Levels and Mounts

[JakeKristy@xxxxxxx]

Ya know,
I used to believe that a tripod and an electronic level were necessary for
(a) saving film, (b) recording high quality images, and (c) my salvation.
 Oh, how things change!  That beeping level and I parted ways long ago.  I
haven't even used a tripod during my last 300 exposures, and I believe I am
none the poorer.

A plus for me in this equation is that I use Albion aluminum mounts for my
slides.  (Ready for some bad language?)  I have the ability to adjust the
chips idependently and: side-to-side, up-and-down, and rotationally, too!
 Using the Albions lets me "just take pictures" when I'm out in the high
desert.

If I have an uneasy feeling about what "perfectly level" is in a given
situation, then I will disregard all of my senses and shoot the picture *the
way I want it to look.*  Damn the horizon?  Not if it's in the shot.  Throw
level to the wind, but invest in a light meter.  The most frequent causes of
ruined exposures for me are: 
1) bad near focus (I'm a macro nut at heart, but still want maximum d.o.f.),
2) under exposure (using the sunny 16 guidelines, I can't often judge "how
many stops below 'open shade' a given scene is"), and
3) a light leak in the upper right of both of my Realists (though I love them
both).

--ChrisRomaticWhenItCountsHelms


------------------------------