One more thing about hotel rooms and bathrooms to consider: lighting. They use mostly CFL these days and the problem for us is after you turn them off they're still glowing. In fact they glow for up to a 1/2 hour. You have two choices: 1) don't turn on the lights for at least 45 minutes before using the bathroom to change film, 2) remove the bulbs from the room.Originally Posted by brad martin
Another good point I never would have thought of!
You can use led bulbs that shut off immediately.
I should clarify. I was referring to a changing bag, not a tent. I've never used a tent such as the Harrison for loading 4x5 film holders.
Traveling with my cameras, I have always carried empty film boxes well marked -1/normal/+1 eventually I added -2 & +2 for B&W and the same for color negatives and Transparencies.
Changing bags always wanted a Harrison but never got around to buying one, In the field a typical black bag changing when needed, it did get hot in the wrong locations always in the shade. While traveling, I used or should I say, my assistant like the Hotel bathrooms the best, most are interior rooms with no windows, so blacking out the door was always easy, we carried two sheets of black felt 6ft x 12ft as we used these to black out windows on interior projects. So we would place one on the outside of the door, and the other on the inside (if needed) and used the sink counter as layout.
There are my two bits.
My 'assistant' (my 15-year-old son) and I will mostly be staying in our mini-van, for which we will soon be building a raised platform in the back on which to sleep. We did the same in a different mini-van for our trip to the Kitt Peak Observatory in 2012 to see/image the Transit of Venus (see one of the photos here). He was much smaller then, but I'm much smaller now: 50 pounds lost since my December surgery. Our gear will go under the platform. If it were not for my bad back, this would not be a problem at all. In my younger days, I hitch-hiked all over the western US (including Alaska) and Canada, sleeping under bridges and in the 'leaves' of interstate cloverleaf ramps. But those days are in the past, so we will be staying in motels on some nights. I'll get some felt, as that will be easier than foil and tape, I think, and create a 'light-lock' over the bathroom door. I should do it soon, and get to practicing!
Would folks suggest just unloading and re-loading the film while on the trip and saving the developing for when I get home after (about) three weeks? I just got some drums and a Uniroller, and have chemicals on the way, so I guess I could take those with me, but I'll also have a telescope (or three) and the mount and camera needed for digital imaging of the solar eclipse. Space will be at a premium. Still, I've always found that I can usually find the space I need to.
I'd recommend that if you can afford it, get a quality Harrison tent. The "regular" size will do nicely for 4x5 and in a pinch 8x10 should that be in the cards someday. Keep it as clean as you possibly can.
Consider:
You are out and about, far from your motel, and you run out of loaded film holders but want to do some more shooting. How do you load more?
Yes, you can block up light sources in most motel bathrooms - some bathrooms are easier to do than others. I did this when first starting out. But the tent is so much more convenient. And motel bathrooms are not necessarily "clean rooms" either.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I do plan to get something for the road, though I've spent so much already that I'm not sure I can afford a Harrison tent. Especially when a changing bag is so much less expensive. I know those are much harder to use because they have no superstructure to hold them up, but I can easily fabricate something. We even have a possibility or two on hand. One is a collapsible 'bug tent', meant for holding caterpillars while they morph into butterflies. I'm pretty sure it's in our basement, and has a hole in it. The flexible rod in it would work to hold open a changing bag. We also have more than one old flexible tent pole we could use. Cut to length, I could cross two of them inside the bag.
Is there anything else about a Harrison tent that makes it more desirable than a decent, much less expensive, changing bag?
Paul
Paul,
Well, personally, I've only used Harrisons. But anecdotally I've seen people complain about the "floppiness" due to lack of supporting structure and apparently some changing bags have the arm thingies at odd angles that make them difficult to use.
The Harrison is quality made, with a double-layer closure (have to open two zippered doors to open), double-elastic closure for the arm thingies. Plus the bungee-corded collapsable support rods keep the tent "inflated" and make setup easy. I understand cost can be an issue. Used ones appear occasionally. Maybe a Harrison is a "down the road" purchase if you stick with LF and end up taking multiple road trips. It could well be your modified changing bag will work just fine and you won't feel you need anything else.
Bob
A few times I've carried extra boxes and changed holders in dark motel bathrooms. I am sure the tents work fine.
But film holders (especially 4X5) can be had for so little $$ these days that I just got more holders. I like loading them up in the darkroom with the HEPA filter, having them all loaded and ready to go so I don't have to worry about it.
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