Gear & Clothing
Benjamin Hardman
Lesson Info
8. Gear & Clothing
Lessons
Series Hello & Introducing Benjamin Hardman
01:43 2Coffee with Alex - Benjamin's Story
22:38 3Benjamin's Workshop Introduction
01:39 4High-Resolution Setup
07:26 5Lightweight Gear Setup
05:33 6Backpack Breakdown
11:38Aerial Photography
05:51 8Gear & Clothing
07:26 9Research & Preparation
06:18 10Seals of Glacier Lagoon
06:56 11Editing: Adobe Lightroom Basics
40:59 12Capturing Glacial Detail
08:23 13Editing: Macro Detail
15:17 14Exploring on Foot
09:47 15Editing: Image Stitching
17:18 16Photographing the Elusive Reindeer
07:21 17Editing: Subjects in Sunset Light
16:58 18Documenting Iceland's Jagged Peaks
06:21 19Editing: Atmospheric Mountains
14:56 20Mountain Drone Photography
10:50 21Editing: Aerial Abstraction
17:20 22Benjamin's Style
03:30 23What Inspires Benjamin
02:40 24Creating Your Own Voice
03:01 25Curation: Computer to Phone & UNUM
10:16 26Social Media Q&A with Alex
08:47 27Benjamin's Story & Business Tips
05:23 28Presenting Professionally
01:39 29Printing Your Work
12:29 30Staying Inspired
01:02 31Workshop Takeaways
06:03 32Workshop Summary with Alex
32:50Lesson Info
Gear & Clothing
(wind howling) So packing your cameras is one thing, but something that I place of high importance in my travels is packing the right clothes and doing the correct planning and assessment of conditions before heading out for a shoot. So I thought I'd show you some of the things that I wear to manage my body in such cold, extreme, hostile environments, dealing with really cold temperatures high up in the Arctic. And I wanna stay comfortable so that I can focus on getting the shot, focus on the experience at hand and not worry about my hands. To start with, I'm looking at good base layers for essentially keeping my body warm and something that can wick the sweat away if I get a little bit hot and then not retain the moisture so that I don't get cold again when the wind comes. That is Marino wool for me. I use 66 North for a lot of my equipment, but primarily, as well as the bigger down jackets and stuff, their thermals. They're great. And some wool socks. Always recommend, for me, two ...
pairs of socks is great. Stops the blisters and wearing Icelandic wool is super warm. Moving on. Then we're looking at your mid layers. I have a wool sweater and a down jacket that I pack in my bag. Maybe I'm not wearing this all the time but when you get to the top of a mountain you need an extra layer to put on. Super warm. And Icelandic sweater, very trusted around here, at least. There's obviously variants of this all around the world and I'm wearing this 90% of the time. I have a few variations but I like this one. Looking at the outer layers. We have two of my most trusted jackets. One is for extreme cold. This is the 66 North Tindur jacket and this is the Jokla jacket. So if I'm shooting wildlife and I'm laying down on the ground, this one could be damaged more easily, so I'm gonna wear the rugged version, the Tindur, no sorry, the Jokla jacket. And that is also down-filled, full of great warmth, but this one, in the extreme cold, when I'm not dealing with snow, sorry, I'm not dealing with rain, and I don't need to worry about it getting too wet, this is the guy. It's very light and airy, packed with a lot of down. So if I'm in like negative-30 Celsius in Greenland I'll most likely be wearing this as my outer layer to stay as warm as possible. Looking at pants, I have a few variations. I have 66 North fleece-lined pant. That's like a soft shell, so it's not completely waterproof but it is perfect for most situations. And then on longer climbs when I'm searching for those like mountain peak angles high up in the mountains then I have these Fjallraven pants. They're called like Keb pants, I think. And they're cool because they have little hooks for your boots so that they can stay settled at the bottom near your ankles and a bunch of zips to vent in case you get hot, but they are not waterproof. And whilst the parkas are, they're not really good for longer hiking trips and stuff like that. So then I will try and reduce my inner layers and focus on wearing Gore-Tex on the outside. So this is, again, more from 66. This is their Gore-Tex bibs and jacket. They're called the Horstrandir, Gore-Tex, I believe, and they work great. I'm throwing through these because we have quite a lot of things here. Next up is how I keep my hands warm. These are my favorite gloves. They are by The Heat Company. I think it's Austrian, that one. And they are really versatile. They have an inner glove, which also works with your mobile phone, which is super nice. You can flip back the thumbs and then there is some sort of lining in the outer shell, so when you're riding a snowmobile or something not only do you have access to your phone and stuff via the inside glove but also the insulation of the outer layer. Also allows for a heat pack to be installed in the outside. They are pretty cool gloves, really like them. And then for the more shorter missions I have just like a pair of ski gloves, really straightforward. And a cool pair of gloves from Sealskinz. And these are probably what I wear most just because they're quite versatile and they have this magnetic finger. So I can, you know, touch my phone or, you know, easily access settings on my camera and things like that. And they're just, yeah, they're very lightweight. They're leather on the inside, which I find quite good. You know, if you're putting your hand on the ice it won't penetrate as easy. But one thing I've realized lately is that I can't calibrate the compass of my drones when wearing these. I've had some issues for a few times in a row where I thought, "Damn, this drone is broken," but it's actually the magnets in the gloves. So if you do have magnets in your gloves, watch out when you are calibrating your drone. One thing I like to pack for cold trips is a pair of ice grips, I guess you could call them. It's a worthwhile investment to stop you from slipping over and smashing your camera on the ground. These ones are pretty rugged. They have these spikes and they're based on chains. And some of them are super weak and they break easily. But I find these ones to be really strong. I think there's so many brands that make them, you could just search "ice grips" online. Yeah, super worthwhile to stop you from slipping over and hurting yourself or your camera. Next up, we can't go anywhere without shoes, 'cause that would be really cold, unless you are Wim Hof. So I have two pairs of boots that I'm wearing most of the time. It's either Danner Gore-Tex boots. There's so many different types of shapes and colors. So long as they're Gore-Tex they're gonna keep you relatively dry. Of course, unless you step in a lake. That's not gonna be too fun. If I'm on a bigger mission, a more intense one where I need to be sure that I'm protected and can easily step into a crampon or things like that, I use these La Sportiva boots. They have the insert for crampons, if you like to wear those types of special ones with the front bit. And of course Gore-Tex and very sturdy, but also quite heavy. So now we're looking quite rugged up. The thing that we cannot forget, and the thing that I wear every day, the old faithful beanie. There's not much to say, I bought these from I think they're Polar. They're awesome. Although, I've been wearing hats more but people won't be too happy with that. So let's just keep that one to ourselves. Next up I'm gonna show you a little bit about weather. So I'm just gonna set up my computer and we'll be able to dive into a few logistical things before I head out on a shoot.
Class Materials
Ratings and Reviews
Matt Grandbois
Very Informative & Awe Inspiring Both Benjamin and Alex have played huge roles in my photographic style development over the years and it is great to hear first hand exactly what inspires and drives Ben to keep pushing his creative boundaries. Personally, I love his minimalist approach and it was super insightful to watch him explain how he developed that style and how he actively produces photographs in a cohesive manner. 10/10 recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a very unique and profound perspective with the intent of expanding your creative horizons.
Janelle Dransfield
Moving to Iceland now...? Loved this workshop! I really liked the way the modules are split up, and the way you watch Benjamin go out on location for a shot, then immediately sit down and watch his editing process for that specific shot. So much editing to learn too, since he doesn't use presets! The workbook is also super thorough, so printing it out allowed me to pay close attention and just add little notes here and there. The Iceland road guide is also SO helpful and in depth. Can't wait to use it. Also loved that Ben talked about printing your own work. Would be cool to maybe see something from Wildist in the future that goes even more into depth on that (calibrating your own printer, working with a print shop, dropship sites, etc.) Awesome course. Thanks, Hardman.
Alec Brown
First Workshop The first workshop I have ever purchased. I've always been hesitant to invest in a workshop, however this went above and beyond my expectations. Fluid in progression, great insight and a super relaxed learning curve full of information. I feel this has prepared me to take my own personal photographic journey to the next level. Executed to perfection. Nice work guys! 10/10 recommended.