Greeting from the Wilderness of Alaska

[Harold Wingo]

Hi Murray,
Good to hear from you and to know that a LF Photographer is rather close.

The Rock . . . yes that's what we call it. PoW (Prince of Wales Island) also means Prisoner of War as we are totally surrounded by harsh, wild, horrible seas and terrible winds. We just can't go to the main land when ever we desire. If we're ill and the weather is bad, our only means of relief and help comes from the US Coast Gurad Blackhawk Chopper.

"You, like me, must have never met another photographer out in the field...bliss...", that's an under statement. I rarely meet anyone in the field! And in many ways it is bliss!

What kind of 4X5 do you shoot?
Harold

 

[MurrayMinchin]

I have NEVER shot a 4x5 or ANY OTHER camera in my LIFE...although I did once fire a tripod that really deserved it into the cold, cold depths of a river...sink you bastard!

I'm 44 - bought my Wista 4x5 by mail order from Zone VI, 22 years ago, as it's a 1000 mile drive for me (1500 mile drive, 200 mile flight for you?) to the nearest store that sells (limited) large format gear in Vancouver, BC. In the begining Zone VI sold slam-dunk top-notch goods. I've used the same twelve film holders, 120ml & 210ml lenses, focusing cloth (with modifications), and tripod (with modifications), for the last 22 years. Not bad for the weather you and I have to face. This gear has also been on a six month sea kayaking trip along the coast of BC...two months in winter, two months in spring, and two months in the fall...say no more!!!

What do you use...what are your tricks for keeping it all dry during monsoon rains / silver dollar sized snow flakes?

Since I rarely keep to the trails around here, like you, I seldom meet anybody out in the bush. Which brings an idea to mind...maybe you can start a thread about the critters (non human) you've met while photographing...I'm sure you've met a few!

Murray

 

[Graeme Hird]

Hi Harold,

Welcome to "the other forum"!

Cheers,

 

[Harold Wingo]

Hi Murray,
Currently I own two Sinar 4X5's; one is the Sinar-f and the other is a Sinar F2. I bought the Sinar-f in 2000 but didn't start to learn about it and use it until about a year ago. I was recently in Germany and purchased the Sinar F2. I am a beginner to LF. I am trying to figure a way of taking pictures of the Killer Whales and Ble Whales from my boat. I think that if I can get some fast film I just might be able to do this in rather protected waters (3 to 4 foot seas in the chanel). It would never work on the outside.

I see you too are concerned about hard rain and blowing wind. Those who have never been in *our* "neck of the woods" have no clue do they??!!!

I have no secrets regarding staying dry, however, my wife made my Sinar f a very nice rain-coat. The material is made of zero porosity nylon with weather proof backing and along the edges is round lead wire which we frequently use to weight the lines on our shrimp and crab pots to keep the lines from floating (guys cut floating lines with knives so they don't get in boat props). The rain coat has a clear visor above the lens which sticks out about 4 inches and helps to protect the lens from falling rain (does no good for blowing rain and snow). Since you live in my environment you know there is little one can do to protect equipment or one's self from the 60 MPH blows that frequently hit us. Weather like that . . . I stay inside and develop film, attempt to learn more about scanning negatives, attempt to learn Adobe Photo Shop, and attempt to learn about and control my new printer. Oh! One thing that has been of benefit is, I purchased a bag bellows for my camera. Though it frequently serves as a wind sail, it's easier to wipe dry and maintain than the standard bellows. That has helped, if for no other reason than to set my mind at ease when the camera gets wet knowing that I can better dry the camera bellows.

What do you do about the wind and rain? How do you deal with your GG frosting and in the summer, how do you deal with the bugs? Those things get inside my camera and crawl about on my GG.
Harold

 

[Harold Wingo]

Hi Graeme,

I think time has come for me to spend a little time on the "other Forum". Thanks for the welcome.

Harold

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Hi Harold. Here's a few of my adverse weather tricks:

For light rain...I cut my focusing cloth from a huge rectangle to a triangle with it's top cut off, like a big letter A. (At the lens board the ends are tied and fit under the focusing rails loose enough to allow for lens board movements and to keep it place in the wind). There are a series of slits cut into the cloth near the ground glass, so that strings tied to the carring handle can be fed through and tied to secure the cloth in place. This is done so that when different lenses are used at different focusing distances, the cloth extends past the lens a bit to keep rain off. This is where some are going to freak out and say, "but the weight of the cloth will effect the image!". When exposing, I wad the ground glass ends of the cloth into my tripod legs to take most of the weight, stop the lens down one extra stop and go for it...this may "be wrong", but at least I'm out there getting some wild images. (It can rain & drizzle here for a month at a time!) For really heavy rain, I put a small rain poncho over the whole works. A big rain poncho goes on the ground for under my pack that then gets draped over the pack and camera bag. I forgot the small poncho once and had to wring out my focusing cloth between photographs!

For bugs in the camera...get the lens on fast! It helps to endure them as long as possible under the focusing cloth then run, screaming, about 50 feet away. When most of the bugs find you again, you sprint back under the focusing cloth...repeat as needed.

Frost on the ground glass...inhale deeply, hold as long as possible while focusing/tilting/shifting/swinging/composing, exhale down and out below armpit. I don't know of any other way.

Heavy wind...I wander in the forest or set up in the protected corner of a pocket beach - 20 feet can mean the difference between no breaze at all, or bellows sheading winds.

For deep snow...I cut tennis balls in half, cut slits in the top of the dome, and force them onto my tripod legs cupped side down. I may try big ski pole baskets this year.

My tripod used to have a fancy "good for life" wood/glue laminated top plate. It didn't like the rain forest, or being lashed to the deck of a sea kayak...now have an aluminum one. The tripod used to have plastic nobs for tightening the legs...now has big bad-ass galvanized wing nuts...they can withstand the bashing with rocks one has to do when you forget to loosen them off and wander around in the rain all day, after a dry spell and the wooden legs have swollen up.

Large format Killer Whales...can't wait to see yours!

Murray