Twenty+ Years of Architecture and Large Format HABS/HAER Photography taught me this:

[schafphoto]

My top 12 gear lessons learned exposing thousands of 4x5 and 5x7 sheets for work:

• I always use a geared head.
• I have a cable release on every lens.
• I have a LEE filter ring on every lens (for 100mm glass filters).
• The edges of my lens boards are color coded so I can recognize a lens from color and so can my assistant. (White=55, Yellow=72, Black=90, Magenta= 120, Green=180) (300 and 450 are black but on a separate long camera)
• I Put a carpenter's nail bag on my tripod that fits filters or a meter or whatever.
• I use a film-pouch that holds 2-3 film holders clipped to the tripod to keep them out of the light while I get ready (this is a 10" laptop pouch, but finding one that zips on the top is tricky).
• I put a Post-it note on my ground glass every time I execute a swing or tilt (so I remember to zero my camera for my next photo)
• I no longer hit my film holders with the bare side of my dust brush, I now have wrapped the brush with a multiple layers of electrical tape. (I have many old, dented holders from back at Brooks)
• I put cold shoes all over my camera to hold flags and accessories.
• I wrapped my bellows with an extra white fabric wrap to keep it cooler and protect my bellows from getting skewered by a branch, etc. (I'm trademarking it the BellowsCondom)
• I often travel with a Burro. (Or a wagon will do)
• I always wear an orange surveyors safety-vest and have an orange dark-cloth to stand in the street and look official. (less important for portrait and boudoir shooters)(The surveyors vests have a huge pouch on the back that is perfect for the dark cloth)

Most of these tips come from my on-location HABS/HAER photo workflow where I will capture 20 to 30 views a day.
These tips won't be for everyone, not for every genre, probably not relevant in the studio.

PS: If you have never heard of HABS, check out the Historic American Buildings Survey collection at the Library of Congress here: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/ [just search your town or county or a landmark like Golden Gate Bridge]

I'm looking forward to your opinions and observations and I hope to pick up some more tricks from all of you!

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

I really like the flag in articulated arm to shade the lens. Excellent idea! I’ve been thinking of this and would love to hear details on the parts you used.

Suggested #21: The platform on yiur vehicle roof — reminds me of Ansel Adams and his Infernational Travelall. On my old SUV, I set up on the (dented) roof. On my new Honda CRV, I am looking for a roof platform.

[schafphoto]

Hi Paul,

The articulated arm is a Flare Dinkum. You can get them at B&H or Samys. One side is a shoe mount, the other is a thin black aluminum shade.
This is my second truck platform. The first was a 4x6 foot sheet of marine plywood and an aluminum frame on my Toyota 4Runner. This time I had my new platform welded from a perforated aluminum panel and then had it powdercoated. The ladder is a GOBI ladder from my old 4Runner modified to it the Pathfinder.

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

Great idea for the side mount for digital camera. Especially useful if your dslr has gps! I also always use geared head is yours Manfrotto 405?

ps: glad that you’re practicing safe bellows.

[schafphoto]

My geared head is a Manfrotto 405. I have the little 410, but it isn't up to the task for the 5x7 and the knobs are too small once you've used the 405 for a while. The 410 is fine for DSLR work. I bought the Arca Swiss Cube once and returned it because it seemed too fussy for a fast moving job, it was a beutiful thing to behold though. The 405 is a beast and durable and the cube didn't feel like something I wanted to throw around, I was too worried about damaging it in transit. The 405 has been through a lot. I used to have a big Cambo ball head for years but when I found the geared head I couldn't believe I hadn't been using it forever in the studio or on location. That's just the way I shoot... always things that don't move.

I was addicted to Polaroid and then Fujiroid and now with a dwindling stash, I have calibrated to a Fuji XT-2 as a Digiroid camera for metering and histogram. I can move my Lee filters over for exact representations on the Fuji of what each scene will look like at f22. I set the display to monochrome view but the RAW files still have color later when I download them into Lightroom. That way I can deliver the Large Format film views and scans and a set of color field views from the same tripod position with similar framing. I can get the draft photos to the client faster that way too. The Digi mount makes use of an old METZ 60CT-4 flash mount added to the bottom of the quick release of the 405 head. I found I could never get a sharp image indoors handheld with long exposures but I was reluctant to remove the LF camera and put it down to use the tripod head for the Fuji. This way I can use both.

[Ben Calwell]

Great tips and ideas -- thanks for sharing!

[Jim Jones]

For a quick and cheap way to stabilize a vehicle with a platform on top, I cut lengths of 1x2 wood to prop at an angle between ground and vehicle frame. The vehicle is moved to make these props vertical. A plywood pad beneath the props is necessary in soft ground.

[pchaplo]

Monorail fall restraint: I always loop a thin bungee cord with a caribiner over the rail between the 2 standards and secure it on the tripod head. In this way, if my quick release mount ever suffered rare operator error :) the camera will only fall about a foot, and the shock attenuated by the stretchy bungee. I started doing this after mis-mounting my Canon 1Ds on an Acra Swiss dovetail an catching my camera in mid-air as it fell to the ground with my tilt shift lens. My client was impressed but I vowed never to repeat that feat.

[pchaplo]

About your “HABS a la Cart” that’s a great idea when terrain allows. I’m thinking that a garden cart would work well for me. Also I’m been toying with the idea of getting an aluminum Mag-Liner hand truck/dolly so that I can keep my gear on the cart overnight n hotel room during travel. Could also be used to haul gear on-site.

What is the yellow-headed device on the side of the cart? It looks like survey equipment. Do you make laser scans?

ps: saw the cup holder for coffee alleluia!

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

Your post is a gold mine! Lots of shared tips and lessons learned here! I like the bellows wrap yet most time I shoot with bag bellows and always concerned about "bellows pucker."

Here, my kit has to include snake boots, and I am partial to Rocky Mountain with zipper and laces. I can walk all day in them, and besides snakes. they protect from thorns and briars (and chiggers, too).

177339

Small note: how do you attach the cold shoes to your camera? I am going to add a Dinkum -- is yours the "Compact"? - thats the only one I see with cold shoe mount.

THANKS!
Paul


Hi Paul,

The articulated arm is a Flare Dinkum. You can get them at B&H or Samys. One side is a shoe mount, the other is a thin black aluminum shade.
This is my second truck platform. The first was a 4x6 foot sheet of marine plywood and an aluminum frame on my Toyota 4Runner. This time I had my new platform welded from a perforated aluminum panel and then had it powdercoated. The ladder is a GOBI ladder from my old 4Runner modified to it the Pathfinder.

[schafphoto]

Yes compact dinkum.
Aluminum Cold shoes screw on mostly with 1/4-20 screws or teeeeny metal screws

I need to get those boots


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[schafphoto]

For a quick and cheap way to stabilize a vehicle with a platform on top, I cut lengths of 1x2 wood to prop at an angle between ground and vehicle frame. The vehicle is moved to make these props vertical. A plywood pad beneath the props is necessary in soft ground.

I'm using the MASTER LOCK 265DCCSEN Telescoping Sliding Door Bar Lock so I have the ability to adjust to uneven terrain. They collapse nicely too.

[pchaplo]

I also wear a high-viz vest for both safety and the “official” look. Add a hard-hat to compete the ensemble and you resemble a survey team, which seems more comprehensible somehow. In addition, I often wrap a high-viz mesh vest as a skirt around my tripod, just below the head to make my setup more visible near traffic and pedestrians. For some shoots, I put magnetic Whelen lightbar on my SUV, and setup traffic cones. I also carry a fall restraint harness (Miller, with side and back anchor points).

[pchaplo]

Schaf, since we are discussing gear here, I am working on my scale stick as the center hinge needs adjustment to align and lock properly. I agree that our similar folding scale sticks are a bit long. I’m thinking of removing the last (highest) section of my scale stick to reduce it to 12 ft. The full height is unwieldy, especially in the Texas wind. Mine has bolts that seem easily removable. Have you considered this?

[schafphoto]

Schaf, since we are discussing gear here, I am working on my scale stick as the center hinge needs adjustment to align and lock properly. I agree that our similar folding scale sticks are a bit long. I’m thinking of removing the last (highest) section of my scale stick to reduce it to 12 ft. The full height is unwieldy, especially in the Texas wind. Mine has bolts that seem easily removable. Have you considered this?

Since my 12' scale only folds in the middle, if I reduced it to a 10' scale I would need to renumber the scale since I can't just lop off the 1' and 12' end and make it work.

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

Oh, I see! Mine is 16’ and folds into 4 sections. I just finished removing the highest quarter, making it 12’:

177439

177440

[pchaplo]

You mentioned have a Lee filter ring on every lens—that’s a great ideas to save wear and tear on threads. If you were to get a filter system again, which would you buy? Also which exact
polarized would you buy?

[schafphoto]

I think there are a few really nice filter systems out there now. When I started it was only LEE. I just returned a "Breakthrough" filter holder which was very nice but didn't really accommodate the 4mm thick glass graduated filers I have. So I sent it back. I have so many LEE rings and four holders set up in different fashions with one, two and a one plus 105mm threaded slot. It would need to be a great product to make me want to invest in a whole new setup. I am getting a 17mm canon TSE lens soon and then I'll meet to look at the superwide 5 inch filters for that.

The trick with Lee I have found is to use them upside down so the weight of the filter plus the tension of the spring release are working to wedge the holder onto the filter ring. Otherwise the weight of a heavy glass filter or two will work AGAINST the spring loaded clip and make the whole assembly more wobbly. Even though the holder seems to make more sense with the clip up top, put the clip down.

Only get the LEE wide angle mounting rings because with movements you want as little vignetting as possible and because the regular rings are made of plastic and I have had them fail. The wide rings are all metal.

-Schaf

[schafphoto]

Paul,
I got my boots today. pretty nice. Now I need some snakes to try them out on.

-Schaf

[pchaplo]

Schaf!

Nice. Mine had a brochure that said 95% of snake bites are below I knee. I hope the Texas Diamondback rattlesnakes read that insert! Please see my post re: marking negs. Having some issues here.

-Paul


Paul,
I got my boots today. pretty nice. Now I need some snakes to try them out on.

-Schaf

[neil poulsen]

Thanks for sharing these insights.

I like the idea of wearing a professional vest. I'm wondering if that might not curb passers by stopping to chat?

I have both a Lee shade and also a filter holder with the rings, etc. Are the Lee glass filters that you use multi-coated? (I'd heard of Lee resin filters, but not glass.)

I can see carrying a light-weight white piece of cloth, perhaps even one side white, one side black, for protecting bellows from the sun.

What's the purpose of hitting a film holder with the brush; is it to dislodge dust? I have a friend who, before each exposure, hits the loaded film-holder on his palm, so that he knows the orientation of the film sheet inside the holder.

After seeing the well-known photo of Ansel Adams on top of his wood-sided station wagon, I thought about installing a platform. But then, one's limited to locations that can be reached by a vehicle. I finally decided to purchase a reasonably priced, Gitzo Giant Studex 5 and carry a ladder. It'll go as high as I would ever need. (I also have a light-weight ladder that I can carry.)

[pchaplo]

Schaf,

Also, I like the hi-viz dark cloth — did you DIY make that?

On my old SUV, I shot 4x5 many times from the roof for years. It was my workhorse and could support me along the edges. On my new vehicle, I need a platform. Brainstorming.

[schafphoto]

Anyone have any excellent sunscreen that's not too oily?
-Schaf

[pchaplo]

I’m partial to Bullfrog Gel but I wash my hands after applying.

Quik Gel (right) and classic Superblock titanium dioxide style at left.

Quik Gel dries fast sort-of like Benadryl Gel.

178729

[Steve Goldstein]

I've found the Neutrogena products to be basically non-oily. And they're PABA-free, which is important to me since the smell of that stuff makes me queasy.

[pchaplo]

I’m reading the photo guidelines regarding specified sunscreen (lol).

In the heat of the gulf oil patch in 101 heat index, just did a field test of Neutrogena Sensitive Skin sunscreen. Applies nice and smooth. Feels quality. Slight white residue all over my face eventually vanished. Not oily but a somewhat lotion-greasy feel. Pretty good stuff - thanks for the suggestion!

As for me, I’m going back to Bullfrog Quik-Gel. YMMV. Quik Gel seems to last longer if you sweat heavily hauling gear in high heat and humidity. I like the way it evaporates like rubbing alcohol on my skin nice and cool. Also unlike cheap Banana Boat, which painfully stings my skin, Quik Gel is compatible with my somewhat sensitive skin chemistry.

[schafphoto]

Thanks for sharing these insights.
I like the idea of wearing a professional vest. I'm wondering if that might not curb passers by stopping to chat?
I have both a Lee shade and also a filter holder with the rings, etc. Are the Lee glass filters that you use multi-coated? (I'd heard of Lee resin filters, but not glass.)
I can see carrying a light-weight white piece of cloth, perhaps even one side white, one side black, for protecting bellows from the sun.
What's the purpose of hitting a film holder with the brush; is it to dislodge dust? I have a friend who, before each exposure, hits the loaded film-holder on his palm, so that he knows the orientation of the film sheet inside the holder.
After seeing the well-known photo of Ansel Adams on top of his wood-sided station wagon, I thought about installing a platform. But then, one's limited to locations that can be reached by a vehicle. I finally decided to purchase a reasonably priced, Gitzo Giant Studex 5 and carry a ladder. It'll go as high as I would ever need. (I also have a light-weight ladder that I can carry.)

Hi Neil, I must've missed your post until now.
- Yes the safety vest makes people think you are 'supposed' to be doing what you are doing. People will still ask, but they assume you are 'official' and sometimes just want directions to somewhere, and since you're 'on staff' with a vest and all, you must be a good person to ask.
- I have Lee filters in resin, and glass filters from Schneider like the attenuator and two of my grads. They are 3+mm thick so I have to have thick tracks installed on the Lee holder.
- My cloth bellows cover is white on the outside and black on the inside. when I built my camera I had it sewn to fit around the 5x7 bellows.
- The brush banging filter is to dislodge dust. That's how we learned at Brooks. But I hosed many a holder before I started to wrap my brush with gaff tape.
- I do tap my film holders on my palm to get the top film edge to seat the bottom of the holder so that I have a larger border for HABS numbering. It's just a habit now, I don't even know I'm doing it.
- If you can't remember if you have film in a holder, you can shake it and you'll hear the film rattle back and forth.
I have a 6' ladder in the truck too and take a 8' or 10' ladder when I know I'll be away from the truck... but it's so nice to stand on a platform, it was worth having it made. I have the 9' high Slik Professional 4 tripod that is remarkably stable fully extended. One of Slik's better products, their consumer tripods are less than impressive.

178802

I had my dark cloth sewn from orange neon nylon and black cotton and the edges have a continuous string of curtain weights (available at large fabric stores) to weigh down the edges.

-Schaf

[pchaplo]

If you’re working on or over water and are required to wear a PFD, take a look at Mustang Survival H.I.T. Self-inflating “vests” (Type V Commercial) as they are less restrictive (than a traditional PFD) and the “H” stands for “hydrostatic” deployment, which I prefer. In short, they don’t fire the CO2 cartridge if they get splashed, but sense something like 4” of submersion to trigger inflation.

I like Schaf’s hi-vis dark cloth ...and my wife loves to sew :)

-Paul

[Mexipike]

I found this thread a few months late but it really inspired me to want to get into the HABS/HAER world. I started another post in the business section looking for tips and advice so as to not to hijack this thread: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?147221-Tips-and-advice-for-a-young(ish)-Photographer-on-getting-into-HAL-HAER-HALS

[Vaughn]

To each their own. Interesting stuff, but the Monty Python's King Author in me says, "Run away!"

[schafphoto]

To each their own. Interesting stuff, but the Monty Python's King Author in me says, "Run away!"

Aw cummon Vaughn, I'm sure there's something old in Humboldt County that needs to be documented in Black and white Large Format. !!!

[Vaughn]

Aw cummon Vaughn, I'm sure there's something old in Humboldt County that needs to be documented in Black and white Large Format. !!!
Yes, but I'd rather not have my picture taken, thank you.

[Kirk Gittings]

Anyone have any excellent sunscreen that's not too oily?
-Schaf
Highest rated by independent test labs is Trader Joes.