MOUNTAINEERING PHOTOGRAPHY
Not the least of the rewards of mountaineering are the memories of
mountain comrades and adventures which cheer those of the true faith
through the humdrum existence of ordinary life. The camera enables
us to retain a faithful picture of the many striking incidents, the
wonderful surroundings and the fellow-actors who have played with us
in the great game; so that photography, like a keen and accurately
observant sixth sense, helps to keep our mountain memories fresh and
true for all time. Given no other, this, by itself, were sufficient
reason why a camera should accompany us on our travels.
A distinction should be drawn between photography of mountains and
mountaineering photography. The former is a pursuit indulged in by
those who are, for the most part, content to take photographs of
mountain scenery from valleys, railways, roads, paths or other easily
accessible points of view. In such cases, photography is the chief
object; any mountaineering that may be done is, as a rule, of the
simplest kind and undertaken chiefly for the sake of photography. By
“mountaineering photography,” on the other hand, I would designate the
use to which the mountaineer puts the camera; to him, climbing is the
main object, and photography merely an incidental side issue. To the
photographer, the weight and bulk of his photographic apparatus is of
minor importance; but the _bona-fide_ climber must cut down the weight
of his photographic equipment to a minimum, and any photography he
may indulge in must interfere as little as possible with the pursuit
of the ruling passion. His camera must be so simple that pictures can
be taken quickly and without waste of time. The scenes most worthy of
record frequently give little warning of their approach and are of
short duration; and, unless the camera is one which can be quickly
manipulated, the opportunity will be gone before the record can be
secured. The mountaineer is, therefore, confined to the use of a
simple, light camera of small and convenient dimensions. The opinion
is widely expressed in books on mountain photography that good results
are only obtainable with stand cameras and glass plates--the heaviest
and most inconvenient type of photographic equipment. To-day, this is
no longer the case. Lenses, folding cameras sufficiently small and
compact to fit into one’s pocket, and the celluloid film negative have
been brought to such a state of perfection that, with their aid, the
climber can secure photographs which not only compete successfully from
the point of view of quality with the results obtained with far more
elaborate apparatus, but also far excel the latter in quantity.
The choice of camera is governed, in the first place, by the size of
the negative required. In contact copies, from the smaller sizes of
negatives, details, often of value, are too readily overlooked and
usually appear to proper advantage only on enlargement. Particularly so
is this the case with regard to pictorial effect. Enlargements to more
than six or seven diameters show up faulty definition to an exaggerated
degree, and the grain of the emulsion often becomes disturbingly
evident. The smallest size of negative which may be regarded as
sufficiently free from these drawbacks is 2¹⁄₂ × 3¹⁄₂ inches, a size
which permits of satisfactory enlargement up to the pleasing dimensions
of 12 × 15 or even 15 × 20 inches. As, however, a quarter-plate size
(3¹⁄₄ × 4¹⁄₄ inches) camera is procurable which is handy, simple to
use, and is neither too bulky nor too heavy, the mountaineer would
do best to be on the safe side and adopt this as his standard. There
is no need to peer into or use a magnifying glass when looking at a
quarter-plate size contact print. Its pictorial value can be easily
judged, the proportions of the shape are pleasing, and it enlarges well.
[Illustration: _In a mountain hut._
_A portrait study._
_Facing page 336._
]
Having chosen the size of the camera, it is necessary to decide whether
plates, flat films, pack films, or roll films are to be employed. For
the mountaineer, plates are out of the question; they are too heavy,
too easily damaged and too slow to bring into use. Owing, however,
to the standard of excellence attained in the manufacture of various
types of films, there can nowadays be no advantage in preferring
plates, even if weight were not a consideration. Also, in the matter
of expense, there is little difference between the cost of plates and
that of films. As far as the climber is concerned, flat films (“cut
films”) suffer from the same defect as plates, in that they take too
much time to use. Pack films are free from this disadvantage, but
the packages in which they are contained will not stand rough usage;
they are somewhat readily damaged, with the result that light may be
admitted. The roll-film is the negative material _par excellence_ for
the mountaineer. In a suitably designed camera, the best makes lie
perfectly flat. Their bulk and weight are less than those of any other
type of negative. Easily packed in air- and waterproof packages which
can be sealed with adhesive plaster, they are practically unbreakable
and will withstand extraordinarily rough handling. They are quickly
changed in broad daylight, free from halation effects, and twelve
exposures can be developed together, with little more trouble than
attends the developing of a single plate or flat-film negative.
These are but a few of the great advantages of roll films from the
mountaineer’s point of view. Hence the ideal camera for the climber is
a quarter-plate size, roll-film, folding model.
In choosing such a camera, attention should be paid to the following
points. The camera should be light, yet strong. It should be as simple
as possible and provided only with such mechanism as is essential to
the taking of good photographs. All superfluous accessories should be
dispensed with. The essential features of a camera are these:--The
back must fit light-tight on to the body. The film-winding mechanism
contained in the body should be such that the film is held flat and not
scratched on winding. The bellows should be strong and light-tight and
should be periodically examined for pin-holes when the camera is in
use. Pin-holes, when they occur, are easily repaired by sticking over
them a piece of adhesive plaster which can then be blackened with ink
or charcoal. The side-struts should lock the base-board firmly when the
camera is opened. The front-grip should slide smoothly in the runners
and yet fit well, so that when the camera is opened the front standard
is held rigid. The shutter is an item of great importance; its timing
should be calibrated, and its mechanism be of such a design that the
opening and closing movements are as rapid as possible, thus enabling
the passing of the maximum amount of light during the time of exposure.
The two most important speeds of the shutter are the ¹⁄₅₀ of a second
and a high speed such as ¹⁄₂₅₀ or ¹⁄₃₀₀ of a second. It is difficult to
hold a camera sufficiently steady to ensure accurate definition with a
lesser speed than ¹⁄₅₀ of a second, and this, in the vast majority
of cases, will be the standard shutter speed employed. Occasionally,
when photographing a rapidly-moving object, such as an avalanche, or a
climber jumping a crevasse, the fastest available shutter speed should
be used. Integral with the shutter mechanism is the stop, preferably an
iris diaphragm. The quantity of light allowed to fall upon the negative
should be controlled as far as possible by means of the stop alone, the
shutter speed being kept always at ¹⁄₅₀ of a second save in exceptional
circumstances. The lens is one of the chief keys to successful
photography. From personal experience of many different makes of
lenses, I can unhesitatingly recommend the following: Kodak Anastigmats
f: 6.3 and f: 4.5, Goerz Dagor or Dogmar f: 4.5 and Zeiss Tessar f:
4.5. These four give excellent definition, and the last is particularly
suitable for taking photographs for map-making purposes. For a
quarter-plate camera, the focal length should, as a rule, be 4 to 5
inches, rather nearer the former than the latter. The lens, when fitted
and the camera opened, must be truly centred with the axis at right
angles to the plane of the negative. The view-finder should include
no more and no less of the object to be photographed than is actually
projected by the lens on to the negative. The focussing scale must be
accurately graduated for the lens with which the camera is fitted, and
should be provided with an automatic infinity stop which is free from
backlash. Both focussing scale and infinity stop, but particularly
the latter, must be set with the greatest possible accuracy. This
will nearly always be the case in a camera of reputable make secured
from the makers themselves. A short cable release is an advantage; it
enables one to hold the camera more steady when an exposure is being
made. It goes without saying that the camera should be of the best
material and workmanship throughout. One of the best makes of cameras
procurable and suitable for the mountaineer is the Folding Pocket Kodak
Number 3.
[Illustration: _The Aiguille du Géant._
_Clearing mists._]
[Illustration: _The Sella Pass._
_Approaching thunderstorm._
_Facing page 338._
]
The estimation of correct exposure is a difficult matter for many
beginners in mountaineering photography. The following may serve as a
rough guide. In the summer months between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., when above the snow-line, snow scenes require ¹⁄₅₀ of a second
and about stop f: 20; rock scenes ¹⁄₅₀ of a second, stop f: 10. Distant
snow scenes and distant mountain ranges need ¹⁄₅₀ of a second, stop f:
30. I do not recommend exposure meters, chiefly because their use takes
up too much time. For development, I advocate the use of Kodak daylight
developing tanks with the special developers prepared by that firm. The
negative of almost every photograph used in the illustration of the
present book was developed in the Kodak daylight developing tank.
Transcriber’s Note:
Minor errors and omissions in punctuation have been fixed. Inconsistent
hyphenation has been standardized. Original spellings have been left
as in the original text unless listed below. Small-caps font has been
capitalized in the text version.
Page 150: “bridge over a bergshcrund” changed to “bridge over a
bergschrund”.
Page 173: “He assured he” changed to “He assured me”.
Page 257: “ensuing be-pinnicled portion” changed to “ensuing
be-pinnacled portion”.
Page 339: “majority or cases” changed to “majority of cases”.