Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/29

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Subject: Re: [Leica] High Altitude Photography
From: Tom Finnegan <TomF@piengr.com>
Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 09:59:55 -0700

Well I have great experience at altitude and climbing... but not as a
Leica user - I still consider myself a 'newbie' at this. I guess the
thing I am most concerned about is the control of light - it can get
quite bright. 

> Where are you going?

This month is Ranier - then a few volcanos in Ecuador around the new
year.
*************************************

I haven't had any problems with my Leicas at altitude. Things can get pretty
bright though and you do have to take some care in metering. If I can I
usually try and bracket a bit, especially if shooting slides. If it's a
bright sunny day I typically meter off the north sky and bracket a half stop
either side. I have never bothered to use uv filters or polarizers. I have a
number of shots from up on Rainier where the sky is so dark blue that if I
had used a polarizer it would have come out black! A number of people have
questioned me on how I was able to get the sky so dark, convinced I had used
some special effects filter.

The biggest problem I tend to have in taking pictures when doing a climb
like Rainier has to do with exhaustion and altitude effects. When you're
exhausted, have a splitting headache, and feel nauseous, you have less a
tendency to take pictures, and when you do take pictures you are less likely
to be thinking clearly about what you are doing.

I might also be up on Rainier sometime this next month with a buddy. I'm not
sure which weekend or route yet. Which way are you going and when? If you
see a guy with a black M6 with a couple of strategically placed Power Puff
girl stickers, it's probably me.

Tom Finnegan
Seattle

Replies: Reply from Dave Mason <gnome@dmason.net> (Re: [Leica] High Altitude Photography)