ULF and wind

[Craig Wactor]

My long exposure 11x14 negs never seem razor sharp. Those giant bellows really seem to catch the wind. Is there any way to help this? Does the tripod make that much difference? Aside from using faster film, more light, or staying indoors, is there much hope?

[Victor Samou Wong]

Carry an umbrella and use it to block wind. Seriously, you'd be suprised! Naturally it can't help in all situations, but for those where the wind is blowing lateral to the bellows....

The other thing is to make sure that nothing else is out of alignment, like the lens.
Cheers

[Tim Hyde]

Is it just the long-exposure shots? What were you shooting before that you are comparing this to? I noticed what appeared to be a loss of sharpness when I went from 4x5 to 5x7, but I realized that I am dealing with a much shallower DOF so I have to compensate for this. Shallow DOF must be a real problem for 11x14, but I've never used one so I'm theorizing here.

[Craig Wactor]

I will give the umbrella a shot.
Not a DOF problem. It is just a problem with my long exposures of several minutes or more. I've had plenty of <1 minute exposures that look great. But yes, DOF is a bitch at 11x14, especially with a long lens (600mm).

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Its rather unfortunate, but I have found that for me to get "razor sharp" images with my 11x14--depending upon the lens I am using--I need to use either two tripods (yes, absurd I know) or a brace which supports the front standard (I use a Bogen long lens support brace which attaches to one of the legs). I am sure it also depends on your camera; my 11x14 is a 1950s Burke and James, not the most stable of cameras.

I also use AWB's wind stabilization kits. filmholders.com/wskit.html (http://filmholders.com/wskit.html). It would probably be easy to build something which does the same thing. I used to use clamps and a yardstick with my rickety old Korona.

Both are really a PITA, but do help quite a bit. Of course, there is nothing like a meter of bellows to catch the wind...

[Craig Wactor]

that thing is brilliant! Definitely on my wishlist...

[John Kasaian]

When its windy, I like to adjourn to a rural tavern to contemplate ULF, discuss the scorpion population with the locals, and wait for the wind to die down ;-)

[Ralph Barker]

Has anyone tried adapting either a portable (clothes) changing room or something like a portable duck-hunting blind to ULF photography in the wind?

[Michael Mutmansky]

Actually, that product is, IMO, a miserably executed form of a good concept.

Do you see all those little screws and bits in the photo? Apparently, Alan expects you to permanently fix the mounting blocks to the camera (which is a problem on many camera models) or you are supposed to fiddle with these minature screws and a screwdriver (which is provided) while in the field.

So, if you manage to not lose the screws in to the high grass, you can assemble it in the field.

Then, the rods that are included are completely illogical, and cannot all be used at the same time, because there are essentially three 'ends' included in the set; One left end, one long right end, and one short right end. The total length of the longest assembled rod is 25.5" so if you are using a 600mm lens at infinity, you may be fine, but closer in, you may have a problem. If you have any tilt applied, you probably won't have a long enough rod with a 600mm lens. If the rods were designed to all be connected together, you would have a 31" rod. So you end up carrying around a piece of rod that will probably never be used, at least you will never be able to use both ends at the same time.

From the perspective of a field-use tool, I think this produce fails miserably. I modified mine to work without the screwdriver and little screws and bits, but without tooling I was unable to modify the rods, so I still consider it, even in my use, a flawed product at best.

It's too bad, because it could have been a very nice product with a little logical design work an field testing.

My suggestion is to stay away from it, unless you are a glutton for punishment.

---Michael

[tim atherton]

Bruce W has a similar concept for his home made "Heath Robinson" design

http://www.wehmancamera.com/llsupport.htm

Only for 4x5 - but you can see how you could come up with something home made along similar lines for bigger formats - main requirement - a bit of inventive imagination...!

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

I have to agree with Michael; the Wind Stabilization Kit is seriously flawed.

I did some adaptation which made it more usable. I had no problem affixing semi-permanently the mounting blocks to my ugly B&J. I suppose if I owned a pretty camera I might care, but I don't and I don't (actually, if I spent the money for a pretty camera it better be solid enough so I wouldn't have to use these extra supports). I sunk two threaded inserts into the front and rear standard, so the blocks are easily removable (although I never have actually removed them), and had a local machinist make two more middle rods, so the whole assemblage extends 45". Another advantage to the kit is that it also serves as a bellows support. I don't know about your camera, but when I rack it out to 43" I get some pretty serious bellows sag; unlike my 5x7 a few twigs or those silly bellows tabs don't do very much.

[Jerry Xu]

Is the inside of your bellows very dark?
Reflections from the interior seemed to reduce contrast of long exp shots and could make them seem unsharp.

[Kirk Gittings]

Like the umbrella idea, I carry a small 18" light disk with me to block the wind on my 4x5. Silver on one side and black on the other. It works like a champ and doubles occasionally as a reflector or shade. It folds up small enough to fit in my case. You will need a slightly larger one depending on the size of your camera. I have fould I can shoot easily like 4 seconds in a pretty good breeze.

[Struan Gray]

Alternatively, you could experiment with aerial aleatoric abatraction.





http://web.telia.com/~u46133221/pics/marram_gale.jpg



Marram Grass and a big gust. Achnahaird Beach, July 2005.



http://web.telia.com/~u46133221/pics/gaels3.jpg



Water Lilies in a Force Seven. Loch Raa, July 2005.

[Mark Sampson]

Paul Strand is reported to have done his nature close-ups in the 1920's by using a series of short exposures, like Struan's above; but waiting for the wind to die between exposures, assuming that the object would return to the same place when the wind stopped. It seems that would take great patience- and we don't know how many images he made that way, or what his success percentage was. Given the slow films of 80 years ago, that may have been the best choice. I've never tried it myself.

[Craig Wactor]

Wow, the water lillies photo could be a Monet (I hope you take that as a compliment). I am going to try the golf umbrella idea first. I think my issue was more with the camera moving, rather than the subject. I like the look of tree branches, etc. moving in a long exposure image (is this aleatoric abberation? That was was tough even for google!)

[Frank Petronio]

I was out in gusty weather today. I just stood my 230 lb bulk upwind of the camera. If you drink enough beer you could shade an 11x14.

[Struan Gray]

Thanks Craig: definitely a complement. In the water lilies photo the camera was moving about in the wind (the photographer too), and I was using an 18" lens. I was surprised at how little the camera movement contributed to to final image. There's more ovbious camera movement in this shot (http://web.telia.com/~u46133221/pics/achbeachabs.jpg).

In the part of Scotland where I took these there is very rarely no wind, so I have been experimenting with just letting the camera shake about and seeing what I get. Mostly mush, but sometimes interesting mush. I think it was Winogrand who said he photographed things to see what they looked like as photographs: for me wind shaking the LF camera has become a part of the process.

FWIW, I have had good luck shielding the camera with my body and/or waiting for a lull. This photo (http://web.telia.com/~u46133221/pics/lochraa_gale.jpg) was a successful attempt to keep the still water lilies sharp while letting the waving reeds blur out. I have tried carrying a golfing brolly, but for the rougher terrain it's a royal pain in the backside and in medium-to-strong wind it causes more problems than it solves. The best solution is to photograph from under the tailgate of my car, but that's not univerally applicable.

[Christopher Nisperos]

Struan, some gorgeous stuff. Really.

Ralph, re:
"Has anyone tried adapting either a portable (clothes) changing room or something like a portable duck-hunting blind to ULF photography in the wind?--Ralph Barker 2006-01-07 05:34 PST " . . . .

A long time ago a friend of mine did something like this, eventhough he was only shooting 'little' 4x5 (therefore, I don't know how much of a difference it made). Basically, he set-up a kind of open-faced tent by sticking four poles into the ground and surrounding three sides AND THE TOP with some cloth (I don't remember what kind it was or how it was attached). He also used tent pegs with guy-lines to keep the whole thing upright.

He swore it was great, even citing the advantage of easier focussing and less chance of flare due to the shading effect of the thing, but I was really pissed-off at the time, because it took so long to set-up and tear down. "Next time I'll go shooting alone", I thought. I found it ridiculous.

However, the idea has a lot of merit for ULF, as this type of shooting often involves "reconnaissance", and then you come back and wait for the 'right' light. In this case, you definitely have time. Plus, if you're waiting for a sunrise, you might even want to sleep in the thing! I once told him he ought to commercialize the idea, but he was never interested. Then, I thought about it too, but there didn't seem to be a need at the time.

Maybe I'll do it now, unless someone beats me to it (Ready? On your marks. Get set . . .) But really, anybody interested could probably adapt a current tent product or, as you suggest, a duck blind. It'd be interesting to hear of the results.

[Struan Gray]

Thanks Christopher. At present the "Gaels" photos are a pile of experiments with no real focus, but they're growing into a project and are a good excuse to get out and photograph even in bad weather.

Tents with a large enough front door that you could shoot out of with the camera at eye level tend to be bad at shedding wind, especially if they are light enough to backpack with all the camera gear. For example, wind resistant mountaineering tents tend to be a bit close to the ground. Similarly, a lot of naturalist and wildlife photographer's portable blinds are for sitting in only. Perhaps the best commercial products I have seen are the tents and wind shelters sold for ice fishing.

[Keith S. Walklet]

I suspect the product that your friend was using was one of those portable beach shelters which closely resemble a dome tent cut in half or a fabric band-shell and are designed to block the scantily clad from wind and sun. One would put the fabric side windward and the open side facing the camera. That way, you could do your sunbathing whilst you wait for your photo. ;-)

I'd hate to have to deal with setting it up and securing it to the ground so it didn't blow away, especially if the wind suddenly decides to change direction. By far, the best solution I've seen on this thread is the golf "brully" which isn't attached to the camera.

BTW, Struan, those ARE very nice images. I love the fact you just went with the flow. Still images can seem so much like interruptions. I find that those that actually capture the dynamic aspects of the scene, including movement, are often far more compelling.

[Struan Gray]

Thank you Keith. Couldn't have done it without the Blackjacket :-)

I don't know how ready I will be to experiment in ULF, what with the higher cost of failures, especially in colour, but rolling the dice a bit was a useful way to make these photographs personal and particular. I tend to get overwhelmed by the romantically obvious shots when I travel, so it's good to have a way of breaking out of that and seeing more freely - even if it does mean abdicating some responsibility to Lady Luck.

[Keith S. Walklet]

I'd like to think that the gear made it at least a little easier. ;-)

Still, it is the ability to recognize the potential in a particular moment that differentiates extraordinary efforts from daily fare. For the same reason, I have tried to give more credence to my intuitions, or at least, just to possess the willingness to give up on what I have my hopes set on to see where the moment will lead.

Everything about these images conveys an attitude of quiet confidence, acceptance and appreciation for conditions that so many view as an obstacle to creativity. Very nice.