Getting ready to do my first "project".

Wolfram Malukker · Nov 3, 2024

Headed out Friday the 8th, up to see my brother and do some photography. I am planning to start my first actual "project", and I'd like advice from those who have more experience than me. I want to make some calendars. Why? You only really need 12-13 "good" shots. Maybe I will get 12 on this trip, but maybe not.

I am going to be in the Toledo, OH and Detroit, MI areas, and intend to find the following locations, although it will definitely take more than just the 1.5 days I have available. I can always go up and see my brother again, it's only a 6 hour drive.

Point Place Lighthouse
Luna Pier Lighthouse
Port Clinton Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse
Lorain Lookout Lighthouse
Mariners Memorial Lighthouse
Milliken State Park Lighthouse
Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory at night
Various bridges as I can figure out how to get them in frame.

I will have my 35mm kit, the Chinon CE-3 with 35mm, 50mm, and 200mm lenses, (the 135mm's aperture is stuck again, unfortunately) and my Pentax 645 with FA 45-85mm lens. I have Vision3 200T, 500T, Aviphot Pan 200, and FP4+ in 35mm, and Aerocolor 2460, Portra 160, Ektachrome 100, and Tmax100 in 120.

I'm thinking I will take 200T and FP4+ in 35mm, and then Aerocolor and Ektachrome in 120. I normally use an 85C filter with 200T for daylight use. I have a few ND filters, and a circular polarizer for the 645, and for the 35mm I have the same plus orange and 85C filter, 4 and 6 point star filters.

I might have some Vision3 250D in 120 format by the time I leave. If I have it, I'll take it instead of Aerocolor.

Anything I should make sure I have, or should leave behind? Any advice on planning out a project in general?

loccdor · Nov 4, 2024

Tripod, cable release, raincoat, umbrella, plastic rain cover for camera. Weather may be the biggest factor.

Note that if you want to print 35mm in calendar size that's best done via optical printing or a high resolution digitization, not a flatbed scanner.

I wouldn't expect to be able to get great shots of so many locations in such a short time. But I bet you can get good shots of some of them.

Take some extra safety preparation as you're traveling on the weekend after something very politically charged: unexpected events may occur and I doubt you'll find folks in their most relaxed moods.

koraks · Nov 4, 2024

Wolfram Malukker said:
12-13 "good" shots

Wolfram Malukker said:
1.5 days

Wolfram Malukker said:
Point Place Lighthouse
Luna Pier Lighthouse
Port Clinton Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse
Lorain Lookout Lighthouse
Mariners Memorial Lighthouse
Milliken State Park Lighthouse
Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory at night
Various bridges as I can figure out how to get them in frame.

I couldn't manage this number of successful photographs from this number of locations in this timeframe. I'd reseve something like half a day per location assuming they're within a max 1 hour drive from each other. I'd also have to sacrifice at least my favorite cable release and three sheets of color film to appease the weather gods.

You've got about 6 weeks left until 2025. I'd suggest using as much of that time as possible for your project.

Alex Benjamin · Nov 4, 2024

Wolfram Malukker said:
Maybe I will get 12 on this trip, but maybe not.

Best advice for any project is to keep your expectations of "keepers" during a single trip as low as possible. Photography is a slow art, especially the type of project you are working on, which calls for walking around, looking for a good shooting angle, setting up the tripod & camera, figuring out framing and exposure, walking around some more, looking for another angle and different light, etc.

In other words, this type of project involves a lot of time walking and looking, and very little time shooting.

Not to mention the fact that the weather and light may be totally off the day you decide to go.

Another thing that might happen is you get to your spot late afternoon only to realize that the light for the perfect angle you want happens early morning — speaking of which, a good sun-position app for your phone is an essential planning tool for this type of project. Other possibility is you'll get to a spot and realize that even though it looks nice in the fall, it might look even more spectacular in the middle of winter or early spring.

Gear and film planning is one thing, but luck, as many photographers will confirm, is often the most important part of any project's success. Unfortunately, it's the one you cannot control.

The lighthouse calendar idea is really good, but I would start now and aim for a 2026 calendar, planning various trips from now to early summer.

Pieter12 · Nov 4, 2024

My personal preferences when working on a project such as yours are to keep everything to a minimum. One camera or format, one or two film emulsions. That way the look remains consistent. I am unfamiliar with your 35mm gear, but would suspect the Pentax 645 would give superior results. And always have a sturdy tripod handy.

MattKing · Nov 4, 2024

You may find that the biggest contribution you will get from the explorations in 2025 will be towards your 2026 calendar.
Unless November/December light is at the core of your project, the images might suffer from a bit of "sameness".
But if that sort of light is at the core - and that could certainly work - than go for it. I think I'd mix up the subjects a bit though.

Wolfram Malukker · Nov 4, 2024

Thanks guys. I hadn't locked in a "year" for the calendar projects, and I know I won't get all the locations in one trip-I plan to visit as many as I can this trip, but I will probably only get one or two locations photographed to my satisfaction. One of my other calendar projects is fire hydrants....I take photos of every unusual or well lit fire hydrant I see while I've got a camera with me...

Hopefully the one or two photographed locations turn out nice, and I'll get to make some plans to go back, once I know where I can set a tripod and what areas are accessible-there are some more lighthouses that didn't make the list due to being inaccessible by land.

One tool I plan to use, but haven't finished all of yet-I have built a phone case with a tripod mount. Sturdier than the clip-on mounts, but combined with a geolocation app and sun angle app, I hope to do some planning on locations that don't have ideal light when I get there. Goal is to try and build a predictive calendar to help plan which locations to shoot whenever I get my next chance to go up. (all my days off work are effectively known July 1 every year.)

Revising the plan a bit:

One color film type, one B&W film type
Pentax 645, more likely to be able to get what I need for a ~12" image
Three locations max- 2 Early morning, 1 Late afternoon, anything else is just shots of opportunity. My brother has the lightmeter app I use on his phone and is scouting for me at the locations close to his house for the early morning locations.

My 645 case includes a couple 2.5 gallon zip-loc bags, for rain/spray, and I have rain gear in my travel kit. (Years as an Eagle scout stick with you...many many miles of wet trails...) I found that I can put the entire camera in the zip-lock, fit the lens hood on the lens over the bag, and then razor blade the bag out around the filter ring. It's not water *proof*, but it's a heck of a lot better than a naked camera in wet weather!

Pieter12 · Nov 4, 2024

Wolfram Malukker said:
Thanks guys. I hadn't locked in a "year" for the calendar projects, and I know I won't get all the locations in one trip-I plan to visit as many as I can this trip, but I will probably only get one or two locations photographed to my satisfaction. One of my other calendar projects is fire hydrants....I take photos of every unusual or well lit fire hydrant I see while I've got a camera with me...

Hopefully the one or two photographed locations turn out nice, and I'll get to make some plans to go back, once I know where I can set a tripod and what areas are accessible-there are some more lighthouses that didn't make the list due to being inaccessible by land.

One tool I plan to use, but haven't finished all of yet-I have built a phone case with a tripod mount. Sturdier than the clip-on mounts, but combined with a geolocation app and sun angle app, I hope to do some planning on locations that don't have ideal light when I get there. Goal is to try and build a predictive calendar to help plan which locations to shoot whenever I get my next chance to go up. (all my days off work are effectively known July 1 every year.)

Revising the plan a bit:

One color film type, one B&W film type
Pentax 645, more likely to be able to get what I need for a ~12" image
Three locations max- 2 Early morning, 1 Late afternoon, anything else is just shots of opportunity. My brother has the lightmeter app I use on his phone and is scouting for me at the locations close to his house for the early morning locations.

My 645 case includes a couple 2.5 gallon zip-loc bags, for rain/spray, and I have rain gear in my travel kit. (Years as an Eagle scout stick with you...many many miles of wet trails...) I found that I can put the entire camera in the zip-lock, fit the lens hood on the lens over the bag, and then razor blade the bag out around the filter ring. It's not water *proof*, but it's a heck of a lot better than a naked camera in wet weather!

If you have the funds, there are a number of nice rain covers that should fit your camera, such as this one from ThinkTank: https://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/emergency-rain-cover-medium or LensCoat: https://www.lenscoat.com/raincoats-raincaps-c-34.html

Alex Benjamin · Nov 4, 2024

Wolfram Malukker said:
Revising the plan a bit:

One color film type, one B&W film type
Pentax 645, more likely to be able to get what I need for a ~12" image
Three locations max- 2 Early morning, 1 Late afternoon, anything else is just shots of opportunity. My brother has the lightmeter app I use on his phone and is scouting for me at the locations close to his house for the early morning locations.

Sounds good. Only thing I would question is the 45-85mm lens. I would get a few longer lens. With your subject — essentially a tall, straight structure — the wider the lens, the closer you'll need to get, the closer you'll get, the more you'll get converging verticals. Nothing that can't be fixed, in the darkroom or on the computer, but still, my feeling is you'll want the option to move further away at times, not only to avoid converging parallels a bit more, but also to give you different options on how you want the lighthouses to interact with their environment (and vice versa).

Pieter12 · Nov 4, 2024

Alex Benjamin said:
Sounds good. Only thing I would question is the 45-85mm lens. I would get a few longer lens. With your subject — essentially a tall, straight structure — the wider the lens, the closer you'll need to get, the closer you'll get, the more you'll get converging verticals. Nothing that can't be fixed, in the darkroom or on the computer, but still, my feeling is you'll want the option to move further away at times, not only to avoid converging parallels a bit more, but also to give you different options on how you want the lighthouses to interact with their environment (and vice versa).

It's not my project, but I don't necessarily see the need to fill the frame with the lighthouse. It is probably more interesting in its environment. Plus, cropping is not a sin.

jvo · Nov 4, 2024

It might be just me...

the 2nd time I go to a place I find my pictures are much improved and often go beyond the obvious or postcard shot. They improve each time I return. I would also stick with one format, (as noted above). Each format will offer it's own capabilities and shortcomings - limitations is what makes the exceptional image. It also reduces the decisions and choices that distracts from "focusing" on the subject - to many technical decisions.

Good luck, it sounds like you're covering all the bases and will be fun!.

rcphoto · Nov 4, 2024

My inner procrastinator wishes you luck on your project!

I had a professor in college that did calendars for a client. He said he would start planning and shooting a year in advance of the publish date.

Alex Benjamin · Nov 4, 2024

Pieter12 said:
It's not my project, but I don't necessarily see the need to fill the frame with the lighthouse. It is probably more interesting in its environment. Plus, cropping is not a sin.

I agree totally. Apart from the danger of converging lines — avoided if he can step back —, my comment about various length lenses was also meant to point out that the relationship with the environment changes dramatically when using longer lenses even if, in the end, the lighthouse has the same proportion in the frame regardless of the lens used.

Wolfram Malukker · Nov 4, 2024

I am looking at obtaining the FA 645 80-160mm lens to complement the 45-85mm I currently own, so I can have more options for composition. Also, some of the lighthouses are offshore, on islands, and are only approachable by boat. The nearer ones I may be able to get more pleasing compositions with the longer lens.

I agree, having the 45mm to 160mm option for lenses will allow for more possible compositions, and I think two lenses is not too many to pack around.

I mean, my Pentax 645 kit is in a hard-shell airline carryon case, because that's what was available...I've got room for a second lens in there.

Alex Benjamin · Nov 4, 2024

Wolfram Malukker said:
I'm thinking I will take 200T and FP4+ in 35mm, and then Aerocolor and Ektachrome in 120. I normally use an 85C filter with 200T for daylight use. I have a few ND filters, and a circular polarizer for the 645, and for the 35mm I have the same plus orange and 85C filter, 4 and 6 point star filters.

If you're going for FP4+ in B&W and another slow film for color, you won't need the ND filters.

For black and white, I would add some yellow (#12 or #15) and orange filters in case you find yourself in front of nice fluffy clouds you want to make sure to bring out — subtlely or dramatically.

I would avoid the polarizer. It does darken the sky, but has the disadvantage of both eliminating reflections on water and darken it, something you might not necessarily want for this particular project.

Taylor Nankervis · Nov 4, 2024

That's a lot of places to literally skate around to and fro; granted, I'm down here in Oz, not up there in the US of A an d onlyi have a vague grasp of the individual States. What if the weather isn't suitable? The light? Personally I'd spend a minimum of 2 days at each location so I can acclimatise to the environment, scout the subject, look at lighting, the behaviour of the lighthouse light (e.g. on night one) and potential things like elements intruding into the scene that are not desired (people, cars, planes etc.)

Scouting locations before actually shooting is critical. My projects span one day, typically, coming back with a max of two 120 rolls of film, and each frame will be printed. Two cameras, four lenses, 2 rolls of film. Maybe it is experience that has set me on the 'travel economically' path. Don't overburden yourself with considerations of equipment and film when the bare basics will be just fine. Knowing your subject is the meat in the sandwich.

Pieter12 · Nov 4, 2024

Taylor Nankervis said:
That's a lot of places to literally skate around to and fro; granted, I'm down here in Oz, not up there in the US of A an d onlyi have a vague grasp of the individual States. What if the weather isn't suitable? The light? Personally I'd spend a minimum of 2 days at each location so I can acclimatise to the environment, scout the subject, look at lighting, the behaviour of the lighthouse light (e.g. on night one) and potential things like elements intruding into the scene that are not desired (people, cars, planes etc.)

Scouting locations before actually shooting is critical. My projects span one day, typically, coming back with a max of two 120 rolls of film, and each frame will be printed. Two cameras, four lenses, 2 rolls of film. Maybe it is experience that has set me on the 'travel economically' path. Don't overburden yourself with considerations of equipment and film when the bare basics will be just fine. Knowing your subject is the meat in the sandwich.

Only one roll per camera?

Taylor Nankervis · Nov 4, 2024

Pieter12 said:
Only one roll per camera?

Plus two spares in the kit, beside one roll per camera.

In my specific case, there is no need to expend a whole roll on one, two or three scenes when I know how it will turn out. Being able to picture the finished image in the mind's eye is one of the most valuable skills any photographer can have, and this is why I am pretty frugal with film usage.

The two spares are chiefly in case I fumble (I have only 9 full fingers) and unravel either an unexposed or exposed roll — unlikely nowadays, but it has happened twice in the distant past, necessitating a reshoot (hence I have kept written records of GPS, time, place and exposure in the event of a disaster!).

The 67 bodies are not the easiest beasts to load and unload film when conditions on the spot don't favour it e.g. torrential rain and cold or heat, wind, snakes, leeches, spoyders, kangaroos looking for a fight... or even stickybeaking people wanting a close-up of my real big rig (the cameras, I mean! )

Truzi · Nov 5, 2024

You may want to carefully consider your itinerary, and add a good percentage of time for "slop."

It has been quite a while since I've driven to Toledo (I live in Lorain Country), but you are looking at 1.5 - 2 hours from Point Place to where I live. That's non-stop freeway driving with no traffic jams. The quicker ET is for the turnpike, which is south of the lighthouses you seek. The freeways nearer your stops do a bit more winding.

This is based on my living approximately 100 miles from the University of Toledo (where I went for my undergrad). Google Maps confirms my odometer readings. Plus I'm about 4 miles from a freeway entrance. (Yes, I've made the trip in an hour a few times, but I'd not recommend it.)
Subtract 10 miles, as The Lorain Light house is about 10 miles closer to Toledo than I.

Also, I remember Point Place being a bit busy (though it is a nice place). Navigating Port Clinton and Lorain will take a bit of time, unless you are lucky. You'll have to go through "downtown" Lorain. It's small and has some old charm in spots, but is not the safest place. You'll be okay in the daylight. When it's dark, just stick to the main roads and you'll be fine - Route 57 is a large city street in downtown Lorain. When leaving the Lighthouse, head south on 57 and it will eventually hit Rte 90/2 (freeway).

Alan Edward Klein · Nov 5, 2024

Pieter12 said:
My personal preferences when working on a project such as yours are to keep everything to a minimum. One camera or format, one or two film emulsions. That way the look remains consistent. I am unfamiliar with your 35mm gear, but would suspect the Pentax 645 would give superior results. And always have a sturdy tripod handy.

One film emulsion is a good idea for color consistency.

Alan Edward Klein · Nov 5, 2024

MattKing said:
You may find that the biggest contribution you will get from the explorations in 2025 will be towards your 2026 calendar.
Unless November/December light is at the core of your project, the images might suffer from a bit of "sameness".
But if that sort of light is at the core - and that could certainly work - than go for it. I think I'd mix up the subjects a bit though.

The problem is he is shooting in OH and MI from Kentucky. He's going one time. Here's an idea that might make them a theme but different. Get his wife or girlfriend dressed in a red rain jacket posing in all the lighthouse shots. It would give it somewhat of a different theme and take away from the similarities of the foliage or lack of leaves on the trees in Nov and Dec. Also stay away from foliage and use sea themes in the shots. After all, they're lighthouses anyway and one thinks of the sea not land.

Wolfram Malukker · Nov 5, 2024

All of these ideas are great.

As some have mentioned, it isn't feasible to photograph all of these locations in a single trip. I will make multiple trips over the next few months. I like Alan's idea of having a consistent person in the frame for the different locations.

Pieter12 · Nov 6, 2024

Keep in mind you might want your project to go beyond just a calendar at some point. If you have time (or can make time for it) while you are there shoot details, people, environment, etc.--you never know what might work if the project becomes a book or exhibit.

Sirius Glass · Nov 6, 2024

You may want each month to be seasonal: that is Spring months with flowers, Summer months with appropriate lighting, Autumn with Fall colors, and Winter with snow and ice.

Wolfram Malukker · Nov 10, 2024

Well, I'm expecting not that many good shots. There were some scheduling (One person can't understand "we need to leave") issues that meant I did not make it to all the locations on the time I had planned, and the one location that we got to at precisely the time I wanted to be there, had great lighting, but also had a work crew all over the building. Not gonna be easy to edit out two boom lifts and a pressure washer!

I think I did get two locations at good times, but we'll see when I get the film developed. I'll make another trip to catch a few more locations late this year, and just use what I learned this time to do better next time.

Getting ready to do my first "project".

Wolfram Malukker

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