Camera Talk

With the Leica CL again, this time with only the Summicron-C 40/2 as I took a trip down US-220 to North Carolina on June 10, 2018.

The Boones Mill depot restoration is coming along nicely

Coming Round The Bend by P F McFarland, on Flickr

Another repurposed gas station (but closed on Sunday)

Rosa's by P F McFarland, on Flickr

Another American Legion artillery piece, this time a Soviet 76mm that may have come from a German unit that was using it

Silent Thunder by P F McFarland, on Flickr

All the rest at https://flic.kr/s/aHskPL4J8H

PF

Once again, I am envious of your surroundings.

I agree with James, I wonder the photos I'm missing for not having a car.

Great series Phil.

Thanks, James and Alex, but there were times before when the only transportation I had was the city bus. One makes do with what one has, and I've seen plenty of good photos from the two of you. I sometimes wish I had a good bicycle to ride around, as some places I've been there was no where to pull off and park to get a photo. I've walked back a half mile before to get a particular scene on film.

PF

Such nice shots. Looking forward to what you can produce this spring, PF, which starts...today! Happy Spring! More than ready for it.

As for the thought of using a bike for photo jaunts: I encourage you to pursue that. I've found a bicycle to be a great way to explore for photography, mostly because you move at a pace that really allows you to take in details around you, which a car sometimes passes too quickly to allow. I've rigged various bikes for carrying stuff, but the one I set up specifically for the purpose does the best; I move a bit more slowly on it than some of my other bikes, but it's very comfortable and can carry quite a load right up front where I can keep an eye on it, so idea for my large format stuff.

For those who haven't seen it before, here's a shot of it that gives the general idea:


DP2Q0093, Kogswell P/R quarter view by Robert Brazile, on Flickr

For the gear-curious, I built up the bike around an 8-speed internal gear hub to improve weather resistance (No external derailleurs to get crudded up in the rain or mud on dirt roads; allows for a chaincase to protect the chain, which I ought to install one of these days) and a French "porteur"-inspired rack; the geometry of this particular frame is designed for a front load. I have a porteur bag to go with it, and I can fit all manner of gear in there, up to 8x10 if I wish. Have only had the 4x5 rig out on it so far, but hope to do better this year. Rides like an ocean liner getting under way, just a smooth glide...

Robert

Hey Robert,

Nice bike! How to carry the camera has been worrying me all the time, that's why I choose only the ones not too heavy, 1,2 kg max to carry on a light backpack, my main worry are the bumps on the road and how to absorb them so the camera doesn't suffer not for crashes but for going up/down city elements I find. Using front luggage the up and down movement will be quite big and there is no way (for Brompton bikes) to avoid big shakes, rear luggage has some kind of bump absorption but is still quite big shake. Being in my backpack I help with my knees and body to avoid big shakes. So I'm curious how do you deal with this on the front luggage that you bring, or it's maybe my way of riding the Brompton like a MTB.

Alex

Alex,

That is a very good question. The answer is roughly the same as you have discovered: "padding", where in your case, you (and the suspension your body provides) are the padding. With the large flat platform in the front, I usually just include a nice layer of foam at the bottom of the porteur bag, and then everything else on top of that. It's key that the camera is securely strapped in, so it's not rattling around in the bag. So far, so good.

I'm curious why you think the front is more susceptible to movement than the rear. I have not found this to be the case; rather, they seem about equal in this respect. Then again, frame geometry will affect this somewhat, I suppose. My hunch is that the small platform rigidly attached to the small wheels on a Brompton might provide less suspension than my own rig, but I don't know for sure. If I had a Brompton, though (I've wanted one for years, but haven't yet been able to justify it) I'd surely find a way to make it work. I much prefer loads on the bike rather than on me, if no other reason than to get the center of gravity down closer to the road!

But I suppose we should stop hijacking PF's thread. I had a thread about bikes and photography on Nelsonfoto, now sadly gone. Perhaps I'll start another one here when I have more to report...

Robert

I remember that bike project, Robert. It came out very nicely, and your photo above is a lovely reminder. The main reason I've not bothered to get a bike is I really have no where to keep the thing, living in a second floor apartment.

And yes, Happy Spring! I awoke to a nice coat of frost on everything, and too much to do today to get out for a photo jaunt. I have two rangefinders loaded right now, and possibly a third, but I might hold it until May Day (ICCD Day).

PF

Yes, storage is my single biggest headache with respect to bicycling. I have them stashed in all sorts of odd places, none particularly ideal.

Looking forward to May Day...

Robert