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| One of the icons of the Southwest. Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah |
I heard it on the X
I believe it was Voltaire, the French philosopher, that said that music is the pathway to the soul. Well, if he didn't, I just did! It's also the pathway to my photography. I like to think of my experience in the field as a symphony or a ballet, and even at times, a jam session keeping time with nature and the planet. Maybe it's no more than a simple song or melody that keeps going through my head, but often it's a cascade of thought and rhythm when I see an image for the making, that propels what follows into something somewhat like a dance.
That dance seems to have many partners at many times. Although I am doing basically the same things over and over, it never seems repetitive to me. While I have photographed many locations, many times, there is always something each time that makes it different and exciting for me. Sometimes it's the light. Sometimes it's the place, and sometimes the equipment used to capture the image. The magic for me is when I see the finished image ... it's all of these!
The moment when the sun screams its appearance, in what we call the break of day, is a special time. It's loud and soft, tranquil and chaotic, and beautiful and harsh. Sunsets are calm and on fire; soft and dying. Sobbing and waning emotion is certainly the key feeling for me in all these situations. Music too is emotion and feeling. Landscape photography for me is pure emotion!
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| The old west in picture and song |
Trying to capture the expanse of Mystery Valley was a challenge. A long lens compressed the buttes and gave little definition to the clouds. The scene required a strong foreground to hold depth and scale. A standard wide angle lens relegated the drama before me to a minor role. With the clouds at mid day creating an exposure problem, I would have preferred the luxury that digital provides, however the center weighted light meter in the X-pan did just fine.
Trying to say things in different ways can be done in many different ways. Reaching into what I call the tool kit, that most refer to as the camera bag, for a "new hammer" is always something I enjoy. One of my favorite weapons is my Hassleblad XPan. A film based camera! Film? Yes, you remember film. You know, that little container that didn't have the aspirin in it?
Through the years my XPan has been a special camera for me and one that I have been reluctant to give up. Even now with the handicaps that film presents, I still can't find anything that brings the pleasure and results as this tool. It has become such an institution with me that it has its own heartbeat and emotion; and even its own theme song! It's hard to describe the moment a scene presents itself to me as an -X frame- but seemingly out of nowhere, the intro to ZZ Top's "I Heard It On The X" pops in my head. Sometimes it's so prevalent that I assume others can hear it and I'm comically concerned that I may be disturbing the setting!
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| Iceland |
The image above stands as a credit to both film and time. I do remember comments made to me as to why I was using the X-pan in this location. I explained that the background needed to be hidden and showing the water opening at the right provided both depth and space. The film I shot there went well over a year on the shelf before processing!
This is not a review of an old camera. I don't even have the newest model of this fine instrument. I know there are other ways to capture panoramic images, especially since the digital revolution. Working in the field to make images that please, and most importantly, capture the essence of the moment is everything; no matter the process.
In the digital world, almost anything that can be imagined can be done in post processing. Capturing what I see in the field is more my forte however. It has been stated that all that is needed in the field is to capture the information for processing later and I think this is ultimately true. However, if this was strictly the case, I don't think I'd still be doing landscape photography. For me, it's a lot more than this. A LOT MORE!
Wide angle is the hardest of format to work in. Finding a subject that can carry interest over this entire field of view is very difficult. Being able to frame properly in a viewfinder helps me considerably. I find it very hard to "reassemble" an image that I didn't see in the first place. I've seen some terrific work done this way and have tried it myself with varying degrees of success. Stitching frames together is certainly one of them ... and popular too! Cropping and up-sizing is still another. However, upon completion of such a project, many times it seemed to me that I was looking at someone else's image. I just didn't see it that way in the field and that makes a world of difference to me. I guess I just need to see it in the viewfinder. My viewfinder!
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| The Colorado River runs 277 miles through Grand Canyon |
The Grand Canyon is deep and it's wide. Mostly thought of in photographic terms as deep with huge walls that fall 3,000 feet to the river in some places, the job of showing this space is overwhelming. In this view, the wide format helped me with both detail and dimension. It's very hard to see in this very small reproduction, but there is a 35 foot raft sitting on the river between the two rocks in the left foreground. In a 7 foot wide print it's not so well hidden!
The XPan camera is a lightweight rangefinder with two formats. It can be used for a normal 35mm crop, or in panoramic mode. It uses normal 35mm film. In the panoramic mode you get 21 images on a 36 exposure roll. Three lenses are made for this camera and they are arguably (but not by me) of medium format quality. Available are a 45mm, 90mm and a specialty 30mm lens. Although working with film adds an added expense of processing the film and a different dimension to the workflow, I still use and love this camera!
The image below to the right was made in upper Antelope Canyon. Here instead of a hand held light meter, I simply took an exposure from my digital camera ... and bracketed. Being much closer than any of my SLR lenses would allow, I came away with stunning detail while holding the power of the scene. While a vertical panoramic is the hardest of all to do successfully, I find they are the most rewarding!
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| The panoramic format provides a unique field of view in the slot canyons |
Film has it's drawbacks as well as bonuses. I have to admit that I enjoy my lab technician greeting me at the door. It's not often that I get to talk to someone outside of my workshops that also enjoys landscape photography. It was hard to get use to buying something costing $10K with the punch of a mouse and no one to say "congratulations, you are going to love it." I enjoy the "looks real good" comment when the uncut roll of film is handed to me over the counter with a smile. Sometimes it's even an accurate statement!
Film is easily transported today. I've had film cartridges in temperatures well over 100 degrees and down to 30 degrees below! I've exposed film and waited over a year to process, and many times I have purchased out-of-date film; all without detriment.
When shooting digital, I tend to forget the pluses of shooting film. The color shift that comes with long exposures (reciprocity) along with the way film deals with color and especially its reaction to filters are all some of the great lost and found treasures for me.
For me, the greatest difference between using film or digital is the time spent between shooting and seeing the images. Film seems to be more of a subtle process and unlike digital with its "instant gratification", it's that drumbeat that picks up a head of steam gradually as the image nears completion. That feeling of "I heard it on the X" and now ... I see it too!
Canyonlands/Arches will be featured in the next issue of Photographing the Great American Landscape.
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