martin_schuler

<p>Yes, I should have mentioned that my fossil collecting was done years ago before the Bisti Badlands became a protected wilderness area...sorry, my bad. At Mesa Verde, I was able to hire a "private" park ranger who guided me to various dwellings so that I could shoot "in between" tours.</p>

<p>If you can make it up into the Mesa Verde area of Colorado, that has the most spectacular and well preserved cliff dwellings in the world. In Northeastern Arizona, Canyon de Chelly is a great place to visit, especially if you take a motor vehicle tour into the canyon. I have been to the Bisti Badlands in New Mexico, just south of Farmington that has a vast array of hoodoo formations-most interesting! I have also been there fossil collecting as well as photography. A great place to find early mammal remains from the Cretaceous Period.</p>

<p>If you're going to try and hit the fall colors in Zion, I was there last year at the end of October and into November. The colors were gorgeous! in the higher elevations, the fall colors had come and gone. We took a side trip to the North Rim of Grand Canyon and the aspens were almost totally bare of leaves. Don't go too deep in November into Zion or you might miss the colors. Another nice side trip is to Bryce Canyon, about 1 1/2 hours away. For food, the choices mentioned above by Jay are good, also Pizza & Noodles in Springdale makes fabulous pizzas! Oh yes, don't forget to walk down the River Walk to the Narrows-a very nice 1 mile hike, pretty flat, and that takes you to the entrance of the Narrows, a must for anyone going to Zion! Oh yes, be prepared to walk in 48 degree Fahrenheit water. ;-)</p>

<p>Martin</p><div></div>

<p>More than likely you will be getting a monorail camera for your class. That is, the camera sits on a single rail that allows the front (lens), and back (film) standards to move independently of each other connected of coarse by the bellows.<br>

Just remember that the same photographic principles that your learned in your previous classes also apply to large format photography but to achieve the best image result those principles will be enhanced, ie. calculating exposure, depth of field, etc. Also, if no one's warned you yet, be prepared for the image on the glass plate to be reversed which includes upside down. It takes a little getting used to but if the composition of your image looks good upside down, it will look good rightside up when it is printed.<br>

Take to large format slow and deliberate. It may take you 10 minutes or more to set up a single shot but that is one of the best aspects of large format photography. Do not be in a hurry but look at every aspect of the subject, the composition and the settings of your camera, etc. before you trip the shutter release. I think of it as being an artist who is using light and shadow instead of paint and brush.<br>

Most of all, practice, practice, practice.<br>

Good luck in your class.<br>

Martiin</p>

<p>Keiske, that is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks so much for the link to the pdf. Also, thanks for the site Norton, I'm going to check out these guys too. Looks interesting.</p>

<p>I am looking for some instructions or a link to the instructions for loading and operating the Calumet 120/220 Roll Film Holder. Can anyone help?<br>

Thanks, Martin</p>

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<p>Hi all.<br>

I'm in the process of getting back into large format photography and want to pick up one of the Blackjacket focusing cloths. Has anyone had experience with these? I am debating and looking at the pros and cons of the nylon as compared to the hybrid or breathable cloth. Any feedback would be appreciated.<br>

Martin</p>