Never been to Bolivia (aren't there safety concerns there?), but I have shot
a lot of photos in Colorado over the last 30 years. Altitudes range from
about 7,000 feet at the lowest to a bit over 12,000 feet at one or two
locations. I would suppose that Bolivia would be a bit different, as the
ugly spectre of air polution is a nearly constant colorado resident, but I
do remember a few times when the air was clear.
I ALWAYS use both hood and filter. I NEVER depend on a UV filter, as it just
isn't enough. UV filters don't remove all UV, they just attenuate it to a
greater or lesser degree depending on brand. I always use an 81A (the Oly
filter, of which I have several, is an 81C, not a great deal different).
This will keep the blue under control, but it remains under some
circumstances. With B&W, I never use less than a yellow filter, and mainly a
R25. Again, there may be less general haze in Bolivia, but if anything, that
will just make the blue more obvious.
Films do make a difference. In the late, unlamented days of E4 Ektachrome X,
you never got rid of all the blue (that film was blue at sea level), and I
used Agfachrome CT18, with their own proprietary process. That film was
perfect for Colorado, and I very much miss it. Today, I generally use one of
three Fuji films, Velvia, Provia, or Astia, trading off contrast and
saturation. Last year, I did try some EBX, and was pleasantly surprised. In
negative films, I would stick to the Fuji four layer films, my standard
travel film for its utility under a variety of conditions. If I was only
shooting daylight under sunny conditions, however, I would use Kodak 160NC,
and gain some shadow detail.
The whole subject of photos at altitude deserves attention, especially to
the low altitude photographer.
Oh, and remember, breath deeply!
Bill Pearce
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|