(-and the Perils of Sheet Film)
Although the rock striations in the overhang above House on Fire Ruin resemble tongues of fire even in the shade, the most vivid colors seem to occur later in the morning, when the sunlight reflecting from the rock in front of the ruin helps provide a warm glow.
I prefer a very wide angle lens at this spot. My widest angle of view among my equipment is obtained with my 4” x 5” field camera and a vintage (but serviceable) 65mm Schneider Angulon lens. My images that I took with that combination were lost, however. Here’s part one of my tale of woe: During my return trip home to Missouri, I stored my sheet film holders containing the images from this spot in an ice chest cooler, in order to protect the film from excessive heat during lunch stops in the July heat. A family member also stored an opened carton of milk in that same cooler. You guessed it- the milk naturally spilled, and ruined all of my exposed film. Some day, I hope to return to this spot, and next time I’ll be more cautious with my film!
Tech info: Nikon F4, 19mm Vivitar lens, Fujichrome Velvia, high res film scan.
Although the trail to this spot is marked with rock cairns every now and then, it can still be a bit tricky to follow the first time one hikes there. Fortunately, on my hike, I was lucky enough to run into a very nice couple who were kind enough to help show me the way.
In my opinion, the widest angle-of-view lenses provide the best compositions at this spot. My widest camera and lens combination is my 4x5 and 65mm Angulon. After capturing multiple images with this combination, and remembering my lesson learned the year before, I resolved to be extra cautious with my exposed sheet film. I even mailed the exposed film to a reputable E-6 processor en route back home.
Part two of my tale of woe: When I received my order back from the film processor, I gleefully opened the box to see my images. To my horror, the processor had mistakenly failed to develop my film, and mailed it back to me in my original box, un-developed. Of course, the instant that I opened the box in room light, it was ruined.
Some day, I hope that I can return with my view camera to both House on Fire and Fallen Roof Ruins, and actually get some images successfully with the view camera! In the meantime, I guess these will have to do.
Tech info: Canon 40D, 12-24 Tokina at 12 mm.
White House Ruin is perched on a high cliff in Canyon de Chelly National Park. It is easily viewed from the opposite side of the canyon, but at a great distance. It is much better viewed by hiking down into the canyon, which is an easy hike down, but a bit more strenuous coming back up! Those familiar with the work of Ansel Adams may remember that he once photographed this ruin. (His well-known image was shot as a vertical). His wonderful image led me to want to come to this spot myself.
My only visit to White House Ruin was back in the days of shooting film, 1997 B.D. (before digital). Of my images of this spot, I’ve always tended to prefer the prints that I made direct from medium format black and white film. Since I lack a digitized film scan of this negative, here is my attempt at a reproduction derived from a flatbed scan of a proof print.
Tech info: Mamiya 645, 45 mm lens, T-Max 100 film, flatbed scan of b & w print
Since the exteriors of the ruins at Mesa Verde have been extensively photographed by others already, I think the image that I will choose to display here should be sort of a change of pace.
Tech info: Canon Digital Rebel XT, 18-55 lens at 18mm, time exposure
There are many more ancient ruins in this region that I haven’t yet had the chance to visit. I hope that I can continue to photograph more of them in the future. In the meantime, I hope that you’ve enjoyed this small sampling.
Bill
No comments:
Post a Comment