[pure-silver] Re: Yosemite

Hi Justin,
I just got back this morning from Death Valley; took the red eye from Vegas with a transfer in Toronto. I'm still in recovery mode, so I'll be brief. you don't want to be lugging a 4x5 with you when you are flying. I imagine that to get to Yosemite, you will have to take at least two flights each way, which means that each time you are getting on an airplane, they will take your camera bag apart, including your hiking boots, belt, watch, spare coins hidden in the recesses of a pocket and when you are tired from lugging all that equipement around, you do not feel very co-operative. Vegas was fine, OK. The flight left at 23:20pm and there was only one other flight leaving from terminal Two so everything was very relaxed. But they are thorough. After the camera bag had gone through the scanning machine, they took out my two Yashica-mats and X-rayed each one. Roll film they understand, but 4x5 sheet film can be a hassle, so save yourself a lot of frustration, and it can get very frustrating if it is very very crowded, as when I had to change flights in Toronto. Everybody from Vegas and elsewhere was getting a connecting flight in Toronto to someplace else in Canada, so the security system was stretched to the limits and then some. I can just see the metal wires on your darkslides setting the machines off and they will want to know why. Unless, you run into somebody who knows about darkslides and how they work, you might have to land up pulling the slide and exposing the film. And of course, there is a crowd behind you that is in a hurry because they want to get a coffee before making their connecting flight and you are slowing them down. I was in the unfortunate situation where I had removed all metal objects from my clothes, metal snaps had been accounted for and the walk through detector was still going off. Then, I realized the problem. I had a hip replacement several years ago and have a piece of titanium in my thigh bone. Would they believe me. NO! Into a private room and I had to show them my scar and they ran the metal detector over it and were finally satisfied that the metal was inside my hip. After not sleeping all night on the red-eye, I was ready to give them a piece of my mind, but I bite my tongue. Wouldn't have helped any. Stick with the Hassies; less of a hassle and you don't have to open up your 4x5 to show and explain that it is a camera; and then the film holders.... another can of worms to avoid.
And this obsession with removing your shoes; fine if you are wearing sandals but I was wearing ankle high hiking boots.
Do yourself a favour, Justin, bring the hassies and you'll enjoy the trip more.
More on Death Valley tomorrow. But I will add that the haze was very bad because of the smoke from the brush fires in the Bay Area. There was a just a pall hanging over the valley. At one point, you could barely make out the Panamint range from Dante's View; it was that bad. And the humidity was high, on Tuesday it was 17% where it should normally be around 2-3%.
But despite the 120°F heat, it was all worth it! It was everything everybody said it would be and even more to my mind. it's not just about the photography...... 

Have yourself a great trip, Justin.

Cheers,
Bogdan

Justin F. Knotzke wrote:


  Hi,

  Since you were all so kind in helping my fellow Montrealer Bogdan,
I'd like to ask for similar advice.

  We are heading off to Yosemite for two full days in August. We've
found ourselves a nice B&B to stay. Given that we have never been and
also given that we aren't camping. Could people suggest what we should
aim for in terms of photo shoots ? I haven't decided if I should lug
the 4x5 with me yet or just the Hasselblad.. Either way, I am open to
full suggestions.

  Thanks

  J




--
________________________________________________________________
 Bogdan Karasek
 Montréal, Québec                     bogdan(at)bogdanphoto.com
 Canada                               www.bogdanphoto.com

                    "I bear witness"
________________________________________________________________ 


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