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        I'VE HAD MANY questions about photography and traveling around in Caucasus. Besides being a wonderful way of creating memories, it also is a great way of coming close to people. Unlike in the western Europe, Georgians don't object to be photographed, and a request for a picture is often followed by an interesting conversation. Many times people also have asked me to take pictures of them.I've had some

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minor incidents with the police, photographing what Georgian authorities claim to be strategic military targets, but the police have always been very polite and never caused any problems. In some churches the priests don't let you photograph, but in the vast majority of churches there is no problems. There are some ethical considerations needed to be done for photographers though. I see forreigners sticking their big lenses up in the face of old people to get this "etnic" cliche portraits. Don't do it, Georgians are mostly too polite to refuse.

My equipment.
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Cameras:
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Nikon DSLR’s at 6 or 12mp
Fujifilm Finepix F30 compact at 6mp

Lenses:
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Nikkor 50mm F1.4 prime lense.
Nikkor 12-24mm F4 DX wide angle.
Nikkor 70-200 F2.8 VR tele.

Traveling with it.
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The total weight of this configuration is approximately 8 kilo, or 16 pounds. It is also a comfortable weight for trekking in the mountains. It has never been a problem on airports to travel with the bag in the cabin. Whatever you do, don't check in your equipment as luggage. That will in most cases violate your insurances conditions, and might result in stolen equipment not covered by the insurance. Don't bring lens cleaning fluids. Be prepared for a thorough check in security control. They will take out all your equipment from your bag. Offer to do it your self to avoid clumsy security officers messing with your gear.

Landscapes and mountains.
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The Georgian topography is characterized by very high mountains and steep valleys, or vast flat landscapes with sloping hills. Here you definitely need a wide angle. However, often the nature is so extreme that you will have problems capturing it even with a 12mm wide angle. I use the Nikkor 12-24 F4 for this kind of photos. If you want to capture the mountains I think it’s useful to consider the 70-200 2.8 VR, and focus on the details. The 70-200 2.8 VR is the perfect zoom lens for capturing the long distant details, like the snow on the top of the mountains. It is heavy to carry around, so I use to leave it at home if I'm not sure if I need it. Still I often choose to bring it. Just in case it pays off.

Shooting Interiors.
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First of all: Don't bring flash. It ruins your pictures. Particularly in churches flash should be avoided in order not to disturb people, and also to be able to capture the frescos and extraordinary light and atmosphere inside. I personally use the 12-24 F4. It captures more of the interior, although at the cost of higher iso, mostly you end up around 640-800 on the Nikon D2X. With the D700 it’s not an issue.The photo below from a very dark church is rendered with iso 800.

Portraits / details.
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The choice here is the 50mm F1.4 or the 70-200 2.8 VR. Both gives a wonderful boqueh at shallow depth of field. Both are fast lenses, and gives very sharp images. The priest is photographed with the 50mm, and renders tack sharp at 100% view and on print with full resolution. The 50mm F1.4 is perfect for shooting in low-light without flash. It gives you the possibility to take great pictures in the dusk capturing all the fantastic colors emerging when the sun sets.

City - candid - snap shooting.
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Carrying expensive equipment around openly in the cities, might easily turn you into a target of robbery. Therefore most of my pictures from the cities are taken with a Fuji Finepix F30 compact digital camera, capable of delivering extremely clean images in low-light situations.





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The 50mm F1.4 City photo.
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Again the 70-200 F.2.8.