Photographer

For the last 30+ years my photography gear list consisted primarily of a 4×5 view camera and one 210mm lens.  My most recent view camera was an Arca-Swiss F Field Clasic with Micro-Orbix.  Many of the images in my galleries were composed with this camera using various lenses.  The most knowledgeable person for Arca-Swiss in the United States is Rod Klukas, formerly of Photomart in Phoenix and now the US representative.  For additional Arca-Swiss resources see  Tom Westbrook , and Precision Camera Works .

Phil with his Canon 5D MKII and 70mm - 100mm lense.

My photography gear now consists of a Canon EOS 5D MKII system.  While this gear does not provide the same image size as the Arca-Swiss, the Canon DSLR offers many advantages.  Foremost is the very quick turn-around from image creation to processed image.  With the Arca-Swiss and shooting with Velvia film, I would wait a minimum of one to two weeks for my processed images to return.  Then of course I needed to decide if I would pay for a high quality drum scan or a lower quality flat-bed scan on my Epson V750.  Now I just import into my raw processor of choice, Lightroom, and then finish the image in Photoshop CS5.

A second advantage of working with my new gear is the ability to use the Live View function.  I use a Hoodman Loupe which essentially functions in the same way of using a loupe to view the ground glass of  a 4×5 view camera. I use the Canon Live View zoom feature to enlarge the image up to ten times.  This slower pace is similar to working with a 4×5 view camera.  A third advantage is simplification in determining proper exposure via observing the image histogram.

My current list of photography gear is:

1. Canon EOS 5D MKII
2. Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
3. Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
4. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
5. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
6. Gitzo GT3530LS w/GS%121LVL Leveling Base and Acratech GP Ballhead
7. Hoodman Loupe
8. Various Sing-Ray Graduated Neutral Density filters and the Cokin Z-Pro holder
9. Polarizers – clear and warm
10. Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller
11. Various tools and accessories

The first image was taken by my good friend Ron when I was doing an assignment to photograph a mutual friend’s rustic cabin in rural Washington state.  The camera is of course the Arca-Swiss I owned at the time.  As you readily see in the image I also owned a nice head of hair.  This image was taken just after major surgery to remove a metastatic lung tumor.  A few months later my hair was gone from the MVAC chemotherapy I received.  The second image with the new Canon gear nicely shows my hair loss.  My cancer journey may be a topic I’ll talk about down the road.  Time will tell!

I captured this image of the new moon over Cannon Beach on a trip my wife and I took Thanksgiving weekend of 2011 to Canon Beach on the Oregon Coast.  Ecola State Park is nearby and is a favorite of mine for dramatic seascapes.  I went there hoping for a nice colorful sunset but that didn’t happen.  I noticed that a new moon was fortuitously above the ocean west of Canon Beach with a clear sky overhead.  I was able to capture this dramatic scene with a 5 sec. exposure with my Canon 24mm TSE II lens on my Canon EOS 5D Mark II.  The moon in the image originally was rather washed out with significant flare due to the 5 sec. exposure.  This was not what I saw nor envisioned and therefore I replaced the unsatisfactory exposure with a 1.6 sec. image of the moon.  I utilized Photoshop luminosity masks, i.e. channel masks, to bring out the water, mountains and add some vibrance and saturation.  A great source for learning about luminosity masks and their use can be found on the website of  Tony Kuyper.  By the way, this image prints up beautifully with great intensity!