I love Mesa Verde … it is one of the wonders of the world. Here, a view of Spruce Tree House, closed, unfortunately, because of a slide into the area. Heavy rains caused it,and I hope it will be repaired soon. No damage was caused to the structure, which dates ca. 1200 a.d., but to the area where tourists – like yours truly – stand. We were there on an early morning, enjoying the quiet of the canyon into which it is built.
Ansel Adams took a picture of this view over the Snake River in the Teton National Park during the 1940s. Here is my tribute to a fine photographer. Developed using Polarr on my Chrome Book.
I think this is a crow or raven, soaring out over the Grand Canyon. With the 1 Nikon 70-300mm lens, this was a lucky shot – I saw the bird, but was busy with a film camera – and snatched the V3 and aimed.
I rummaged through the pile of camera gear cluttering the studio. And then I discovered a tripod I had bought some time ago: The Manfrotto MKC3-H01. It will fit in my suitcase! And, with small cameras, it should be just fine.
It’s really small and lightweight. I like the lever clamps, instead of twisty ones. It’s got nice features, such as a swivel head, thumb thingies, and can handle up to 3.3 lbs (2.5 kilos) of camera. Given I am bringing only small and light – except when the V3 has the 70-300 on it – it should work out really well.
A tripod is honestly something I have been wanting to bring as I want to get the long exposures you can get with ND filters. The smoothness of water can make for great photographs – and I want to do this with both film and digital. Maybe I will even do a video, just for grins, but they aren’t things I really ever do. So, problem solved, eh? At least, I think it is!! An 18-inch-tall-when-compacted tripod is a pretty cool thing.
Yesterday, I packed up the rest of the choices I’d made for the photographic gear I want to take on our trip. It was a really hard, but choices had to be made.
My first decision was the bag size. I have back packs and over-the-shoulder bags of varying sizes, along with a sling bag. I decided on an over-the-shoulder bag, which is roomy, but not large, and is now carrying the following:
The OM system and the Nikon 1 system were chosen because they are small and lightweight, but deliver good quality.
I am also bringing 12 rolls of 35mm film, in black and white, and in color, ranging in speed. It’s still a toss-up between the XA4 and the Trip 35, but I am inclined to take the XA4 as it is more diverse, smaller, and has a covered lens. No medium format camera made it to the final mix. I may bring a tripod. I am also packing some art supplies and my Kindle. Some knitting, too. Headphones. Chrome Book. Plugs and cords and a power strip. Yeah, stuff. Clothes, shoes, and a toothbrush!
