Seems as though there’s as much adventure gear there as camera stuff?
To date, a lot of my work has involved following athletes to remote locations, which means I have to be physically prepared and have the right gear to capture what I need to. I really enjoy this participatory approach.
What gear did you start out with?
It was during my sailing days – I did a four-year yacht racing stint, which took me around the world and made me enough money to buy some decent camera equipment. The first camera was a Canon 40D and one wide-angle lens. I shot a lot of onboard shoot briefs at the time but I didn’t really have money to afford waterproof housings so I had my gear wrapped in ziplock bags and duct tape – needless to say that green corrosion became a feature on most of my camera gear.
Any specific reason why you use Nikon cameras?
When all my gear got stolen in South Africa. A determined thief scaled a three story drain pipe, climbed in a window and left with all my camera equipment. I wrote to Canon and Nikon asking for help and Nikon came back with a good deal. I’ve been with them ever since.
Is there one piece of gear you wouldn’t leave home without?
It would probably be the Nikon D500, the one I took to Iceland and a 50mm prime lens. Having less gear is not always a bad thing – it means your camera bag is lighter and you are forced to be more creative when taking pictures
What item do you wish you could add to your bag?
A packable drone that shoots medium format images. Most of my photography is about putting humans in perspective in mother nature and aerial images are a great way to show scale. With the advances in technology, this could be a reality soon. Exciting times!
Check out what Kelvin Trautman carried with him on his recent Iceland trip!
1. Nikon D5002. Nikon 14-24mm3. Nikon 70-200mm4. Nikon 16mm fisheye5. iPhone6. Llama Bars - nougat snack bars7. Spot tracker 8. Favorite sun hat9. Silva Head torch10. Salomon waterproof shell jacket11. Gloves12. Salomon running shoes13. Water bottle14. Stuff sacks