[Largeformat] Re: Bad weather, good light

[norbalt@juno.com (Tom L La Bron)]

From: norbalt@juno.com (Tom  L  La Bron)

Frank,  

	Know what you mean by not having room.  Every time I get out to New
Mexico it is with a car full of people and no room for the 4X5".  Last
time I was able to get to the church the only camera I had was my 35mm. 
One of these days I will get out there with my 4X5".  My only problem is
that I tried to save money and I went with a field camera so when I shoot
6X7cm I am using the same camera that I would shoot 4X5"with the smaller
back on it.  When I got it it was a great compromise and cost saving on
lenses since I matched my 35mm lens to the same size as 6X7cm and 4X5",
and it suited my shooting style perfectly.  Now when space counts I end
up with my 35mm if I can find room at all the big camera, especially, the
tripod for I have a Gitzo C. Giant w/an R-4 head and by itself it weighs
17 pounds.

	Oh well, now that the girls are six years old I am starting to be able
to get away more often and do things on my own.

God Bless and Keep You and Yours and Happy New Year, 

Regards from Pawnee America
Tom La Bron  
(H) E-Mail: norbalt@juno.com; (W) E-Mail: norbal@okway.okstate.edu; 
Web address: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/6309

A man's heart away from nature becomes hard....Lack of respect for
growing, 
living things soon leads to lack of respect for humans too.     --Lakota
Belief
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On Sat, 9 Jan 1999 06:51:50 -0800 "Frank Filippone"
<red735i@earthlink.net> writes:
>From: "Frank Filippone" <red735i@earthlink.net>
>
>" Even with Fred's modified light meter, that New Mexico light is 
>brutal!
>The
>contrast is just a little too much for prints, ......"
>
>Well, speaking about the San Francisco Adobe Church in Rancho de Taos, 
>NM, I
>was there last October to catch the fall color....
>Because my wife was with me ( and I could not figure how to get the 
>larger
>tripod on the plane without damage ( No carrying tube, bag, etc.))  I 
>was
>using the Hasselblad.  The weather was beautiful the first few days 
>then we
>went to Taos and the sky clouded over.  When we got inside the Rancho, 
>then
>walked the 50 feet to the Church, it started to hail.  We sat inside 
>the
>Church until the hail stopped, went outside for some of the most 
>powerful
>skies I have ever seen.  I shot like crazy and got several images I am 
>proud
>of.
>I was shooting Reala and got wonderfully saturated and not too 
>contrasty
>images that I am having printed.
>
>The point to this story........Sometimes bad weather is the best 
>weather to
>shoot in..... it lowers the contrast, softens and brightens the 
>shadows, and
>makes the skies, at times, wonderful.  And print film is not our 
>enemy, it
>is a tool to be used.  I am a little tired of hearing how Velvia is 
>the only
>film to use.... There are predictable circumstances that are contrasty 
>for
>Chromes.  Keep a roll/CFH of color negative film at hand always.
>
>To get back to Large Format, I wished I had had the 4x5 with me that 
>day,
>but with the intense cold and wetness, it would not have worked that 
>day.
>Inside the Church at Santa FE where the amazing circular staircase is
>located, the Hassy was only able to capture a few details.  I needed 
>the
>rise and maybe tilts to pull it off like I wanted ..... Oh well, 
>another
>trip....
>
>Frank Filippone
>
>