Going to New York

[Louie Powell]

I live a couple of hours away from NYC, and get there once or twice each year.

First - ignore all of the trash talk about being hassled for being a photographer. That may have happened occasionally in the past, but the NYC police have very clear instructions about not bothering people just because they are photographing something. I believe a copy of the photography directive was posted on this board several years ago. However, be aware that NYC is very crowded and very busy, and you WILL be hassled if you are impeding the flow of traffic - either vehicular or pedestrian.

Second - I have used a 4x5 in Boston and San Francisco, but never in New York. And my experience with 4x5 in Boston and San Francisco reinforces my opinion that if you don't actually live in the city and have NOT done extensive exploring to identify suitable subjects, a 4x5 camera is more of a frustration. You end up schlepping a heavy camera for days, and at the end of the process, you really don't have a lot to show for the effort. And in NYC, you will be relying on public transportation exclusively - I can't even begin to imagine how miserable the subway would be at rush hour with a heavy camera bag on your back. So if you have limited time and you want to see and do as much as possible, leave the 4x5 at home and stay with the digital.

Third, this is the heart of winter, and NYC can be really cold. And something the tourist agencies won't tell you is that the wind funneling between buildings can be ferocious, making the cold even worse. You will need to dress appropriately, and if you aren't accustomed to cold weather, you will want to be indoors as much as possible. That situation isn't conducive to LF photography.

So my advice is stay with handheld digital, play tourist, visit all the famous photography stores, hit the galleries, enjoy the fabulous food, and make sure your wife has a good time.

[Scott Davis]

I live a couple of hours away from NYC, and get there once or twice each year.

First - ignore all of the trash talk about being hassled for being a photographer. That may have happened occasionally in the past, but the NYC police have very clear instructions about not bothering people just because they are photographing something. I believe a copy of the photography directive was posted on this board several years ago. However, be aware that NYC is very crowded and very busy, and you WILL be hassled if you are impeding the flow of traffic - either vehicular or pedestrian.

Second - I have used a 4x5 in Boston and San Francisco, but never in New York. And my experience with 4x5 in Boston and San Francisco reinforces my opinion that if you don't actually live in the city and have NOT done extensive exploring to identify suitable subjects, a 4x5 camera is more of a frustration. You end up schlepping a heavy camera for days, and at the end of the process, you really don't have a lot to show for the effort. And in NYC, you will be relying on public transportation exclusively - I can't even begin to imagine how miserable the subway would be at rush hour with a heavy camera bag on your back. So if you have limited time and you want to see and do as much as possible, leave the 4x5 at home and stay with the digital.

Third, this is the heart of winter, and NYC can be really cold. And something the tourist agencies won't tell you is that the wind funneling between buildings can be ferocious, making the cold even worse. You will need to dress appropriately, and if you aren't accustomed to cold weather, you will want to be indoors as much as possible. That situation isn't conducive to LF photography.

So my advice is stay with handheld digital, play tourist, visit all the famous photography stores, hit the galleries, enjoy the fabulous food, and make sure your wife has a good time.

And with all the wind Louie mentioned, your 4x5's bellows will be turning into a sail and trying to take your camera down the street, or tip it over and smash it onto the sidewalk. At the very least you'll have vibration issues rendering your images blurry.

[gliderbee]

Ok, I'll have to be sensible: the 4x5 stays home , but I'll take my Fuji GA645ZI with Tmax400 (that's what I have lying around, and I will NOT be caught without a camera with film, never and nowhere :-)). The "other" one will be Fuji X-E2 with the 18-55mm, and MAYBE a Fuji X100S (not sure about that last one yet), but it's such a handy camera to have with you without fuss ...).

Thanks all for your advice !

Stefan.

[Greg Miller]

Sorry to go off topic, but are you teaching another class soon? Maybe I'll take a class from you when the weather warms up. ;-)

Hi Larry - I am leading a photo tour in the Catskills for the Center for Photography at Woodstock on February 28. Even though it's winter and probably cold it will still be fun. It's an all day event so I get to spend personal time with any participants who desire that.

I also hope to be teaching a 2 day landscape photography workshop at CPW this summer.

[Toyon]

I live a couple of hours away from NYC, and get there once or twice each year.

First - ignore all of the trash talk about being hassled for being a photographer. That may have happened occasionally in the past, but the NYC police have very clear instructions about not bothering people just because they are photographing something. I believe a copy of the photography directive was posted on this board several years ago. However, be aware that NYC is very crowded and very busy, and you WILL be hassled if you are impeding the flow of traffic - either vehicular or pedestrian.

Second - I have used a 4x5 in Boston and San Francisco, but never in New York. And my experience with 4x5 in Boston and San Francisco reinforces my opinion that if you don't actually live in the city and have NOT done extensive exploring to identify suitable subjects, a 4x5 camera is more of a frustration. You end up schlepping a heavy camera for days, and at the end of the process, you really don't have a lot to show for the effort. And in NYC, you will be relying on public transportation exclusivel
y - I can't even begin to imagine how miserable the subway would be at rush hour with a heavy camera bag on your back. So if you have limited time and you want to see and do as much as possible, leave the 4x5 at home and stay with the digital.

Third, this is the heart of winter, and NYC can be really cold. And something the tourist agencies won't tell you is that the wind funneling between buildings can be ferocious, making the cold even worse. You will need to dress appropriately, and if you aren't accustomed to cold weather, you will want to be indoors as much as possible. That situation isn't conducive to LF photography.

So my advice is stay with handheld digital, play tourist, visit all the famous photography stores, hit the galleries, enjoy the fabulous food, and make sure your wife has a good time.

If you are a serious photographer, forget the digital. Use a handheld film camera. Any putz can fill up an SD card with millions of bits of data, but black and white (or color) film in a handheld camera will require you to think and plan out a successful shot. In addition, you will have a real negative to work with when you return.

[Peter Lewin]

If you are a serious photographer, forget the digital. Use a handheld film camera. Any putz can fill up an SD card with millions of bits of data, but black and white (or color) film in a handheld camera will require you to think and plan out a successful shot. In addition, you will have a real negative to work with when you return.

Oh heck, as an apparently un-serious photographer who has been shooting B&W film for around half a century (and who grew up in NYC), let me present a counter-view which says certainly bring the digital - it is freeing to be able to take pictures without thinking about how many more frames are have left on the roll, or the normal film mind-set of making every shot count. NYC is full of colors and unexpected images, and with a digital you can grab those at will, and discard them equally easily if you don't think they are worth keeping. This isn't meant to argue film vs. digital, merely to present a different point of view which sees, for a vacationer trying to see lots of a new location, a definite place for a digital camera.

[koh303]

NYC is full of colors

... most of which are grey and murk .

[Larry Kellogg]

... most of which are grey and murk .

Yeah, shoot Tri-X, for goodness sake. New York will always be black and white to me. Watch the beginning of Woody Allen's film Manhattan, here:

http://youtu.be/uyaj2P-dSi8

[gliderbee]

I watched it and consequently packed another box of MF Tmax 400. Thanks!

Stefan

[Louie Powell]

... most of which are grey and murk .

I wouldn't dare ask for comments about the Yankees and Red Socks.