I have to unscrew it to take the siphon out.  I would have preferred some type of clamp and someday I may look into whether there is some type of bracket the will attach to a Bogen Clamp that will do a better job.  The tripod holder is screwed into another Bogen Clamp (can you tell I really like Bogen Clamps?!)  Immediately below the siphon is the water valve (with the red wires attached).  This connects to the Stopshot and releases the water.  Below the water valve is a small infrared trigger.  I am actually not using this right now as the trigger is a button push but this will factor in when I begin using multiple liquids.  To the left of the siphon I have another Bogen Clamp with a heavy duty Bogen Flexible Arm holding another tripod bracket.  In the future this will hold another siphon - which I already have.  This will allow me to work with multiple liquids at the same time.  On the far right of the shot is yet another Flexible Arm + Bogen Clamp for a third siphon.  The blue inside the siphon is from food coloring.  The upside down Sub-Zero box behind the setup is a fort my kids made (most expensive fort yet).

Here is a close-up of the bottom setup.

I am currently targeting the drops to a setup of brightly colored bowls I bought at a local store.  In the future I plan to also buy some straight pans and put a white background behind it.  I can then change the color of the background by modifying the flash illuminating it.  I am still playing with lighting setups but for now I have one 580EX on a small Gorillapod.  The other is held up by another Bogen Flexible Arm attached to another Bogen Clamp.  I have no preference for one way or the other but I only own one Gorillapod.  In this shot I have both flashes gelled with Rosco modifiers from the Color Effects kit (which comes in sheets that I cut to 3" x 5" gels).  In this particular shot IMHO I would have been better off without the gels.

In the corner of the table you can see the Stopshot.  The Stopshot is connected to the water valve above.  A special cable connects the Stopshot to my camera and I have both flashes connected to the same output via an RCA Y cable.  The camera itself is on my tripod that I previously discussed on Ron's blog [see Ron’s tripod & head recommendations].  It is a Gitzo 2541EX with an Acratech GP ball head and two Really Right Stuff macro rails.  It is the same tripod I typically use for macro photography.  On the camera itself is the 100mm 2.8 IS Macro.

Other miscellaneous items on the table are a ruler to measure the height of the water valve (to do calculations for the timing), a pencil I use for focusing, and a measuring glass I use for pouring liquids (don't tell my wife though - she still wonders where it went to...)

Below are some of my results so far.

Drop Monster by Joseph Calev

Water Man by Joseph Calev

Overall I am very pleased with the Stopshot thus far.  Once you figure it out it works quite well - though this is definitely one piece of equipment where you need to read the manual.  It also provides a good lesson in cable organization as I counted exactly 30 cables in the box with my kit.  I now have a rack in my garage just for cables.  I still have a lot of things to learn.  For example I have not dealt with the following yet.

• Different liquids provide different types of drops.  I have yet to work with milk are additives to water other than food coloring (rinse aid, guar gum).
• As previously stated I want to try setting the background color via a white background and a gelled flash.
• I currently own three siphons, but am only working with one thus far.  In the future I want to use multiple drops of different liquids.  With a single siphon multiple drops are supported but are obviously of the same liquid.
• I also own the cross laser trigger.  In the future I will use this for insects but it has other uses I haven't had time to investigate yet.
• I also own a microphone trigger, but haven't played with that yet either.

Disclosure

Joe approached me about his excitement getting these products, so I extended an offer for him to blog about his experience. Neither Joe nor I have any known direct affiliation with most of the companies mentioned on this blog. In the limited cases where I do (i.e., Amazon, Adorama, & B&H), I may make a commission if you make a purchase from their site.

Holiday Gift Guide for Canon Macro Photographers by Joseph Calev

Today I’m happy to have blog reader Joseph Calev share with you his thoughts on what you might want to add to your holiday wish list to get great macro shots. Joe shoots exclusively with Canon, so my apologies for the lack of Nikon coverage. However, Nikon has equivalent lenses to several mentioned below so in most cases the same recommendations would still apply.

Introduction

Macro photography can be both difficult and rewarding. For me, it grew out of a lack of time to take a day off to photograph. With two young kids at home that simply isn’t an option. However, it is quite easy to go outside or to a nearby park to take a few photographs. With macro photography you rarely need to go very far.

Unlike many other types of photography, macro photography does require specialized gear. It also requires significantly different technique from ‘normal’ photography. As this is a holiday gift guide, I will not discuss the technique at all here. I will also not cover macro gear in general, but instead will discuss specifically what I use on a day to do basis to take macro photographs.

Cameras

The truth is almost any SLR will work for macro photography. The lenses are what make the difference. It is true that many point and shoot cameras work very well for macro photography as they allow very close focus. For example, cameras like the G12 and X10 claim to do macro, but I haven’t experimented with that yet. As a result, I will only focus discuss Canon DSLR’s in this article as that is what I use..

I use two different cameras on a day to day basis – a 5D Mark II and a 7D. The 7D has a few advantages – such as a 1.6 crop and supposedly it works better with the image stabilization in the 100mm f/2.8L Hybrid IS Macro, but I almost never use it for macro. Instead I typically use my 5D Mark II. Why? There are two main reasons.

The 5D Mark II provides much better low light performance. I shoot many of my macro photographs hand held and high ISO definitely helps there. With the 5D Mark II I can receive fairly good quality up to ISO 3200. With the 7D I do not feel comfortable going past ISO 400.

Due to the pixel pitch of the 5D Mark II, it has much lower diffraction than the 7D. For those not familiar with diffraction, it is an optical phenomenon that causes pictures to lose clarity as one increases magnification and pixel pitch. This results in quite poor quality at higher magnifications on my 7D than with my 5D Mark II.

If you are looking for a DSLR camera specifically for macro, low light performance and larger pixels are what you should consider. For this reason I already have a 1D-X on preorder that will eventually replace both cameras.

Lenses

Most people are not aware that “macro” photographs may be taken with many different types of lenses. The easiest way to get into macro is to buy either a Canon 500D Close-up Lens (called a diopter) or Kenko Extension Tubes. Canon also makes extension tubes, but unless you are putting them on a large telephoto such as a 400mm the Kenko ones will work just fine. Typically you use a diopter on a telephoto lens (particularly the 100-400mm) and extension tubes on shorter lenses. I will not go further into the details on the difference here – other than to say I have owned both of them and sold the diopter long ago while I still own and use the extension tubes often.

I will first discuss the lenses I use for macro purposes that are not true macro lenses. Note that I am using a fairly loose definition of “macro”. True macro is 1:1 or 1x – meaning on a 35mm sensor a 35mm subject takes the entire frame. However, when I say macro in this article I just mean “close”.

Canon 70-200mm & 2x Extender Combo

One of my favorite lenses for macros is my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. Below is a shot taken with it.

 Nature's Pumpkin by Joseph Calev

The 70-200 2.8 II has a respectable magnification of .21x.  It is also an extremely versatile lens - usable for many other purposes than just macro.  When combined with the 2x III Extender, the magnification doubles and provides even better macro abilities - though it does reduce the sharpness. 

The photograph below was also taken with this combo:. 

The Trap by Joseph Calev

My 70-200 2.8 II and combined with the 2x III Extender work great for macro, but that is not the only use for this configuration. I also use it for many different purposes - from photographing my kids to travel photography. I also use this combo most often for wildlife photography, so this is a case where an investment in this combo can serve many needs.

Canon 300mm f/4L IS

Another lens with strong macro capabilities is the 300L F4 IS.  In fact, this is the main purpose I purchased the lens.  This makes a great lens for photographing dragonflies and butterflies.  Dragonflies in particular can be skittish so it is extremely useful there.  The shot below was taken with this lens:

As is the case with my 70-200 2.8 II, macro is not the main thing I use this lens for. I also use it for sports, so once again you don’t have to limit yourself to specialty “macro” lenses to get great results.

Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt-Shift Manual Focus Lens

Wide angle lenses can also make nice macro lenses.  They offer a different perspective than the traditional "telephoto" macro and are very useful for taking a close up shot combined with its environment.  Not all wide angle lenses work well for macro, but my favorite one is the TS-E 24 II.  As with my 70-200 2.8 II and 300/4 IS macro is not the main purpose for this lens either.  I use it primarily for architecture but it does a decent job with macro as well.  The photo below was taken with it.

The Country by Joseph Calev

As you can see with the above three lenses, they are excellent lenses that have macro capabilities, but they are not typically thought of as specialized “macro” lenses.

While we are on the subject of tilt-shift lenses, it is worth mentioning that I also use the TS-E 90.  I use this lens occasionally for portraits and non-macro reasons, but I primarily use it for macro - often with an extension tube.  With a native magnification of .29x and the abilities to shift and tilt, this is my preferred lens when photographing flowers. 

When photographers hear the word "tilt-shift", they often think of those cute little miniature-like shots, but the truth is they have far more practical uses.  One particular use is to selectively blur parts of the background.  The shot below was taken with it.

Orchid Dance by Joseph Calev

What about dedicated macro lenses?

Thus far I’ve showed you how you don’t have to use specialized macro lenses to get great macro photos. However, I do actually use some dedicated macro lenses as well. I’ll now describe which ones I use and why.

100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro

The most useful macro lens in a general case is the 100mm 2.8 IS Macro.  This lens is very similar to the much cheaper 100mm 2.8 Macro that lacks the image stabilization. However, I think the image stabilization is well worth it based on my experience with both lenses.

This lens is my second most used macro lens overall and the only true macro lens I take on vacations.  With the image stabilization, I am able to take many shots hand held that simply would not be possible without it.  My main targets for it are nature and small objects in stores.  The image quality is outstanding and given the price this is one of the biggest bangs you can get for the buck Canon lens-wise.  The shot below was taken with it:

Flowers by Joseph Calev

Canon 180mm L Macro

Another lens that I have owned in the past is the 180L Macro.  My copy this lens was a disappointment as it was nowhere near as sharp as my other macro lenses, so I never really enjoyed using it. Personally I’d recommend the other lenses I’ve suggested thus far over this one as a better use of your money.  Ron didn’t care for it much either when he borrowed my copy and wrote this article.

Canon Macro Photo MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Manual Focus

My most used macro overall is the MP-E 65.  This lens is significantly different than all others mentioned so far because it can only take macro photographs.  This lens compensates for this limitation by offering a native magnification between 1x to an astonishing 5x. 

While I love this lens, beginners should not start with this lens.  It is an extremely challenging lens to use and requires either a very good tripod or a macro flash to be usable at all.  At higher magnifications the depth of field becomes extremely shallow and diffraction becomes an issue. In fact, at this magnification even breathing can violently shakes the camera and ruin a shot. 

Another challenge when using this lens is that the viewfinder can be extremely dark making focusing difficult (and this is a manual focus only lens), so a camera with Live View is a must. 

I typically use this lens with an MT-24 EX Flash along with the CP-E4 battery back.  I also use some specialized sto-fen diffusers and a special hood to both soften the light and prevent some of it from reflecting back into the lens.  While this lens is a challenge to use, the results can be extraordinary.  The following photos were taken with this combo:

Lighting

Lighting is a huge concern in macro.  As you move in close to subjects, shadows may become more visible.  Also, higher apertures are typically required for macro shots - which reduces the light available to the camera.  As I previously mentioned, I do shoot many of my photographs hand held - often with just ambient light.  Most of the time, however, I need to either use a tripod or artificial lighting.  I will discuss artificial lighting first.

There are a number of lighting solutions out there.

Canon 580EX II and other variants.  This typically works poorly for macro because the subject is often too close to the lens - resulting in a shadow.  I have seen adaptations using tin foil and other things to provide lighting, but I prefer the flexibility I have with a good macro light.

Canon MR-14EX.  I do not own this flash, but it is the cheapest macro flash available from Canon.  I find the light from it to be a bit flat and it is far less flexible than the MT-24EX.

Canon MT-24EX.  This is the main flash I use for macro. In fact,  I use it so often that I bought a CP-E4 battery pack for it to extend the battery life between recharges and to reduce the recycle time.  The flash is extremely flexible and allows me to change the position of the flashes, their angle, their power, and the balance between them.  It is almost always on my camera whenever my MP-E 65 is there.  I also own an adapter to use it on my 100mm 2.8 IS Macro, though I rarely use it there and typically use ambient light when photographing with that lens.

Generally I attach the heads of my MT-24EX to the specialty hood made for the MP-E 65.  Occasionally this doesn't provide the angle I need - particularly in highly reflective drops from ice.  In this case I have a pair of Wimberley Flash Brackets that I attach to the RRS lens plate attached to the lens.  These arms allow me to move the flash further away from the subject or even put the flashes slightly behind the lens.  In cases where I need to change the angle of light in order to prevent it from bouncing back into the lens this is critical.  When I used to own the 180L macro I used these brackets all the time.  Now I only use them for the most reflective of surfaces.

Support

Insects typically require a flash at the minimum as a fill light.  This is necessary due to their quick movements and to ensure all of the details and facets of their eyes are visible.  For flowers and other subjects, however, flash tends to not look very good.  The is particularly the case for flowers - where ambient light is generally the preferred way to go.  While I do take many of these shots hand held, there are times when a tripod is a necessity.  Macro tripods tend to be pricy because they must be extremely strong and capable of holding your gear in very strange positions.

I own a tripod specifically for macro.  For the tripod body I use the Gitzo 2540EX, which is a discontinued 4 leg version of the GT2531EX that Ron featured in his tripod recommendations article. 

If you read Ron’s Gitzo Primer, then you know this is one of the Explorer type tripods with the extendible arm.  In retrospect, I wish I would have ordered the version that has the geared arm instead - though so far I have been able to get around it.  Precision is hugely important in macro - as a single millimeter is often the difference between in focus and not or even having your subject in the viewfinder, so the gear can be super helpful. 

Attached to my tripod, I have the Acratech GP ball head like Ron featured in his tripod head comparison.  I bought this ball head specifically because it is very flexible and I can move the camera to a 90 degree angle.  It is also quite strong.

Attached to the ball head I have two Really Right Stuff Macro Rails.  These macro rails allow me to change focus with precision in the x and y dimensions.  I used to own the Kirk Macro Rail which unlike the Really Right Stuff versions can be switched between holding camera plates and lens plates.  While the Kirk rail may be moved quicker, the Really Right Stuff version is much stronger and more precise.  If you want to use only a single macro rail for both camera plates and lens plates you need a special adapter.  This adapter is not necessary if you use two rails.

Finally, attached to the tripod I have a Wimberley Plamp.  I use my plamp all the time to hold leaves and flowers.  Sometimes I use it to hold back a leaf or flower that is distracting in the shot while at other times I use it to prevent my subject from blowing with the wind.  Very often I have my tripod setup just for the plamp and take the actual shot hand held.  This does tend to be a rather expensive way just to hold a plamp though.

Conclusion

As you can see, you don’t have to use specialized macro lenses to get great results – but they are a great tool to have if you are going to do mostly macro photography. I should also point out that Canon is the leader in macro specific products, so this is why I’ve taken a bias to Canon. Simply put, several products mentioned have no counterpart by Nikon or Sony.

Disclosure

I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using links in this article. Thanks for supporting my blog by using my links!

Guest Blog: Uzbekistan & Tajikistan Trip Report by Joseph Calev

I’m pleased to announce that my friend and co-worker Joseph Calev has decided to share his trip report to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with us. You can see more of Joe’s work at http://calevphoto.com/ and on Flickr.

Where we went

We travelled to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in Central Asia.  In Uzbekistan we flew into Tashkent, spent a day there, then headed to Samarkand for a few days.  From Samarkand we traveled north to visit the fortress at Navoi from Alexander the Great, then further north to stay at a yurt by Lake Aidarkul near the Kazakh border.  We then traveled back down to Bukhara, where we stayed for several days, then drove on further to Khiva.  From Khiva we drove to Urgench and took a flight back to Tashkent.  From there we spent a day hiking the mountains in Chimgan on the Kyrgyz border and then drove to Khujand in Tajikistan.  We visited with friends in Khujand and then drove back to Tashkent and came home.

Favorite parts

I liked everything except for Tashkent.  My favorite was probably Lake Aidarkul.  There we no hotels around this huge lake and it was crystal clear blue and very warm.  There was a gentle slope in the water so we just relaxed with literally no one for miles and watched sussliki on the shore and colorful birds fly overhead.  At night there were tons of stars and they sang traditional Uzbek songs.

Tashkent was a very strange city.  It has tons of huge buildings and parks in the center but there is almost no one there.  In the park next to our hotel there were several cleaning people waiting for something to get dirty, but I never saw more than ten people in the park at a time.  Tashkent also has a somewhat Soviet mentality and had a number or ridiculous rules.  Tashkent did have some nice historical structures that are interesting as long as you see them first (because the rest of Uzbekistan blows it away).

Samarkand has the Registan and the tomb of Amir Timur - two of the more impressive buildings I have seen.  It also has a section that looks straight out of Aladdin and the ruined ancient city on the periphery where you can still see bones sticking out of the dirt from soldiers who died during the Mongol invasion.  The city is rather built up so between the structures it is not so interesting as most of the old city was destroyed.  However the buildings still standing are very impressive.  Samarkand was the capital of Timur’s empire and is where he is buried.  [My kids] got a kick out of the ancient city of Samarkand where you can see the bones of soldiers who died in the Mongol invasion sticking out of the dirt.

Bukhara is famous for its old city and ancient bazars.  The bazars here were far better than the Grand Bazar in Istanbul and the old city is very charming.  Bukhara has a lot more structures than Samarkand to see, though none are as impressive as Samarkand's "Big 3".  However, Samarkand does not have the old city that Bukhara has and it was a lot of fun wandering through the narrow alleyways.  Bukhara had the most tourists and in particular was the only place I saw backpackers.  Bukhara was the capital of the Emirate of Bukhara

Khiva is simply amazing and was the capital of the Khorezm Khanate.  It is magnificently preserved and within the city walls you feel you are back in time.  Many of the structures are not as old as Bukhara and Samarkand but they are very beautiful.  Khiva was my wife's favorite place and its sad many tourists to Uzbekistan do not get there as it is a bit tricky to get to right now.  The road from Bukhara took ten hours and was extremely bumpy – being a one lane road with tons of pot holes.

Chimgan was very beautiful and I really wore myself out hiking there.  I found a lot of interesting insects to photograph there and the mountain scenery is also very nice.  It is also much cooler there (temperatures were over 100 during the middle of the day everywhere else).

I did not see the highlights of Tajikistan but I can say the people are extremely friendly.  Tajikistan has none of the border problems found in Uzbekistan and people there are more relaxed.  It is a very poor country though so the facilities are not as good.  We did not have air conditioning, water for showers ran out in two minutes, the water smelled horrible, and occasionally we lost electricity for a few hours.  I would like to return to Tajikistan someday to see the Fann Mountains and the Pamirs.

Least favorite parts

As I mentioned, Tashkent is very Soviet like and the bureaucracy there can be ridiculous.  The other issue was Uzbekistan customs.  We were aware of the issues ahead of time and made sure to declare all of our money and camera equipment.  If you do not declare these, when leaving the country they will be confiscated.  They did have me open my wallet and count my money, then searched my bags for more, to verify the amount I wrote was correct.  They also did go through my camera equipment and asked to see my photos (though ironically only on my son's G11) to make sure the photos did not portray Uzbekistan in an improper light (which is illegal).  The customs form is also a pain to fill out correctly as certain things go in certain sections.

On the contrary, when we arrived in Tajikistan we went through a big building marked “customs” with a single guy standing there smiling.  Upon entering he welcomed us to Tajikistan and asked if we knew any words in Tajik.  I said a few words and he laughed and let us through.  On the way back he asked me if I learned any more words.

Adventures

The biggest adventure was getting over the border from Tajikistan to Uzbekistan.  The two countries are not friendly at all and there was a long line and we had a driver who had to leave by a specific time.  In order to get through the crowd we convinced them that we were American diplomats.  Amazingly, they bought it.

Other adventures included having our car break down in the middle of the desert (twice) and getting invited to an Uzbek wedding (they saw my camera and invited me in).

Food

As my wife is from Tajikistan, we were already very familiar with the food.  The national dish of Uzbekistan is plov.  In English this is often called pilaf and consists of rice, carrots, garbanzo beans, and either beef or chicken.  The Tajiks also consider this their national dish.  Other prominent foods are shish-kebabs (shish is “six” in their language and this is where it comes from) and mantu and sambusa – which are a form of meat filled dumpling.  Of course, they do not call them “shish” kebabs there but instead have many different names depending on the meat and style.  Pretty much every dish contains some type of meat and these are not good countries for vegetarians.

Strange things

In Uzbekistan, the money is quite comical.  The official rate is 1,700 sums to the dollar, but in the black market you can get 2,400.  The problem is the largest bill is 1,000 sums.  No one accepts credit cards and restaurants do not accept dollars (when you buy souvenirs you can use dollars though) so I always had to carry a huge wad of sums around.  The stack overwhelmed my wallet so I had to dedicate a pocket just to sums.  In Tajikistan the money is more normal.

Uzbekistan had some odd policies.  For instance at the hotel they had a cooler with water in it.  My wife filled a cup with it and was reprimanded that the water is only for visiting athletes.  When we visited a water park in Tashkent, the tickets are only good for three hours.  The park contains a number of restaurants, but you are not allowed back in the park fully clothed to eat at any of them.

As I mentioned Tashkent is a very strange city.  Imagine that you took all of the main government and artistic buildings (opera, performing arts center, theater) and put them in one place.  Each one is a huge grand building and between them are huge parks with large monuments.  Then imagine no one went there.  That is kind of like Tashkent – the center of town consists of huge buildings, huge parks, and no people except for a large army of cleaning people waiting for something to clean and police officers making sure everything is in order.

Safety

Safety was not a concern at all.  I felt very safe walking around with my equipment - often alone - in the early morning and late at night.  In Uzbekistan the penalties for stealing are very severe.  Tajikistan was slightly more dangerous, though I was always with locals there.

Photography

I was a bit worried about reports that there were many things that you cannot photograph there, but the truth is only the borders, airport, rail station, and metro are illegal.  Everywhere else is fair game.  It is also OK to photograph women there, though some would ask to not have their photo taken and we found it best to always ask.  In some cases people were not OK with me taking the picture - but were OK with my wife taking it with the same camera.

Photography is allowed pretty much everywhere.  In many of the historical places there was a camera fee that was generally $1-$2.  No one has an issue with tripods, though I didn't carry mine with me during the day - just at night and sunrise/sunset.

Professional cameras are rare there and you will receive some attention.  Most people just want to know where you're from.  Occasionally I was mistaken for a portrait photographer and people would ask me how much to take their photo.

Equipment

I brought with me a Canon 5D Mark II and 7D bodies, and for lenses a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, TS-E 24 II, TS-E 17, 100mm macro, 16-35mm f/2.8, and 50mm f/1.4.  I used all of the lenses, though my 70-200/2.8 and TS-E 24 were by far the most used.  I used the 100mm macro for market shots and the TS-E 17 for some of the interiors.  The ceiling shot was taken with my 16-35.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed Joe’s trip report. If you want to learn more, visit part II of his report here.

Please use the comments to let me know if you’d like to see more articles like this and/or have your own to share.

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