Undeveloped masterpieces on the road

[eddy pula]

Hello I am spending a month in Mississippi shooting 4x5's and then driving to florida and up the east coast to my home in Boston. I've already shot about 200 sheets (I brought a 1000) and I am wondering what should I do with the film. Is it a better idea to send them back in the mail and risk them in someone elses hands or let them knock around my car for 2 weeks with potentially very hot temps. Its hp5 if that matters. Thanks.
Eddy Pula
PS any suggestions about cool locations in Mississippi? I am in Hattiesburg if you know where that is.

[Mike1234]

Get one of those electric ice chests that works with a car cigarette lighter and has an A/C adapter. You won't need to worry about the film getting wet because there's no ice.

[Hollis]

just fed-ex it back to your house, no worries there.

All of the Delta is cool. I like NE Alabama, if you head that way.

[eddie]

i ship all my film home from holiday by the PO priority mail. should only take 2 days from Fl to Ma.

what i usually do is carry what i need for half my trip. then i ship other film and supplies to myself at a PO location where i will be. (they have AC and heat in the PO) i show up, take what i need from the box, add my exposed film and whatever else and ship it back to myself at home. works like a charm!

eddie

[Bill_1856]

What's a nice Yankee boy like you doin' down in the land of the boll weavel and cornpone?
Most of the interesting non-nature places to photograph are along the Mississippi River. Check Vicksburg, Nachez, Greenville, etc, and all the low-class jazz places just south of Memphis. (Incidentally Memphis, not Jackson, is the real capitol of Mississippi.)
For a beautiful drive on your way home, concider the Nachez Trace From Tupolo to Nashville (limited access through the nearly unspoiled countryside). For a sense of what is possible in America, check out Elvis's birthplace in Tupolo.
Also, don't worry about your film in October -- just insulate it a little bit by wrapping it in a blanket, and keep it out of the direct sun, the trunk or glovebox.

[Michael Roberts]

My in-laws live just 30 min west of you in Columbia. Hattiesburg is a real mix--lots of small town decay and run-down abandoned strip malls. Recommendations depend on your taste. You can find kudzu-overgrown old wooden barns and shacks outside and around town. You might find some nice old antebellum homes. Some of the architecture on the Southern Miss campus might be nice. Lots and lots of pine forests and Baptist churches.... Last time I was there I wound up photographing ponds, reflections, close-ups of bark and crawdad mud chimneys(?!) early morning & late afternoons. Again, depending on taste, you can find some interesting old industrial sections of town, and probably an ultramodern coal-fired cogeneration plant. Night-time might be good, too. Interesting people, if portraits are your style. Not a great place for grand scenics--too many pine forests.

As you head toward Florida, don't overlook the Mississippi coast. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs is one of my favorite places to visit. No photography, but an amazing story and great art.

South of Pensacola is the Gulf Islands National Seashore--wonderful, mostly unspoiled beaches and barrier islands.

[Pat Kearns]

When you get to Mobile, go to Dauphin Island. Fort Gaines is on the eastern end of the island. An old civil war fort that guarded the west entrance to Mobile Bay. Small admission charge. Then take the ferry across to For Morgan another civil war for that guarded the east entrance to Mobile Bay. Some nice photo opportunities there. There is vehicle charge on the ferry but don't let that deter you. The ferry will save you from driving 120 miles. Mobile is loaded with many historic homes along Government St, Dauphin St. and Springhill Ave if you are into arch. photography. Mobile Bay has a lot of areas for photography. Its October now, its not hot anymore.
Have a great trip.

[eddy pula]

Thanks for the suggestions, I shoot mostly portraits, and have found the people down here very friendly. I've been driving around neighborhoods looking for people hanging out on their front porches, I introduce myself and they usually agree to be photographed. I've been going down to Gulfport and nocking on the doors of Katrina Cottages (a term I just learned the other day). I'm going up to the Delta next week.
I guess there was no consensus on what to do with my film. Maybe I'll ship half and keep the rest with me.
Thanks
Eddy.

[Frank Petronio]

I'd be more concerned about the film rubbing against itself, you'll want to put it in a "soft" place and maybe store it vertically. You would have to be really cooking to damage the film w heat.

[Brian Ellis]

I lived in Florida most of my life. If you put the holders in the trunk of your car (as opposed to the interior of the car) heat shouldn't be a problem. I did that many times.

[Ed Richards]

That is not enough heat to worry about. Just bring it into the motel with you at night so you if your car gets broken into, they do not steal the film. Unlikely, but a bigger issue than the heat. Keeping it in an ice chest is good because it damps down the changes in temperature, so it will stay cooler than the highest temp the car reaches.