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View Full Version : Just a small lf get-together in Tucson?



Mark Sawyer
26-Jun-2009, 12:43
I'm just wondering if anyone in the Tucson area would like to an informal get together. We could use my house in mid-town, (Campbell and Grant area), or wherever. Nothing too ambitious, so not worth traveling any distance to. Any interest, anyone?

Tim Meisburger
26-Jun-2009, 16:46
Hi Mark. My family and I are visiting my folks in Green Valley until July 11. I have a lot of family obligations, and other family members flying in and out, but if the timing worked out it would be interesting to meet someone else that shoots LF. I took my camera with me today to the Desert Museum, but ended up pushing my mother's wheelchair around the whole time. The recent rain made the cacti look odd anyway, and the heat at noon made the prospect of crawling under my darkcloth unappealing...

Cheers, TIm

Tim Meisburger
26-Jun-2009, 17:24
Perhaps I should post this in the location section, but since we a are on the subject, do you have any suggestions for shooting around Tucson? My wife and I plan to leave the kids with the grandparents one day and climb Mt. Wrightson from Madera Canyon, buty it looks quite a hike and I wonder if it is worth taking my camera. We will leave early in the morning, so if there are good views near the beginning I might have good light, but I expect we will be on the summit around midday, and while there are supposed to be spectacular views from there, I think the overhead light and heat haze might make for very flat photographs.

We also plan to climb Picachio Peak one day. I think early morning light might be best, but unlikely I can get the family there early. Perhaps plan to go at 4:00 PM, climb the peak, then shoot it in the evening light (lit from the west)? That would be cooler anyway.

Also, one day I plan to get up early and shoot up to San Xavier Mission for the morning light, which should be easy to arrange as I guess I will get back before some people even get up.

Cheers, Tim

Mark Sawyer
27-Jun-2009, 01:00
Hi, Tim! I'll keep you informed if anything comes together. Not sure if we'll get a "critical mass", but we could always just meet for a beer. We'll see if there are any other responses...

The Mt. Wrightson hike is pretty vigorous, especially this time of year, and Picacho will be shorter but hotter and steeper. I'd say a drive up Mt Lemmon might be a good bet. Saguaro National Monument West if you want Sonoran Desert Landscape, (cactus, mesquites, palo verdes, etc.), and Signal Hill has a few nice petroglyphs. Sabino Canyon has a nice creek flowing though cactus and larger trees in a big rocky canyon. And Bisbee is a beautiful old mining town, now more an artists' colony, with a few nice restaraunts if you like funky old architecture. The Pima Air Museum has quite a variety of old aircraft that can make for interesting compositions, espectially close-up...

And yup, San Xavier is a classic work of architecture and culture...

Those are some possibilities that come to mind...

jackies
29-Jun-2009, 18:07
Try Gates Pass at sunset, It is awesome.

J

goamules
30-Jun-2009, 12:15
Yes, Mark, I'm interested. Missed this post, was down Patagonia way last weekend.

Mark Sawyer
30-Jun-2009, 18:21
How does a week form this Thursday sound? 6-ish or 7-ish pm? Or is a weekend better so we have some daylight?

goamules
30-Jun-2009, 19:24
A week from Thur at 6 is fine for me. I should be able to shoot a couple plates in evening light. But a weekend would work too, mornings are better for me.

Mark Sawyer
3-Jul-2009, 14:08
Okay, here's the plan... this Thursday, July 9, at 6 pm at my house, but you're welcome to come an hour or so early if you want to do a little photography for the heck of it in the back yard. (I have a decent back yard for that sort of thing...)

Nothing too ambitious, just bring a few prints if you like...

PM me if you need directions, etc.

goamules
4-Jul-2009, 05:49
OK Mark. PM me your address/phone.

Looking forward to it.

Garrett

goamules
10-Jul-2009, 08:05
What a great time we had at Mark's place, and I really enjoyed meeting all of you. Mark is a gracious, knowledgeable host, and it was amazing to see some of his prints "live."

Tim Meisburger
10-Jul-2009, 10:49
I'll second that! It was great to meet and talk to other LF photographers; to see Mark's massive collection of lenses, enlargers and cameras, and to watch Garett's expert demonstration of wet plate. Great fun! I'll post a few pictures after I get back to Bangkok.

Thanks again Mark for providing such excellent hospitality to a poor tourist from Bangkok. I hope to return the favor over there someday.

Best, Tim

Mark Sawyer
10-Jul-2009, 10:52
Thanks, Garrett! For anyone curious, we had a nice little turnout: Garrett, Tim Meisburger, and a few other local lf photographers, Tony, Anh, Mike, Ria, and myself.

Garrett was definitely the star of the evening, making a few wet plates in my backyard, and helping me through making my first wet plate ever! And it actually worked! (see below...)

I'm sure we'll do it again, so anyone around Tucson, or passing through, if you have an interest, let me know...

Mark Sawyer
10-Jul-2009, 10:54
You're most welcome, Tim! I hope we see you back in Tucson again!

Brian Ellis
10-Jul-2009, 12:13
JoJo wanted to attend but he left his home in Tuscon, Arizona for some California grass.

goamules
10-Jul-2009, 12:49
Your bike plate came out nice Mark. Here is the optimal plate I did:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2587/3707395722_ebd028e477.jpg

Mark Sawyer
10-Jul-2009, 13:02
JoJo wanted to attend but he left his home in Tuscon, Arizona for some California grass.

Well, get back to where you once belonged! :D

Mark Sawyer
10-Jul-2009, 13:04
That's a lovely plate, Garrett! I'm really impressed by that little Hermagis Petzval.

I may have to pick on you more about this wet-plate stuff...

goamules
10-Jul-2009, 13:14
Sure thing, we'll do some more. And I love the Hermagis too, I've never seen a bad image on the ground glass with it (though I can't always capture what I see with wetplate). And as our two plates attest, the swirl can be modulated.

Mark Sawyer
10-Jul-2009, 18:36
And as our two plates attest, the swirl can be modulated.

You know, we've etymologically debated and metaphysically discussed the Japanese word "bokeh" ad nauseum. I wonder if the Japanese are having the same discussions over the term "swirlies"?

(Of course, if they do trace the etymology, what they probably find will be not that far from what we discovered tracing the roots of "giclee"! :D )