jay sturdevant

Guy,

You say it's society that has turned the idea of liberty into a battle against authority, but in reality liberty is an inalienable

right bestowed on us at birth. If authority does their duty to protect those rights there is no 'us and them'.

It has been an executive branch of government that has used the idea of our safety to remove the possibility of debate or dissention

and chip away at our cilil liberties and pursue an agenda that has everything to do with profiteering and expanding their

power and nothing to do with our safety at all. 'The root of America's problems' today as you put it is in my opinion these

neo-fasscist creeps who wrap themselves in a flag while violating our constitutional principals at every turn for their own

advantage and a legislature that doesn't represent the rights of their constituents, just their corporate benefactors.

How can you expect citizens to trust an authority that raises their color-coded 'terror alert' during their political opponent's

nomination speech? Do we want to let authoritarian goons tell us what constitutes a matter of National Security, even if

it violates amendments in the constitution? Few people probably remember but when the anti-war fervor reached it's

zenith years ago, the current administration mentioned categorizing war protesters in Oregon as a threat to national

security. Once we surrender our rights for these fallacious goals of safety and false nationalism we cease to become

what made this country great, history is riddled with poor souls who travelled that path.

I agree completely with Sheldon about the super wide + telephoto. I've been to six continents with just those two lenses

and never found myself wanting anything else really. Less = more, I find travel in those countries a much more enjoyable

experience when your possessions are simplified. Try to fit everything in either a chestpack or sling shoulder bag so you

can access it quickly. There are a lot of bag snatchings in Vietnam...especially HCN City. I found I use 200mm lens all

the time for candid street scenes

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The cost comparison of film for this trip vs a used DSLR might roughly equal out for this trip, but when you consider that

the next batch of 50 rolls is going to cost another $500....the price comparison becomes rather lopsided.

I've used both types of cameras in that environment and the images I was able to capture with the versatility of a DSLR

were better, and the key was that I knew what was working immediately. Jungle light at that latitude is extremely tricky

and having confirmation that what you are doing is working is indispensable. Given that compact flash memory weighs a

fraction of what film does and the price has come way down, you can shift ISO setting between shots, and the likelihood

that most eventual uses on your images will require digital scanning, plus you can create almost any emulsion attribute

in post processing, for this kind of trip the advantages of a DSLR are worth considering.

I'm not trying to undermine Mattew's advice, as I think it is thoughtful and I have nothing against film, but I found caring

for, carrying, and switching between film emulsions in a spontaneous environment a hindrance and I wish I had known

then what I know now.

Yaiza,

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I don't mean this to sound flippant, but I would take the $$ you would spend on film and processing and buy a Canon

20D used on EBAY. I've hauled film all over the world, including rainforests, and going digital is the best thing I've ever

done regarding travel photography.

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Film is heavy, sensitive to heat, xray and in that climate especially as soon as you make an image it begins to

deteriorate until you can process it. Going digital means you can shoot more, get feedback (especially if there is a tv

monitor to plug into) you have much greater flexibility with ISO, and don't underestimate how great an icebreaker it is to

show someone the image you have taken of them.

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Having said all that, if it were me I would load up on the provia 100F, because it has realistic skin tones and can be

pushed 3 stops without much ill effect. You will want to push this film occasionally. If you have a tripod velvia will work

nicely for landscapes. Keep it as cool as possible, especially after it has been exposed.

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another possible explanation is that the image you're looking at isn't a photograph at all and was spawned by some other

clever device, more and more this is photo.net. Or it has been manipulated to the point that the original exposure details

and equipment are largely irrelevant.

I'm experimenting with having prints done from a mail order lab, and after applying their various paper's ICC profiles I'm a little stumped by

the violence they are doing to my files. I'm reasonably certain my monitor is calibrated well before the soft proof, is there a preferred

method for compensating for the loss of detail and luminosity? They look flat and a little washed out, and the levels or curve adjustments I

would normally use don't seem to correct it as well as I would like. Is this an unavoidable consequence or am I missing something

important?

Thanks

My computer's hard drives are filling up with those 50Mb Tiff files that are the fruit of many hours of

labor. I back them and their parent RAW files on DVD, but I don't have a lot of faith in optical media as

permanent solution. What do you do with files this big, even a 160 GB portable HD isn't looking so big

anymore but it seems like the only answer. Does anyone have a good archiving strategy and any advice on

portable HD models, and if you don't mind my asking, how big and how many?

I take Seal dry bags with me when I travel. They make a version that is lightweight and when

not in use it weighs very little and can lay flat against the back of my pack. If I'm in a canoe

or suspect ferry the camera bag goes inside this bag as added insurance. More than once i

have stuffed it full of clothes and used it as a pillow. I forget the product line but it is black

and cost @ $30 each, a cheaper option than a pelican case and less space intensive when not

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If you haven't been there before you might be surprised by how big Yellowstone is, as I'm

fond of telling people it is the size of two small Eastern states ( I forget which ones).

Trying to plan with any certainty what you will see with a fixed amount of time strikes me

as a recepie for frustration, if it were me i would have a loose idea and go with the flow.

You may hit some traffic that time of year. Yellowstone isn't a place of superlatives, some

of the best places are just far enough off the ring road to cut out 90% of the hordes, and

the real joy of the place is the backcountry, I would spend a day hiking to the geyser basin

on Shoshone lake and don't worry about the shots of the major places that have been

done thousands of times before. I don't mean to sound flippant, but do you really want to

take a picture of Tower falls that everybody has while surrounded by 3,000 Japanese

tourists? I have that canon lens, it is really sweet! Have a great trip

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Thanks to all for the input about Mac laptops. I love the idea of the 13" Macbook and was pretty sold on

the design, but when i started sifting through user reviews.....holy cr@p! The random shutdown syndrome

that is apparently due to heat or the logic board has been so bad there is a class-action lawsuit in the

making due to Apple's inability to deal with the problem. Much of the discussion seems to center around

the first generation core duo model, but there is some mention of it with the core duo2 as well. Does

anyone know definitively whether they have fixed this? I love OSX but i don't want to deal with this crap

on a brand new computer.

I spend so much time image editing that i need to take the show on the road and get a laptop. I'm really

fond of the Mac OS, so I'm thinking of a new Macbook 2ghz or an used Powerbook G4 1.65. Is Adobe CS3

a universal program or is it going through a rosetta translation on the intel models? I've noticed that the

used Powerbooks are still really expensive relative to the entry level Macbooks, are they still the tool of

choice? Any advice from the Mac savy would be appreciated, I can't splash out for a Macbook Pro so I'm

looking at the next best option. At this stage would you go PowerPC or Intel core duo?

Henry is right, Montana is huge and if you only have 4 days you will be spending the best

part of 2 of those days driving to Glacier. If it was me i wouldn't worry about what I'm not

seeing and put your energy into Yellowstone since it is so close, It doesn't evoke the

superlatives of Glacier's viewpoints, but is one of the most incredible ecosystems anywhere.

Even in four days you can'rt scratch the surface, it is the size of Maryland and Delaware put

together. Despite the traffic on the ring roads, if you walk a mile down any trail the numbers

fall off enormously. Both places are worthy of their own trips IMHO.

Sepilok is a bit of a circus, but if you want to see the orange ones for sure it is a safe bet.

Kinnebatagan is a great river to see lots of wildlife because they have no where else to go,

you may see wild orangutangs there but your chances of getting close enough for photos

with impact depends on luck. Danum valley is a magical place, and some of the last of it's

kind of lowland forest left in Malaysia, see it while you can. Access is not easy and even if

you pay for the $$ lodge, transport can be tricky as it doesn't leave every day, try to plan

ahead. The canopy is very high here. A week is pretty quick, it will take some luck and

endurance to pull off your itinerary. Sabah is being destroyed, take a moment while you are

there to appreciate why the places you listed are so rare and important.

Backpacking? Carbon fiber would be ideal, but unless you get lucky on ebay too $$.

Manfrotto 3001 legs, not heavy enough, not tall enough, but if you have to carry on your

back about as much as you'de want in aluminum. New $100, used @$40. Giottos or Kaiser

ball heads are ample for that size lense, medium size @ $90. That will put you in your $200

budget but i would splash out for an Arca Swiss style quick release clamp and plate, you may

find knockoff versions which are usually ok. Don't apologize, tripods/heads are the most

underrated piece of equip. that is discussed! If you are in the states, look at B&H Photo for

new equip. hope this helps

I've got a studio shoot coming up for a hair product company a friend owns and he has...umh... real

models lined up. Truth is, this isn't something I'm very experienced with or good at, is there a trick to

getting posed shots that don't look contrived and static. I think I will struggle a little with directing the

models and could use any help , thanks.

I've got a five day vacation in the village of Lizard (best name ever) in Cornwall, UK, and hope to sneak off

from my girlfriend for some alone time to shoot. Any suggestions on places to see or on the area in

general would be great, and if you are ever headed someplace i've been you can be sure i will return the

favor. Thanks in advance, - Jay

Beautiful, perfectly executed landscapes of pristine areas are a joy to look at and a subject

matter near and dear to my heart, but as far as them covering new ground, I have the

same feeling about them as I do an 'American Idol' winner, that is even the most

celebrated are copying someone else's style and material. They still look nice and have

their place but there is nothing profound in how they depict their subject. Perhaps

curators are trying to showcase talent that is at the very least trying to seek new ways to

express itself and break new ground, in my experience even if it fails it stimulates me

more than seeing competent execution of a familiar style. If you were a record company

would you rather sign a great Beatles cover band or the next act that could create their

own genre? The impact on music and on your reputation for discovering them is

potentially so great you might take the chance, I think this is how art evolves. I look at the

excellent landscapes and bird shots and nudes on Photo.net all the time and puzzle over

their perfect originality ratings which in truth are a mockery. Similarly I look at even my

own admittedly less accomplished work, even the best of it and say 'so what", the world is

full of 'formula plot movies', clone stamp spy novels, musical bands copying their hero's

style and the wealth of it is shockingly mediocre.......landscape photography is subject to

the same paradigm, easy to be popular but will have a hard time being considered as

anything other than another pretty picture.

Hi Joe, if yours looks like mine it is a headphone style pin on one end and a single 3.5mm

jack on the other. Where it plugs into on the tv usually varies from country to country, trial

and error is the way. If your battery charger is dual voltage, it will say something like

100v-240v on the back and state in the manual that it can charge under this range. Don't

carry the transformer if you don't have to they weigh a ton. Electrical outlets are different in

the US to the UK so make sure you have the plug adapter. Have a good trip.

I've travelled for 5 months at a time with a DSLR, the biggest challenges are power and

storage. I would agree with the above posters about carrying an extra battery, you won't

have any problems finding charging opportunities in the States, but carrying an extra

charged unit will save you when you burn through one unexpectedly or forget to charge a

depleted unit. For a 3 week trip you might make do with flash cards, especially as the size

has gone up and the price down. I wouldn't go without that camera to TV video cable, if you

want to edit to save space, better to do it on a TV than your little viewing screen. Even in the

most remote parts of Myanmar i was still able to plug into a TV once in a while.

Let's get this straight, he is upset because he wants to give a reciprocal rating to someone

who told him he is perfect, she is upset because she can't give her spouse a 'perfect' rating

she believes he merits because she is proud of him? Gosh my heart is bleeding.

Most of the problems with the rating system have nothing to do with the software

programming or administrators workload, they stem from members' absurd sycophantic

tendencies, casual use of the word perfect and awarding perfect scores, or using the

lowest score possible as an insult or tool. The highest and lowest scores possible should

realistically be given on rare occasions or the whole scale becomes perverted....which

leads us to where we are, it has become corrupted by people who insist on turning what

should be honest critique into a feel good session or an opportunity to vent their spleen

on humanity. Maybe the answer is to make all pictures anonymous so you can't decide

how much you like an image based on who made it, then you will get something

constructive. Like the administrators keep saying, whatever reform they make, someone

will be disgruntled, so look at your own motivations for rating the way you do as a place to

start if you want things to change for the better.

Hi Dan, as a lover of fine art B&W prints, enthusiastic traveller, avid backpacker and

veteran of hundreds of rolls of hand developed film, my question regarding your

circumstances is how invested in film are you?

I have lived out of a backpack for months at a time and once for a year straight, and my

advice to anyone after the experience is that film is a pain in the ass under these

circumstances. It is heavy, fragile after exposure, vulnerable to xray, and takes up so

much space. All of this won't anything if you are committed to film, but if you aren't

consider switching to digital for a trip like this, the $ I spent on film and processing in the

year I was away would have paid for a digital SLR, for travel I will never go back. Have a

great trip.

Hey Kevin, if posters weren't so eager to make you feel stupid they would assume you have

already concentrated on the photography part, and just want good feedback. I think your

question is valid because if you don't get high scores or ask for critique only, your image

cycles through pretty quickly. Photo.net has posters from all over the world so even though

most people's surfing time might be evening, it is always evening somewhere. I saw a stat

once that said the majority of members are male and Americans, so one obvious answer

would be aim for US evening hours for sheer volume, and if you've ever seen the response to

women's questions in the forum, well.....anyways, my experience has been you will get

people from different nationalities at different times of day.