Anyone Shoot 8x10 Colour Neg in the Desert?

[Richard K.]

I'm going to the desert again this February and am taking my 10x12 Chamonix for contact prints and maybe the occasional large enlargement if Bob Carnie can do it for me. I've also considered bringing the 8x10 reducing back for the camera in order to shoot a couple of boxes (that's only 20 sheets!) of colour. Still trying to decide though, since I don't want to divide my attention. Would love to see some 8x10 desert colour work from those of you that have done so! Please point me to the sites!! Does anybody else do both colour and B&W on a single adventure? Or is it better to not divide attention? Thank you kindly for your considered opinions...

[vinny]

I always carry color, b+w, and infrared.

[DolphinDan]

Hi Richard,

1st off, what desert? Mojave, Sahara, Mongolian? I live in Sedona, Arizona, USA, which is technically considered "high desert" due to the amount of annual rainfall received. However, I personally would not call it a desert. You can see some of my photos of Sedona here:

http://www.danielmaddux.com/Photogra...otography.html

My 2 cents: I would just bring color film. You can always convert your images to B&W in PhotoShop. And I find the "desert", or at least Sedona, too colorful to shoot B&W.

I would ask myself the following questions: what are you looking to photograph? The colors/sunrise/sunset/flowers? Desert textures, like the rocks, the sand? Do you normally shoot color or B&W? Do you know how you will print/display them: B&W or color? You might also consider returning next year to follow up :-)

Hope this helps...

Namaste
Daniel

[J. Fada]

I don't do any myself, but you could certainly look at Richard Misrach's work "Desert Cantos."

[Richard K.]

Hi Richard,

1st off, what desert? Mojave, Sahara, Mongolian?

My 2 cents: I would just bring color film. You can always convert your images to B&W in PhotoShop. And I find the "desert", or at least Sedona, too colorful to shoot B&W.

I would ask myself the following questions: what are you looking to photograph? The colors/sunrise/sunset/flowers? Desert textures, like the rocks, the sand? Do you normally shoot color or B&W? Do you know how you will print/display them: B&W or color? You might also consider returning next year to follow up :-)

Hope this helps...

Namaste
Daniel

Thanks Daniel. I'll be in Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Mojave, mainly. I shoot 10x12 B&W which I contact print, usually in Pt/Pd. On occasion, though, I am drawn to certain colour forms or expanses that I would like to make a big print of. In both cases, the best ones end up framed up on my walls (taking turns). I do like the work of Richard Misrach and that is the type of subject I am likely to photograph in colour. I spent time around Salton and Anza Borrega a couple of years ago and may return there...

[Richard K.]

I don't do any myself, but you could certainly look at Richard Misrach's work "Desert Cantos."

Great work!

[eddie]

nope. i only shot color film....whats with the "u" har ha har

[Drew Wiley]

Misrach's work was very bleached out, low contrast. Might try new-style Portra 160
and slightly overexpose it. I suspect that a lot of Misrach's shots were done on the
even lower contrast now-obsolete Vericolor L. But if necessary, there are obviously ways to soften the look during printing too.

[John Kasaian]

Too rich for my blood!

[Ivan J. Eberle]

My experience is in dry dusty conditions that would have to be considered arid or desert-like from late Spring, through Summer, into part of the Fall here in CA, and also out in the actual deserts here and over in NV, UT etc. Depending on the year, February can be drought-like (though this one probably won't be if the same sort of La Nina sets up again and stays in place). I find the challenge of shooting large sheet film in the desert to be how to keep it from being a dust magnet when the humidity is in the single digits. Couple of days of continuous dry wind can cause humidities like this and static like you wouldn't believe. 8X10 isn't anything I've considered because I've had Quickloads in 4x5 for this dust control, but these don't exist for larger formats (and are getting rather scarce even in 4x5).

Sorry I can't be more encouraging but you may need to come up for a sensible regime for dealing with dust if you're to shoot in the desert-- even in February, in some place and in some years.