Sierra Leone Gear List

Bea Media Group on March 1, 2017

Choosing my Sierra Leone gear list was a difficult task. I wanted a balance between mobility and high quality.

What do I mean by that? I needed gear that was easy to transport but could still shoot great photos and video.

Sierra Leone Gear List

Before we travelled to Sierra Leone, I knew it would have to be light on gear. There was no way I would be casually getting a portable slider/ dolly in my flight bag. That was out of the question.

On previous trips, I have overcome this challenge by taking a steadicam with me.

This time on the Sierra Leone gear list, I wanted it to be functional and lightweight. This was going to be difficult.

FULL LIST OF GEAR AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE

 

Aerials

excitement-overload

In my bag is my favourite toy, the DJI Phantom 4 (Get it here).

This drone massively ticks those functional and lightweight boxes. Some drones are huge, this one is decent. It will still raise questions at airports. You’ll get the usual prompt to open the case and explain it’s contents. I found it much easier to describe it as a camera, until one airport security guard knew it was a drone… Fortunately, he was excited to see it. WIN 👍

Whilst the Phantom 4 does come with it’s own case, I would highly recommend getting an actual carry case as it much easier to sling a purpose built protective rucksack on your back. Best one I have seen so far is the Anbee Hard Shell (Link), but there is a cheaper alternative (here). That hard shell just gives you a bit more peace of mind knowing your drone is safe.

— Additional Note: I bought my DJI Phantom 4 with extra batteries. Trust me you’ll need them because once you fall in love with aerial photography/ filming you’ll want to keep going. Here’s an alternative bundle of the DJI Phantom 4 with extra batteries just in case (Link)

Photography and Filming

Now this is where it gets tricky…

#Repost @wildminds.co ・・・ 🇸🇱 Squad goals 💪 #wildminds #adventure

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I knew if I was going to stick to the functional and lightweight rule, it was going to be impossible to bring two cameras. One for photography, one for filming.

My first thought was “my Sony a7sii was going to be overkill” – and it’s not as robust as I would like it to be. Any dust on that mirrorless sensor and it’s game over. On this occasion I opted for the Canon 80D. A great mid-range DSLR. I knew from experience I could still get decent stills but also great video. But that’s not all.

I paired the Canon 80D body (link) with two lenses… and I spent a great deal of time justifying to myself, why these two:

  • Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4L IS II USM Lens – Black (link)
  • Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon* (link)

* That ‘Canon’ bit is important to make sure you have the correct mount for your camera.

With these two lenses I covered myself all the way from big wide shots at 10mm all the way up to capturing distant shots at 105mm. Anything beyond that I was just going to have to walk nearer.

Backup Camera

Different tasks need different tools. For backup I always like to have a small compact camera on me for those occasions.

This time I took with me the ever reliable Canon G7x (link). I even shoot a good portion of my vlog series on the Canon G7x because it’s so functional and lightweight!!

A great alternative is the Sony RX100 iv (link) – only because it shoots 4k video and at 1000fps – YES, one-thousand frames per second!

Check out the vlog series here if you haven’t seen it yet.

Smooth Filming

It is not always possible to transport a stabiliser or steadicam. They are completely worth it, but not always practical.

…

Clearly I can’t leave it there. There is always a solution, and about one week before this trip, I found it.

DJI have their second entry on my Sierra Leone gear list. It’s the DJI Osmo Mobile (link). I’d known for a while there would be occasions where we would benefit from filming with some stabilisation, but how to achieve it had been playing on my mind.

I had come across the DJI Osmo (similar tech but more expensive – link), but once I heard there was one you could incorporate with your mobile device, I was sold. It meant I could shoot 4k stabilised footage on my iPhone, genius.

A post shared by RedMH (@redmh) on

 

Sierra Leone Gear List in Full

All the items mentioned in my Sierra Leone gear list are listed below on Amazon. I would be grateful if you are considering purchasing any of these items you use my affiliate links (below) as they help towards the cost of maintaining this website.

KIT LIST

Whilst this has been a very specific look at my Sierra Leone gear list. Basically what I could squeeze in my bag at the time, here is a better look at my favourite gear I take with me on my adventures.

My Gear List: VLOGGING KIT (On the Road)

5 Reasons to Visit Sierra Leone

Bea Media Group on February 20, 2017

There are so many reasons to visit Sierra Leone, but let me give you just five to put Sierra Leone on your travel radar.

Last October, I travelled to Sierra Leone with a friend on a project to capture stories and tell one in particular (Going to Sierra Leone). Before I left friends and family had a lot of questions for me. Why was I going there? Isn’t it dangerous? Are you mad?

Initially I agreed with them, why was I going to Sierra Leone of all places?! However, once I got there I found 5 great reasons to visit Sierra Leone. I would like to share those with you.

The Country’s Beautiful Landscape

A tropical climate with jungle in every direction. When you’re down amongst the jungle is stunning. From the air it’s even better!

The People

Cannot say this enough, the people of Sierra Leone are amazing. I’ve never met such happy people, the kids were all too keen to be “snapped”.

Check out this guest post from WildMinds on the People of Sierra Leone and the impact they have on travellers.

Epic Sunsets

Grab a beer on a rooftop in Makeni and watch the sun go down.

Adventure on your doorstep

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Jungle and Motorbikes. What more could you ask for, than riding through some incredibly beautiful surroundings and tackling sometimes difficult terrain – just makes for an awesome adventure!

If you haven’t seen it yet – here is our video on that adventure, cleverly named “Motorbikes. Jungle. Sierra Leone”.

Bananas

A post shared by WildMinds (@wildminds.co) on

Yes, bananas – No I haven’t lost the plot. The bananas there are a great reason to visit Sierra Leone. They’re so sweet!

5 Reasons to Visit Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a stunning country with so much more to explore. I only made it to the Northern regions, imagine how much beauty and adventure is out there!

 



7 Ways to See the Philippines by Drone 🇵🇭

Bea Media Group on February 4, 2017

Seeing the Philippines normally with your own two eyes and feet rooted to the ground is spectacular, but seeing the Philippines by Drone… Absolute winner.

Seeing the Philippines by Drone

Those deep blues never get old. It seemed like I was doing nothing but fly the drone, but I wasn’t getting tired of seeing these views.

Las Cabanas Beach, Palawan

Spend a few hours on this beach and wait out the beautiful sunsets.

Outrigger Boats, Boracay

A nation consisting of over 7,500 islands, boats are a pretty important part of everyday life.

 

 

Puka Beach, Boracay

The waves crashing on this beach were powerful. Chilling on a lounger listening to them was hypnotic.

Las Cabanas Beach, Palawan

Great place to spend your birthday 🎂

Isla Blanca, Taytay

Find yourself a private island and own it.

Sunset from 400ft

Waited a long time for the sun to eventually disappear over the horizon to reveal those last rays of sunlight.

philippines-by-drone

Private beach from the top

Did I say it clearly enough? PRIVATE BEACH!

More Content from BeAdventurous

Of course there’s always more content somewhere on the internet. Check out our Youtube channel.

There you’ll find more episodes from our adventures, just like this one:

Behind the Scenes: Volvo Round the Island Speed Record

Bea Media Group on July 9, 2016

Volvo athletes, Team Bridge (Guy, Olly and Steph Bridge), set out to break the Round the Isle of Wight record on foiling kite boards. The team went on to set two world records, Guy set the fastest single handed sailor in 2hrs 32mins 25secs and Steph set the fastest female in 3hrs 3mins 24secs.

Behind the Scenes

I was onsite filming with Helical Productions as Camera-B and Photography for two of the four days of production. Here’s some shots from the project.

Volvo BTS-2

Team Helical headed out early morning to pick up additional b-roll footage along the West Cowes Parade.

Volvo BTS-23

Two ribs for the crew, ready to chase the kite surfers on their record attempt.

Volvo BTS-6

Back in the edit suite at the Into the Blue base.

Volvo BTS-10

The team gearing up with the epic Sony FS7 ahead of the big shoot.

Volvo BTS-20

Charging everything. GoPros at the ready to be mounted on the Volvo athletes.

Volvo BTS-12

Filming the introduction in beautiful sLog-2 and 150fps.

Volvo BTS-16

Team Bridge having a quiet moment to themselves.

Volvo BTS-24

90% Preparation, 10% Perspiration

Team Bridge going over plans the evening before the round the island record attempt.

Volvo BTS-22

End of a long few days of production and behind the scenes.

Helical Productions

Team Helical provide broadcast and digital quality productions for the clients including,

BBC | CNN | NBC | CANAL+ | Red Bull TV | SKY | Radio-Canada | Channel 4

For more information and examples of their work visit their website.

Gear Up

Here is a quick run down of the equipment I used during the shoot.

All photos were taken on a Sony A7s ii, using a combination of lenses:

  • Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 OS
  • Sigma 10-20mm f3.5

Pro tip – Be prepared for your gear to get wet. Bring protection.

Bonus Content

Additionally I took with me the Theta S 360º camera and managed to capture a shot onboard our rig. Check it out on my Facebook here:

 

Edit 360 photos on mobile

Bea Media Group on June 24, 2016

First question. Why would you want to edit 360 photos on your mobile?

Facebook have recently added the functionality to their mobile platform to upload and share 360 photos. This means you can share an immersive experience of your travels and friends.

What does it take

As it turns out, not much. Start with your 360 photo and upload via your mobile device. Facebook will recognise your 360 photo, and boom there it is:

To see the embedded 360 content, click through the above image
(opens in a new window)

Because I like to keep things simple, I shoot with the Theta S and edit 360 photos on an iPhone. This basically means I can take the image, edit and post it all from the same location.

Edit 360 photos on mobile

Recently Eric Cheng published a note on Facebook tackling how to edit 360 photos and consequently inject the missing metadata that is striped out during some editing processes. Eric’s process involves editing the 360 photos on photoshop.

However, I don’t always have the time to edit my photos in editing software like Photoshop, and like to edit on the fly using the powerful mobile apps that are available. So I started to explore what was possible in order to edit 360 photos on mobile.

In the Edit // Generally I will use VSCO on my mobile device to edit any photo. Why? Well it gets the basics right and has an easy interface to use on mobile.

I have found that you are able to edit 360 photos in VSCO, tweak all the elements you’d like to (similar to editing normal photos on Instagram). Bonus feature is you can export out at the original resolution, so it won’t try and re-format your photo for mobile in any way. And that’s important, as it preserves the metadata.

Why is metadata important? //  Usually, metadata contains boring information about the device you captured the image on or even geo-location of where you took the photo. In the case of 360 photos it lets platforms such as Youtube and Facebook know this is a 360 photo and is displayed differently.

If that metadata is deleted from the image, as some processes strip it out, Youtube and Facebook are no longer able to tell if it is a 360 photo, hence why it is displayed as a strange looking regular image.

Fortunately, the process I have outlined above with VSCO, maintains the crucial metadata.

Edit-360-photos

Upload to Facebook via the mobile app

Troubleshooting // The process isn’t perfect, but I have a solution which works with my set up.

When you reach the stage of uploading the image to Facebook via the mobile app, all being well, you will see the ‘360’ icon in the bottom right of your selected 360 photo (see image left).

If the exported image doesn’t display the ‘360’ icon, that means the metadata hasn’t been saved.

But worry not!

I was able to go back into the Theta S app on my phone, browse to my images in my camera roll, as if I was going to share my photo to Theta’s own 360 network (yes they have one).

At that point the image I select in the Theta S is recognised as a 360 photo. Exit the Theta S app.

Return to your Facebook app on your phone, re-select the 360 photo you wanted to share, and boom there it is.

Summary of the Process

  1. Edit in VSCO
  2. Export original resolution
  3. Upload to Facebook via the mobile app (make sure the ‘360’ icon is displayed)
  4. [OPTION] Open your 360 photo in Theta S app to ensure metadata is added to your photo
  5. Sit back enjoy your beautiful 360 photo

Learn more

If you’re interested in learning more about 360 photos on Facebook, and you definitely should.

Check out Facebook’s dedicated site to all things ‘Facebook 360‘. They helpfully break down how to upload and share your 360 photos and what devices you can get if you want to up your game.

Alternately, they have a Facebook Group where you can explore the work of other people sharing their experiences and 360 photos.

For more of my work on 360 photos, please follow me on Facebook.

Journey through Sierra Leone

Bea Media Group on December 24, 2015

Sierra Leone, in West Africa, has suffered a lot in recent times. Torn apart several years ago by a bloody civil war, it emerged from internal conflicts in 2002 with the help of Britain, the former colonial power, and a large United Nations peacekeeping mission. Critically the country was only recently (7th November 2015) officially declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organisation. Any journey through Sierra Leone isn’t without its perils.

As a country on the mend after a long period of conflict and prolonged virus outbreak, Sierra Leone is a region of Africa not easily navigated, and only attempted by the few in the last 15 years. Its scars may be ever present but the beautiful and friendly people of the country are like no other.

Journey from the Capital

The journey from the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown had taken 3 hours by car to Makeni, 85 miles East of the capital. Staying overnight in Makeni, we had to make the decision to leave that day or the next to get to Kamakwie, another 4 hours drive north on a very ‘bumpy’ track in a 4×4.

We left that afternoon. This was probably, the wrong decision.

The journey through Sierra Leone in the light of day was okay. For the first part the road was fairly good- a shingle covered mud road. Our journey crossed some fast flowing rivers over narrow bridges, by this time the light had faded.

The driver stopped and passed his phone to me, it was one of the local staff suggesting we had left too late and should turn back – with the language barrier it was difficult to tell what he was saying, we pushed on.

We Pushed On

As the days light started to fade, the sky rapidly grew dark, that’s when the rain started.

Ahead of us we could see a huge weather front hanging over the bush, dark intimidating clouds with shocks of terrifying lightning smashing through them, and we were driving straight towards it.

Into the Storm

In an instant, we found ourselves in the middle of a tropical storm, rain smashed against the land rover. Visibility was almost impossible and we were surrounded by water.

It was at this moment, I recall the pitch darkness and the state of our chosen ‘road’ worsening and worsening. In and out of deep mud craters filling with water we went crashing and crunching around. Amazingly I thought to myself in disbelief, how has no water come into the car?

The bush crept in on the vehicle and soon we were forced to push bush and vegetation out of the way of our land rover. As the storm carried on, lightning was shooting down left and right of us, very close to the vehicle but still we ploughed on through the bush.

Soon we came to a slow run behind a large 4 ton truck carrying people in front of us. After a few moments, the lorry had subsided off the road with what looked like a river running down a hill in front of us.

In amongst the chaos, we managed to steal an eery half an hour stopped in the pitch black bush during a lull in the storm whilst people cleared a path ahead.

Eventually, we carried on, starting to climb hills with water pouring down the slopes, and lightning striking down at the road only about a hundred metres in front of us. I thought we might be struck by lightning and as a medic realising I would be the one who treated anyone, started to go through in my head what I might do with a casualty of this sort.

What could I do? It became clear to me with the lack of equipment, and being in the middle of the bush miles away from anything, that any effort would likely be completely hopeless.

Journey through Sierra Leone

By good luck alone, we made it to Kamakwie, and all these worries were not realised- thank goodness.

My only regret is that I did not take any photographs during the chaos. That regret stems from the sights I saw around me, which I have never seen the likes of before.

Finally though after hours of gruelling travel, here was where our work would start.

The next step of our journey through Sierra Leone would see us travel on dirt tracks through the bush towards Guinea and into the Tambaka region. There we would try to help the local population in the aftermath of an Ebola epidemic in the shadow of the previous civil war which still has left many marks on this country. 

Our journey was only just beginning.

More Information

For more information on Sierra Leone and it’s recent history, please refer to the BBC’s country profile. Click Here

Attributations

Featured photo by Simon Davis/DFID (Creative Commons / Flickr)

Brecon Beacons BTS

Bea Media Group on October 31, 2014

Behind the scenes footage not shown on the original Brecon Beacons video  As you may already know in November 2013, Charlie will be travelling to Nepal in order to commence a 3 week acclimatisation trek to Everest Base Camp area ahead of completing a 26.2 mile marathon on Mount Everest.

So far, fundraising has reached well over £1,000! Support has been incredible from friends and family alike. All support goes to Charlie’s chosen charities. Please head over to the Just Giving page (http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CharlieTweed) if you would like to sponsor Charlie.

Charlie is undertaking this challenge to raise money and support for two charities, Women’s Aid and the Everest Marathon Fund – two great charities, both with the aim of helping others in need. None of the money raised will go towards paying for the expedition.

Women’s aid supports women and children fleeing domestic violence- did you know over two women per week are killed by current or ex-partners, and that one in four women in the UK will experience domestic violence in their lifetime?

The Everest Marathon Fund supports the Nepalese population in the Himalayas with basic things we would take for granted in the West.

(Music (cc) by Grapes – I Dunno)

Social Media

See what I’m up to on
Twitter
Instagram

Give me a shout on Twitter what you’d like to see on the vlog. I’m always on the lookout for new adventure ideas.

———————–
Shot on – Nikon D5300 and 3200
Edited in Adobe Premiere
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Check out my last two adventures

Tarifa Windsurf

Mount Toubkal | GoPro Holiday


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Marathon on Mount Everest

Bea Media Group on October 31, 2014

Combining a three week acclimatisation trek to Gorak Shep (5184m) and a final 26.2 mile Marathon across the Himalayas is the challenge many set out to achieve.

UPDATE: Charlie became the second highest contributor to the Everest Fund, thanks to donations raised from this challenge

Epic Adventure

The course throws up steep inclines and treacherous declines, all whilst running in conditions with low levels of oxygen due to the altitude. Altitude sickness is the ultimate obstacle for many a runner. Whilst over night, temperatures can drop to lows of -20C and runners experience highs of +30C during the day. If this wasn’t enough, runners can expect to cross icy/rocky terrain, rivers and glaciers. All the while dodging the renowned yaks of Nepal, responsible for transporting grain and other necessities to remote communities. If you come face-to-face with a yak on a narrow alpine pass, there is no right of way.

Regardless of these obstacles, here is Charlie’s adventure to Nepal, completing a respectable 20 of the 26.2 miles, in support of the charities Women’s Aid and the Nepalese based Everest Marathon Fund.

Sponsor Charlie

Watch Charlie’s Brecon Beacons training here:

And the Behind the Scenes (Brecon Beacons):

Have you seen the preview yet?

Music (CC)
Intro: Music For Quietness by Prem Rana ‘Autari’

Main:
Overwerk – Conquer
Images
Flickr (CC) Gunther Hagleitner and Sam Hawley

Social Media

See what I’m up to on
Twitter
Instagram

Give me a shout on Twitter what you’d like to see on the vlog. I’m always on the lookout for new adventure ideas.

———————–
Shot on – Nikon D5300, D3200 and GoPro
Edited in Adobe Premiere
———————–
Check out my last two adventures

Tarifa Windsurf

Mount Toubkal | GoPro Holiday


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Training on the Brecon Beacons

Bea Media Group on October 31, 2014

In November 2013, Charlie will be travelling to Nepal in order to commence a 3 week acclimatisation trek to Everest Base Camp area ahead of completing a 26.2 mile marathon on Mount Everest.

Charlie is undertaking this challenge to raise money and support for two charities, Women’s Aid and the Everest Marathon Fund – two great charities, both with the aim of helping others in need. None of the money raised will go towards paying for the expedition.

Women’s aid supports women and children fleeing domestic violence- did you know over two women per week are killed by current or ex-partners, and that one in four women in the UK will experience domestic violence in their lifetime?

The Everest Marathon Fund supports the Nepalese population in the Himalayas with basic things we would take for granted in the West.

This is Charlie’s training regime, which will prepare him for the tricky terrain, cold conditions and the demand on himself to complete the challenge. All support goes to Charlie’s chosen charities. Please head over to the Just Giving page if you would like to sponsor Charlie.

Video produced and edited by BeAdventurous and Charlie Tweed. Thanks also to James Johnson for his patience.
(Music by The Daylights – I hope this gets to you)

Social Media

See what I’m up to on
Twitter
Instagram

Give me a shout on Twitter what you’d like to see on the vlog. I’m always on the lookout for new adventure ideas.

———————–
Shot on – Nikon D5300 and 3200
Edited in Adobe Premiere
———————–
Check out my last two adventures

Tarifa Windsurf

Mount Toubkal | GoPro Holiday


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