Hacker Photography-one photo at a time

Comment by David Williams on October 28, 2021

As a travel photographer, life has a lot of ups and downs during the journey. As the seasons change and the cold comes, I certainly start to feel it, but they do say that bad weather can make great photos. In a recent article, I explained my vanlife decision. Today, I will return to this topic and introduce in detail how my van is used for travel photography.

I want to make sure that I show the true performance of everything in this article, not a "perfect Instagram" photo. For this, please remember that I am showing accurate insights, not a perfect view of life in a van.

The reason I chose to live in a van is to minimize expenses. I gave up my 14-year career to pursue the passion I have been developing very successfully, and I have never been happier than when I was exploring. In addition to exploration, there are also accommodation, flights, car rental, restaurants and a series of other expenses. Living in a van while traveling has eliminated all of this, and I now have all my equipment instead of the equipment I pack for a specific trip. I must carefully plan to put the equipment in the truck, store it safely, and recharge it so that it is always available when I need it. This is what I did:-

Electricity is always a big problem in off-grid life. In my truck Kofifernweh, I make sure that I have reasonable solar capacity and redundant systems. The solar system consists of a 370-watt solar panel, which is very efficient and can face the sun at an angle during a short winter day, and then connects to the Victron Energy Solar Charge Controller (MPPT). This device ensures that the correct energy is delivered to two 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries. These batteries are also powered from the alternator through a split charge controller. Once the truck battery has enough power, it will obtain additional power from the running engine. The reason I choose these batteries is not only because I can use the full power when necessary, if I have an acid battery system, I can use about half, but also because of the weight. The weight of the equivalent gel-acid battery is about five times that of the battery I own, and there are electroplating weight restrictions and I hope to maximize the economy, the extra cost is worth it.

To charge everything, I have 12v USB sockets on the entire truck. This covers most of my equipment and is a simple solution. There are other things that require full charging from the power outlet. For these, I have a 1800w inverter and my charging box. I installed a toolbox to hold all of my 230v chargers so that I can plug this toolbox into the inverter, and then stuff everything that needs to be charged into it. This allows my power socket to be used for anything else, such as my laptop.

Another solution I have is a mobile power supply, which is more like a kind of redundancy. I have a lot of live power banks, which I can use whenever I need them.

When I first started using the van, I often forgot to put certain items in place. Everything here needs its location, so it is safe when I move, I mean everything-even the refrigerator door. All camera equipment has a corner or a bag that can be put into it for safety. Some storage is as simple as putting things in a bag and then packing the bag, and some are even simpler. I put things on the bed when I drive. There are some items that I always try to keep within reach, so that I can quickly take pictures of what I see while driving, and pull over. In addition, in terms of safer storage, if I leave the van for a while, there is a safe bolted to the chassis, which is hidden.

In the past, I focused most of my social media influence on Instagram, but now I have started to make a series about vans and journeys on YouTube. I learned that as far as B-roll is concerned, it will never be enough. When you think you have enough B-roll, you have actually got half of what you need! To help me achieve this goal, I kept some small, powerful cameras in the open container in the cockpit or cabin. Between these devices, I should cover any situation, but if any of these situations involve me driving, I cannot safely shoot myself, so I need a solution.

I have some installation points in the cockpit and engine room as well as outside. There are two like the ones in the picture. This is a Platypod Ultra screwed into wood, allowing me to connect a ball head or anything that requires a 1/4 inch-20 thread or screw. In the image above, you can see how I use it to connect to my Insta360 One X2, providing me with a 360° view, and I can crop it later.

The outside installation point is the GoPro bracket, if I want, I can use a suction cup to fix it on the window.

Needless to say, I can take my laptop and sell it in a coffee shop—it has nothing to do with truck life. However, as you can see from this photo and some other photos in this article, I have some options for working in the van.

I spent a lot of time processing images, editing videos, and writing articles and tutorials on the computer. I found that if I sit in one place for too long, I will lose my mobility, so I need to add options to work in different places in the van. I have a rotatable table in the cabin, which means I can sit in various positions on the bench to complete my work. I also have a lap table. If I want to work with a panoramic view, I can take it into the cab, just like I am on the beach in this picture. A good working space helps to increase productivity, so I must make sure that Kofifernweh is competent in this area.

I think the roots of photography are still important in our digital world, and printing is part of it. There are some nostalgic things about the prints, but there are also some very special things about being able to make tangible things instead of just posting to Instagram. Someone can hold a printed photo, touch the paper, and see how the color tone changes under different light. It is part of the power that printing gives.

I need to add a printer to the van, and I have completed the installation of Epson XP-900 in the form of a sliding shelf I made specifically for it. Now that I have placed it here long enough, I know it works well and is safe, even though the truck is moving, I can paint the shelf white to match the truck, I am happy to add it to Kofifernweh. I can now anytime, anywhere Print high-quality photos up to A3 size.

All in all, as a photographer, I think a lot about how the van works, including when I am not actually in the van. To be able to take apart a van and design it with a blank canvas from the inside to the outside, as the perfect van to meet my needs as a travel photographer who specializes in the cold, it’s really interesting, this is what I have needs. You can see the process of modifying the van on its Instagram page. I am very satisfied with my figure and enjoy this journey.

You can view more information about Kofifernweh here.

Filing basis: Inspiration tagged as: nature photography, travel photographer, travel photography, vanlife

Dave is a travel photographer and writer from the UK, as well as a photography and Photoshop lecturer. Find Dave on all platforms at idavewilliams.com or @idavewilliams.

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