How do you "buddy-up?"

[richardman]

So far I have only go onto long photo safari by myself. My wife used to come with me, but she's been having difficulties hiking and also now I take a-long-time for each scene (dang view camera...) - which leads to my questions: I know some LF photographers go out to shoot together. How does that usually work out? Do you share the same tripod holes? Do some people see so dramatically different that they move on to different views? How does one stop feeling guilty about "oh no, I have been photographing this same dang rock for the past 3 hours!"

[BrianShaw]

I shoot alone but when I budy-up it is with my brother. We've known each other our entire lives (well, except for the first few of mine) an dwe seem to be able ot tolerate each other... and each other's habits -- photography or otherwise. We have never shared tripod holes because he has forsaken all film photograhy and only shoots SLR digtal. The thing we have both noticed is that we always seem to shoot different things. Either he's shooting and I'm doing something else, or I'm shooting and he's doing something else. Neither one of us seem to have a problem staying occupied while the other shoots some dang rock, tree, bug, etc. Often when we compare images after a trip together it looks like we went two different places!

[BrianShaw]

p.s. I never take my wife and when we are on a trip together I rarely photograph. She has little tolerance for anything that takes much time... except shopping.

[RichardSperry]

Looking at your photos you have a distinctive style.

Even if I used your same tripod holes my photos would look clearly different than yours. I suspect that would be the same for any of your photography buddies. Long to short, don't worry about it.

[Vaughn]

I have done many week-long trips with other photographers (usually just one other person).

Wake up early, have breakfast (usually camping out where we are photographing), and say, "See ya at lunch (or dinner)." The usual exception is when photographing sand dunes -- then walk around together to avoid putting foot prints in someone else's image.

[aporodagon]

Make sure your buddy shoots for carbon prints with an ULF camera while you shoot with a 4x5 for silver gelatine prints - no conflicts even if you do use the same tripod holes.

[dperez]

Richard,

If you are planning on making any trips in the near future shoot me an email, I might be able to join you.

I plan on shooting during new years weekend in either Death Valley or Valley of Fire/Little Finland in Nevada. Let me know if you are interested in meeting up.

-DP

[j.e.simmons]

I sometimes shoot with a couple of other large format photographers. Our vision is so different, we are never photographing the same thing. However, we do tend to talk so I don't get as much shooting done as when alone.
juan

[JeRuFo]

I have done a few short trips together where we travelled to an area and often hiked a bit together, but then went our separate ways and stayed in touch with walkie-talkies or by phone. I'm not big on shooting side-by-side, I like to be alone. This way you don't have to have similar speed or styles, but still have somebody nearby just in case.

[ROL]

Do you share the same tripod holes? Do some people see so dramatically different that they move on to different views?

I've told the story (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?93697-The-role-of-solitude&p=921483#post921483) before about two climbing buddies, who began shooting LF together. They were each exhibiting an almost identical print of a location they had both been at together many years previous, at the same art show.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Make sure your buddy shoots for carbon prints with an ULF camera while you shoot with a 4x5 for silver gelatine prints - no conflicts even if you do use the same tripod holes.

Heh heh heh. Been shooting together for years and not once have we resorted to "tripods at ten paces", eh? Even though our interests are pretty similar.