dave wyman

My "good" cameras were unavailable in 2004 when I photographed the Day of the Dead ceremonies in Los Angeles, at Olvera Street. I used my little Minolta Xt. The best pictures I made that day were the ones that brought me up close and personal to my subjects. In truth, the little camera did not help make me inconspicuous. (I love the results I got, but I wish I'd had a full-sized camera.)

 

Some of my photos of the "dead" are at:

 

http://www.pbase.com/davewyman/dead

 

There are some techniques to put both you and your subjects at ease.

 

One, linger in an area for a while before raising your camera to your eye; allow people to become used to your presence.

 

Two, bring a long a small selection of your own photos to share with people. Once people look at the pictures in your album, they almost always want to be in the album too.

 

Three: you might consider keeping your camera hidden at first, in a day pack or camera bag, or wearing it across your shoulder, rather than on your chest - that will put people more at ease. If you can make friends with the above methods, then you can pull out your camera.

 

Use a wide angle lens, or a wide angle zoom (I use the 18-70mm with my Nikon). This will force you to move in close. Don't use a wide angle and try to sneak photos - it usually doesn't work.<div></div>

James, low contrast is the problem. If you have Photoshop or a similar program, it's easy to use the Levels feature - slide the mid-tone to the right a short distance and you should see a dramatic difference, one I think that will be to your liking.

! :-)

Definitely go with a guide, if only to save the wear and tear on your own vehicle. I've conducted a number of photo tours of Monument Valley over the years and I always had good luck with Bennett Tours (the orignal operator, Tom Bennett, passed away a few years ago). Phone: 800-862-8270. Bennett Tours was more than willing to meet us well before dawn, and to take us wherever we wanted to go. On my first tour of Monument Valley, I made the mistake of allowing Mr. Bennett and his son to give us the standard tour, which meant we zipped all over the place. Mr. Bennett was understandably pleased to show our group the well known locations in the Monument, as well as his own favorite places, but we had very little time for photography. On all subsequent outings, we chose to explore two or three locations we wanted to photograph in otherwise inaccessible locations, going for quality over quantity.

I'm partial to wide angles for this sort of photo, modified in Photoshop with Gaussian Blur.<div></div>

>When climbing, I used to take my M6TTL with Elmar 50...<

 

The one camera I like to take climbing is a Rollei 35. Once hyperfocal distance and exposure are set, there's nothing to think about except comoposition.<div></div>

I see a problem going with a new camera - will you be able to master the controls in time for your trip? Will you put the camera in auto mode or fumble around for a while working with ISOs, focus areas, exposure compensation, bracketing, etc?

 

Personally, I can't function without a telephoto, and if I were you, I might frankly forget the digital camera and pick up a longer lens for the film camera. However, it's the photographer, not the camera or the lens, that makes or breaks the photograph.

 

Those issues aside, Katha - it's almost 2006! Sell off (if you can) your film gear, donate it, or put it in a box in the garage and forget about it, give your film away. Go with your instinct: purchase a D70 or D70s, and make sure you include the kit lens. After you use your new camera, you will wonder why you stuck with film for so long.

 

You can make photos with ISO 800 and there will be virtually no grain. Frankly, that probably won't help you make low light photos in museums without some sort of support, but you won't have much luck with your current film camera and zoom lens. You won't have problem with x-mas lights, though, with the kit lens.

 

You'll have a much better chance with low light subjects with that 50mm lens you've already got, if you plan on hand holding your camera. There's no reason not to take that lens with you. Crop factor? Walk backwards approximately five feet.

 

Together with the kit lens, your 50mm lens (great for museums and smokey Parisian jazz clubs) - will be all you need.

 

As for waiting until after Christmas, hey, your trip is >before< Christmas. Get a D200? A 35mm f/2? This is like a dog chasing its tail, an endless way to contemplate spending more money. The D70s (maybe you can still find a D70 at discount) is within your budget and its a wonderful camera.

 

Yes, you'll need plenty of storage space, so you'll want a couple of CF cards - prices have really dropped. If you aren't taking a laptop with you, or some other mass storage device, then you'll need to purchase more CF cards and possibly ration your shots - but you'll have far more photos to make than you would have with film.

 

One other issue - battery power. Unless you plan on making several hundred photos each day, you can probably make it through on one battery if you recharge it each night. I don't use the onboard flash very often and I try not to look at the LCD after every shot. I do have a spare battery for my camera, but I've yet to use it, even making hundreds of photos in a day.

 

But the D70, take the 50mm lens, get plenty of CF cards, and have fun in Paris.

>Is there any camera out there, that is so sophisticated, that I can simply point the camera and shoot, and the camera intelligently figures out the best focus?<

 

No. And thank goodness. Otherwise humans would be superfluous. Cameras would need to be equipped with at least some form of artificial intelligence, in order to decide what the "best" focus for a given scene would be.

 

Frankly, even humans have a difficult time deciding what the word "best" means, and it's doubtful a camera will be able to do this for a long time. The concept of what is best, whether we're talking about photography, Iraq, or mustards, is variable and debatable.

 

>I've used Nikon SLR's since 1979. When using SLRs, I can compose, while simultaneously -- as per Calderon's point -- using my brain to decide on the key element, and focus on the matte screen.<

 

I'm sympathetic. But it's all relative. For example, a two-step approach, even when simultaneous, is one too many for my Rollei 35 rangefinders - they feature zone focusing only, there is no split image, no matte screen, so focusing has to be pre-set. Exposure, too, must be manually set ahead of the shutter release. That takes photography down to one creative step, composition.

 

I don't miss the one step approach of my little Rollei rangefinders, just as most people with access to digital cameras are more than happy with today's technology, including less than intelligent autofocusing.

 

Certainly when time is a luxury it's quicker to use the central focusing spot (and recompose when necessary) than switch to the outlying focusing areas (which work for me). While it would be nice to be able to focus and compose at the same time, I've become accustomed to my autofocus cameras, to the point that using them is second nature to me, just as focusing on a matte screen is second nature to Roger.

I switched from 'chromes to digital a few years ago. My wife and I cruised Alaska on our wedding anniversary this past August. I brought a pair of digicams, both with 28-200mm lenses. They were extremely compact and convenient to use, and latitude was closer to print film than slide film. I rarely bother with film anymore (unless I'm paid to). Some of my Alaska pics are at:

 

http://www.pbase.com/davewyman/alaska

 

You might want to look for the Northern Lights the night you are at about the latitude of Glacier Bay (and you can try farther south). Any farther north and the night sky will be too bright. Unfortunately, my digicams recorded a lot of noise along with the Lights. Film cameras or DSLRs would not have had the same problem.

 

In any event, I would certainly take two cameras. You would be very unhappy if your one and only camera failed during your cruise, which you are going to love.

Ian, welcome to Southern California. Ray House gave you a terrific idea when he suggested you read The Backroads of Southern California. I can say that with confidence because I'm the author/photographer. My pictorial guidebook contains about 115 of my own photographs and about 35,000 words; the book actually covers half the state, exploring areas you can travel to by car or bicycle; it's not a hiking guide.

 

O.k., here's a secret location: the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, not far from the resort community of Warner Hot Springs and Anza-Borrego state park. I'd recommend visiting there when the mountain landscape is greener than it is now - probably around the first of the year through April. From the paved section of the road leading into the reservation, there are expansive views of the back country, from rocky peaks to the flat lands dotted with oaks east of Lake Henshaw along the paved section of the road leading into the reservation. On my last visit, a brief drive-through, we also photographed a red-tailed hawk and numerous wild turkeys. (And you can find out more about my books at idrivebackroads.com.)

I noticed people refer to "them" at Quality Light Metric. There is only one person, George Milton, and I don't think he has a protoge in the wings.