Picture(s) of the day....

[CitroJim]

I have been out of contact with the real world, as the attached picture may hint...

That looks like a most awesome adventure to me Alec... Do tell us more

[Rp0thejester]

I'm not sure but I think that post is no longer vertical.

[myglaren]

No, it's fine and the house is falling down.
Just need to check it with a verticalometer..

[Rp0thejester]

Ah okay, I'll check that

[Armidillo]

Optical trickery - my wide angle lens makes stuff lean all over the place!

[Armidillo]

So with Jim's encouragement - some more about our adventure.

Flew to Queenstown (southern New Zealand), from where we were taken by bus to meet our small cruise ship in Milford Sound. It was raining, the waterfalls were in overdrive, but the visibilty wasn't good (rain, fog, mist., spray etc.), so it was hard to get a clear photo.

Now being cooped up on a ship had advantages - we could stay warm and dry no matter how nasty it got outside, and they fed us regularly. However Jim would have found the length of a lap of the ship a bit limiting - 200 metres, so 50 laps to cover something close to 10 km. Also it often had to be a walk (depending on conditions), but at least there was some variety, as sometimes you were going uphill, then a few seconds later steeply downhill!!

[CitroJim]

So with Jim's encouragement - some more about our adventure.

Properly awesome

[myglaren]

Optical trickery - my wide angle lens makes stuff lean all over the place!

Any lens will if the camera isn't parallel to the object and a wide angle lens more so as it is generally closer.
You need one of these:-

The (interchangeable) lenses can rise and fall from there zero position, can swing left and right, can move left and right and can be inclined backwards and forwards. Same with the film carrier.
They sound to be complicated to use and do take some familiarising but they are unsurpassable.
They were used for among other things; fashion photography where I worked, not the machine gun tactics of a 35mm with a motor drive, taking 300 images and needing a couple of days to determine the one to be used.

Operating the view camera is done in a series of steps, whose order is crucial. Reversing some of the steps will ruin the image. Reversing some other steps will unnecessarily waste time.

Although this might seem complicated at first, if you always stick to the same sequence, it will become second nature. You will then be able to concentrate on the subject. Here is the sequence that I favour in the field.

Choose the camera position, approximate orientation, focal length.
Set up and level the tripod and camera.
Attach the lens and open it to full aperture.
Focus roughly using the focusing knob.
Adjust precisely the composition while looking at the ground glass.
Focus precisely with tilts/swings.
Determine the optimal aperture.
Re-adjust slightly the composition (optional but recommended).
Adjust filters and compendium shade (optional but recommended).
Check for vignetting (optional but recommended).
Close the lens, cock the shutter, rap and insert the film holder.
Determine the shutter speed.
Set the aperture and shutter speed.
Remove the dark slide.
Look at the subject.
Fire the shutter with a cable release.
Put the darkslide back in.
Remove the filmholder.
Make a second identical exposure (optional but recommended).
Pack and move to the next spot.

[Armidillo]

After a rainy afternoon in Milford Sound, next day was clear and sunny, and we "explored" (not real exploration - Captain Cook probably mapped the area 250 years ago!) Doubtful Sound and Dusky sound.

We saw scenery like this:

and wildlife like this:

Look closely and you'll see a chick under the gull. The NZ Fur seal was not in the least interested when mum flew off - seals eat fish, not chicks!

Another seal (there were plenty)

[thorter]

Brings back memories. Sorry about image quality - but a decent size waterfall!

[mickthemaverick]

Today saw a gathering of FCFers and I have to own up to being the odd one out in the car line up!!

Proof of attendance!

[CitroJim]

A fine collection of quality vehicles I always thought my C3 Picasso was a big car. Looks tiny up against the others there!

[Armidillo]

Brings back memories. Sorry about image quality - but a decent size waterfall!

Indeed a beauty - with a some sort of boat/ship getting a shower underneath! Is that in Scotland - or perhaps a Norwegian fjord (or Milford Sound, NZ)?

From NZ's Fjordland we sailed on to Stewart Island (NZ's 3rd biggest Island). We were transferred from ship to shore in flat bottomed boats, referred to by the cruise company as "Explorers". No keel, so not good in a cross-wind, but kept moving in the right direction by a fairly grunty outboard. They could tie up to a jetty or run up onto a beach to load/unload us. Not actually amphibious, as they lack wheels.

[thorter]

It was indeed Milford Sound. Here is the best view I can extract, the vessel being a reasonable size sightseeing boat.

[CitroJim]

Seen whilst running today...

Some lovely mud

And not so muddy!

A beautiful place to be

Fineshade Wood near Stamford...