LF teamwork

[jeff_schraeder1]

Up until a few weeks ago I had a friend that was also deeply involved in LF. We frequently went on shoots together and compared work, technique, and discussed other photographic issues. He recently moved from the area. I miss the benefits of working with another photographer. I live in Baltimore and putting your head under a darkcloth with $5,000 worth of LF gear on the sidewalk behind you is just not a good thing to do! Does anyone else on this list work with another photographer on a regular basis? Is anyone in the Baltimore area interested?

[jim_brick]

There is a Large Format e-mail list (use a normal e-mail program

rather than this web interface) and I urge you all to join. It is a

little slow right now but you all could liven it up. There are a lot

of LF photographers on the list, perhaps some in Baltimore. There is

an archive as well. Go to:

 

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http://www.topica.com/lists/bigneg/

 

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to subscribe. John Brownlow (great great photographer) is the list

owner.

[d_g]

"putting your head under a darkcloth"

and what about a binocular or reflex viewer ?

just a joke !

[sean_yates2]

Nathan Congdon lives, or lived in the City of Big Hair. Is he still

around? I know he's busy what with a new child and all. He posts

here occassionally. You'd definately benefit from contacting him.

[james___]

I photograph with a couple of guys. I find it nice to have someone to

talk to about photography when out shooting or having coffee. And

taking trips together. Go to your local community college and ask the

teacher if there is someone they know who shoots LF or just shoots.

james

[raven_garrison]

Funny, I'm in the proccess of changing my

equipment. Between the new tripod and new

camera with my beloved Schneider lens, my

equipment will be worth about $4000.00. I

allready have anxiety about going out

shooting by myself in the city. Center City

Philadelphia. Even though it will be

insured, somehow I feel like I am asking for

something to happen by taking this

obviously expensive looking equipment in

the city. I just keep telling myself that

somehow I'll have to get over this fear. I

just love architecture, but every once in a

while I think about changing my subject

matter to something safer. Its not like you

can whip out your auto focus and get that

shot real quick. Good luck.

[sandy_sorlien]

I feel much safer with a binocular viewer than under the dark cloth!

I'm female and often photograph alone in cities, though I would take a

partner to do bad neighborhoods in Philadelphia or Balto. I am not so

sure the LF equipment is as attractive to thieves as 35mm; harder to

sell. Besides, my Arca with the viewer is quite bizarre looking, and

with the orange cones I use to stake out my spots, people think I'm a

surveyor.

BTW, I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to plug this here, but it is a

non-profit organization so here goes. Everyone in Baltimore, come to

the Society for Photographic Education conference Oct. 26 & 27 at

MICA. Theme is "Fiction & Fantasy." Write me directly for more info or

see the website at spenational.org (click on Regional/MidAtlantic).

Cheers!

[gavin_.1]

Please stop reinforcing those American stereotypes! Next time I'm

over there I'll be scared to carry any more than a cereal box pinhole

camera loaded with the cheapest film I can find, and I'll only use it

from a moving car! I live in Japan, and there are *very* few places I

wouldn't go at any time of day or night, with or without my camera.

The only reactions I've had when using my monorail so far have been

combined amusement and amazement. Also, people come and stand next to

me to take the same shot. This is odd; I'm only really a beginner so

to be honest am more interested in just getting well exposed results

than a good composition, so I'm not sure what the spectators think

I'm photographing. There's an interesting social experiment to be had

there somewhere. I'm a Brit, but when I lived in England I wasn't

really interested in photography, so I'm going to have to learn to

exercise more caution than I do now. Japan is pretty much a

photographers paradise...

[nathan_congdon]

I live in Balto still, and shoot in the city quite frequently,

including some pretty unsavory neighborhoods (where, as it happens, I

live!) I think the dangers are probably a bit over-rated, people

seem more curious than interested in stealing my stuff. I've never

had a problem in years of urban shooting. You'd certainly be welcome

to contact me about getting together to do some shooting. I have

another friend I often go with who also shoots 8X10 and lives only

about ten minutes away. Drop me an email and e can get together.

 

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Nathan

[sandy_sorlien]

Nathan,

You aren't female and neither is Jeff, unless you have really strange

names, so you may not much care about personal security. But try to

remember it's not all men using large format equipment on the streets!

The camera becomes an excuse for men to come talk to us. Usually they

are perfectly respectable but sometimes they aren't. We have to be

very alert working alone, ready to pack up and leave if the situation

becomes dangerous. I like to shoot in desolate urban areas and the

bino viewer lets me see what's around me. I work better alone so a

partner is not my first choice for protecting myself. ( I guess I

could always point the spotmeter at them and yell, "This is loaded

with Acid Stop Bath!")

[dean_lastoria]

I read about a dog named "Focus". I'm a pretty big guy, I don't like

standing alone either (and in peaceful Canada too). It's a tough

trick, but has anyone managed to train their dogs to just sit nice

for the 1/2 hour it takes -- you know, without stealing the

darkcloth, chewing the tri-pod, or burrying the spotmeter? It doesn't

take much dog sound an alarm when someone walks up behind you though.

I'm in the middle of the experiment, but a 1yr old 70lb dog (who I

thought was supposed to be a "gundog" hunting dog)is not in the LF

mode yet.

Dean