Wind!

[Julio Fernandez]

Umbrellas? ha! Two umbrellas that I have bought opened up and bent their struts back at gusts of wind. One of these is a rather heavy umbrella with special additional struts to prevent it from doing just that. Does any one know of an umbrella brand that is small and portable that can withstand gusts of wind? In my experience, umbrellas help when the wind is no more than a breeze. Shooting from inside Vans? Oh yeah? is every good viewpoint accessible from a car legally and safely parked? Let's face it, when the wind is strong enough to make a kite from a camera it is time for 35mm loaded with fast film, not for LF photography!

[Stuart Whatling]

Keep the camera as low as possible and be prepared to wait a loooong time for a lull. As well as increasing the stability of the pod, the strength of the wind can drop off dramatically when you're nearer the deck.

I'm reminded of an interview with Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa I heard year's ago. A propos the spectacular battle scene in his film "Ran", the rather naive young interviewer was asking (at great length) whether the choice of very low camera position had been a deliberate ploy to maximise the dramatic tension and increase the sense of immediacy. After thinking for a moment, Kurosawa smiled and answered "well, no not really, it was just very windy that day and the tripods were blowing about too much..."

Oh and ditch the dark cloth - I took one on my last trip to the middle east and after a few days of looking like a prat under this ridiculous sail, I threw the cloth away and stuck to using the folding hood on my wista. Even in the desert sun, I found it was OK

[DAVO]

FWIW - I have an old circus tent that I bought at auction, (i literally stole it for $850.00US)and although it has a cracked centerpole,and a few missing rebar pegs, and degraded hauser ropes, it is quite effective for wind control when the large format bug bites! I have found that by erecting the tent with the main entrance facing my subject matter, I install the plank flooring with the "cracks" perpedicular to my plane of focus. I simply position the tripod spikes in the appropriate floor cracks (for maximum rigidity), and lash the main entrance flap to the extended joists of the flooring. Now, mine has a hole in the canvas at an optimal height to protrude the front element,(secure with gaffer tape) however you could always cut your own hole if none was there (ouch! my tent!) Anyway, I have found on numerous occasions that this arrangement cuts down a significant amount of wind, and any remaining elements could easily be controlled with a large wind-break constructed outside, out of the image area, of course. On one ocasion, I painted the 30X35 foot windbreak 2 coats silver roofseal, and presto! instant reflector.

I simply meter my scene normaly, capture the moment, and the move on to my next exposure, proud as a peacock with my climatic victory. That guy with the van door open_ what a kook!