T3D just busy

[John Toeppen <toeppen@xxxxxxxx>]

Tom wondered if we were still here.  Yes and no.
Sometimes we have to go do all the neat stuff that we talk about.

The Aspens around the Mono Lake basin are very good this year.  Four
days, three nights, and 13 rolls of Velvia later I now await the
results.  It seems that the best groves have had sufficient water to
hold their leaves through the 20 degree F nights.  Reds and oranges
layer against greens and yellows in sharp contrast to the shadows and
the crisp blue of the sky and snow capped peaks.  Follow this with a
soak in Hot Creek, beer, brats, sweet corn, clear cold night skys, and
shooting stars. One realizes how film still can't capture the full
bandwidth of the acutal experience.(eg; ya gotta wear gloves in your
tent at night or you are awakened by cold fingers)

Please pardon my metaphysical musings, but mindset is the core of our
photographic motivations.  It is necessary to have the experience in
order to convey it.  When we get there, it is worth being there, and
soaking it in.   Preconception and experience may tells us where to go,
and when to go, what to shoot, and how to shoot it.  Still, our best
shots come from observation rather than just preconception. I try to be
there and enjoy the light.

Many photographers converge on this area in early October to take photos
and classes.  One photographer was at a roadside lake at 11:00 waiting
for the light since 7:00, and it would not arrive at that slope until
1:00  We were following the light up the canyon, working the edge of
dawn. This person was going to be giving a class later that day.  Ansel
was said to have take his photos near his car and wait for the light. 
This is like a hunter shooting from a lawn chair by their car.  While
sometimes that works, my cameras are light enough to carry.  Some of us
enjoy the hunt, and will go up a granite wall to get the shot that we
want.

I use a f3.5 Realist for close ups (3ft + ) and moving water.  This year
I used my twin Nikkormats with 35 mm fl lenses at 7 1/2" cl to cl.  I
think that I will have some more great stock to view and scan.  I have
made a few very large interlaced jpg images.  I only view 1024 x 768 at
any one time, and can move about within the larger frame.  Any 1024 x
768 windowed view of a 3100 x 2200 frame taken with the above twin rig
is  viewed at normal parallax.  Now, if those pans just splice properly
I will be set.

John Toeppen

aspen color anaglyph hyper taken last year (colors were not as good
then) with 50mm Nikkors at 7 1/2" centers at:
http://members.home.com/holographics/asp9.jpg
enlarge to view effect of FOV vs. baseline