Last Sunday (26th March) was overcast and raining. These are good conditions for returning to the Spring Mount Conservation Park in the southern part of the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia to make some large format photographs of the bushland. I did return, and my objective was to photograph the bushland in black and white. I have learned that monochrome works better representing this old growth stringy bark bushland than colour film.
The photo making needed to be after the rain had eased and before the cloud cover cleared and the sun came out. The location chosen was along Strangeways Rd, which I had identified the day before whilst I was on an afternoon poodlewalk with Maleko. There was no low cloud or mist between the trees that morning but it was gloomy -- suitably so - and, luckily, there was little wind.
I had about 45 minutes to an hour in the mid-morning to use the 5x4 Sinar F1 view camera. I was able to make 2 exposures before the sun came out and changed the atmosphere.
Like the Gitzo tripod I was using, the entry level, Sinar is around 50 years old, as it was probably made sometime in the 1970s. It is a lightweight, modular, view camera and very easy to use in the field; or either the right angle viewer or the binocular reflex magnifier on the back of the camera. I don't have either of the latter. I just use a simple dark cloth, which is a hassle to use when the wind is blowing. I didn't have time to put the Sinar pan tilt/head on the tripod.
