Amazon Photographers viewpoint

[drcandon]

Hi Folks.

 

We are contemplating the upcoming Amazon cruise that the Mariner is back on in 2016. We have been waiting for the Mariner to do that leg for a while now. I know the Amazon river itself is quite massive and the expanse of the mouth and the river itself is amazing. My question is for those who have sailed on this cruise before is just what photographic opportunities are there from the ship itself. What I mean is how close does the ship get to shore on those days when she is just entering or leaving, or actually going up the river towards the inner ports? Yes, we are going to take excursions, that is one of the big reasons we are going. I understand the ship is too big to go into tiny tributaries. If anyone has any photo links to share, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance

[BBfromCA]

drcandon,

 

We did the cruise in 2011. You can see the photos we took (several of river and banks) on my webpage: http://www.BillinLodi.com Just scroll down to the "2011 Amazon Cruise Photos"

 

Bill

[shuguley]

My wife and I took this cruise about a year or so ago on the Mariner and I am an advanced amateur photographer. As you might imagine the Mariner can only sail on portions of the Amazon where the river is "deep and wide". Photographs from the ship can be made with success but recommend a good quality lens of 400mm or greater if you expect to get reasonable detail. I also found that photos taken at distance had visible haze that was difficult to handle.

Edited December 24, 2014 by shuguley

[drcandon]

Thanks....From the photos it looks like you get closer to the shore then I expected. Yes, I do have that length of lens..I am not sure I want to lug that one, I might take a crop sensor camera and some multipliers instead. I appreciate the information. Devils Island was better then I expected.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

With the humidity you will want to be careful with your lenses. It's very common to have mold grow in them if you don't keep them in a dry environment and then let them acclimate to the humidity before using them.

[Catpow]

Another point is that the route, with the exception of a couple of major ports, will change with each trip. The ship takes on two specialist pilots at the start of the Amazon as the course of the river changes each year due to floods etc. thus making existing maps obsolete almost immediately. They 'captain' the ship up the Amazon to determine the course based on the conditions of the day and override the Regent captaincy. Consequently not everything can be planned in advance.

 

Having said that - and I am no photographer, though my husband takes a bit more interest than I - it was almost impossible not to get great pics of sunsets and the activities on the river. There are a number of included excursions into tributaries - including at least one at night which may allow for some unique opportunities. Sensibly using the insulating qualities of your camera bag to suit the conditions via trial and error early on in the humid conditions of the week long trip will help.

 

To be honest, the most amazing sensation of the Amazon was not the photos we took, but the entire sensation of being there. Pics can't replicate emotions. Hard to explain...