Jaspal Jandu Photography

Seitz 6x17 Digital Camera

I've just seen reports on the new 160 megapixel (yes) Seitz 6x17 digital camera.  Although It looks like a much improved scanning back camera to me, I'll guess we'll have to see how it handles scenes involving lots of movement (the eternal bug-bear of such cameras).

It looks extremely interesting (not least because it will accomodate my current line-up of Schneider / Linhof 6x17 lenses) and does make you wonder where will be be in 10 years time... 

If you have any further information or comments, please feel free to drop me an email.

Yosemite National Park

We have just completed a pretty hectic week through Yosemite National Park in Eastern California.

Aside from the overwhelming visual impact of Yosemite itself, one of the highlights was a visit to the Ansel Adams Photographic Gallery. Adams' work is synonymous with the park and it was just a joy to immerse myself in his vision (each and every image of the valley and its surrounds formed a mini-masterclass in technical and aesthetic form).

It was a great bonus to find that the gallery also provided a showcase for other photographers in the area. As I was browsing through the half-a-dozen or so portfolio folders, I pondered the topic of photographic specialisation vs. generalisation.

Each artist had (quite rightly) expended a considerable amount of time and energy in the valley and managed to condense every conceivable mood into a single narrative of the area. 

As we are on a more global project which will cover many countries of the world, it was, therefore, slightly frustrating to capture as much as I could in only a brief, few days (I almost wished for snow during the middle of a summer's day at one point).

It certainly has got me thinking of how we will approach the next project following this one. Maybe we will forego an expansive trip in favour of a more intimate view of a specific country or region.  Although I cannot provide any answers to this question at this particular moment, it will certainly be interesting to see how we feel over the coming year….

Jaspal

Film and X-Rays

Now here’s an interesting one for film-shooters.  Before leaving Alaska, I managed to process my 120-roll (E6) shots at Photowright in Anchorage. The team (not least, Sarah) were both knowledgeable and experienced in film/digital processing – a rare commodity these days.

As I was waiting for my final batch of transparencies to develop, a picture montage on the wall caught my eye. The strange green hues it contained were so reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) that at one point I almost asked where in Alaska they had been captured.

On closer inspection, however, it was clear that this was x-ray-damaged film. 

The staff noted that this was the result of an accidental placement of ISO400 film in the checked luggage of a major airline.  Although I have witnessed some of my film being fogged to some extent by x-ray machines, I had not seen such a strong visual presentation of such damage.  It turns out that the regular, sinusoidal pattern is dependent on both motion of the x-ray sensor head and the angle of the film/box to the inspected plane.

Top marks to Photowright for such a clear and concise demonstration of the perils of checking film into the hold!

Viva Las Vegas

Just a quick one to let you know that we are on our way to connect the most diametrically opposed poles of the US. Tonight we travel from Alaska to, um, Las Vegas :-)

Although Vegas is the most convenient jump-off point for the National Parks of the Southwest, I'm sure we'll spend a couple of days R&R in the most insane town on the planet. I'll be putting my chips on red....

Speak soon
Jaspal

Denali National Park

How do you put the wilderness of Denali into words? We have just returned to civilisation after nearly a week in Denali National Park, Alaska and I am struggling to verbalise our experience there.

Denali National Park and Preserve is located in Interior Alaska and contains Denali (aka Mt McKinley), the tallest mountain in North America. The park and preserve together cover 9,492 mi² (24,585 km²).  We stayed in Camp Denali - with our gracious hosts Simon and Jenna – almost 90miles beyond the point of a permissible public road system into the park.

The area is one of unimaginable beauty.  The barren, yet radiant, tundra was in full autumnal spirit with a deep red coated fern complemented by glowing yellow aspens and crisp blue skies. Many locals told us of the atrocious weather through August and noted how we were now experiencing the days of the season, if not year.

Denali has a rich and varied history which intertwines land, wildlife and man into one compelling narrative. For example, whilst the humble ground squirrel hardly occupies any sort of apex in the overall chain, it does regulate the land, provide a food source for other wildlife and acts a source of materials for man. A small imbalance in one part of the bio-spherical chain in Denali affects the whole and it is this symbiotic relationship which I wanted to explore.

And explore, I did. Whether by foot, bike, bus, 4x4, boat, helicopter or aeroplane, I was like a man possessed. 

During one of the morning sunrises, I decided to go to Wonder Lake to attempt to photograph the majesty of Denali reflected in its waters (shown above). The thermometer was touching -5c and I was frantically trying to remember the ‘BMW’ training from the rangers (B – Bear [stay calm, make yourself bigger and talk firmly], M – Moose [stay calm but if run if attacked], W – Wolf [yell, throw rocks]). I normally shoot for an hour or so for sunrise but the light was so good (and diffuse) that I ended up pausing for breath at midday. Incredible.

This small experience was easily the most rewarding moment of my photographic life – a moment of total release and total focus.

Towards the end of our stay we managed to befriend a number of fellow travellers at Camp Denali and it was wonderful to witness our collective awe of the landscape bringing us all together. We all marvelled at a land running in a parallel time from humanity - a time which began long before we got there and will continue long after we leave.

I have purposely kept the photographic element of this blog entry to a minimum for it was the experience that was first and foremost. However, I will say that I knew fairly quickly upon arrival that this was a landscape fit to occupy a creative lifetime in the visual arts.  One could literally paint, photograph or film Denali for eternity. On at least two of the days of our stay I was photographing continuously for over 20 hours in the day.

As we return to our travels, I am sure I will further resolve my thoughts on Denali (including environmental concerns). I aim to share those views in the coming months.  In the meantime, I rely on the power of my vision and the photographic medium to tell the intervening story.  I hope you can manage a trip to this unique wilderness in your future sometime…

Warm regards
Jaspal

Speechless at Denali

Just a quick one to let you know that we are due to enter Denali National Park now for a 4 days of total wilderness.

As we will be out of communication range for this time, I just wanted to share my initial wonderment and total awe with this unique land - a few words cannot do it just.

I hope to have a fuller blog entry by the end of our short time here.

Jaspal

The Joy of Film

On any normal trip I will tend to keep undeveloped rolls of Fuji Velvia with me until my return to London and then develop them via my trusted friends at Team Photo. However, due to the length of this trip I have been forced to both purchase and develop my film on the road…

A quick search on Google (and various other photo forums) suggested that Gamma Photo in Vancouver would be up to the job of processing my rolls of film.  Sure enough, after only a few (slightly anxious) hours they had done a splendid job in capturing the vibrancy and saturation of the shots – a highly recommended effort.

I always find the first viewing of my transparencies to be an incredibly intense moment.  It is here that the photographer is ‘tuning’ to his work and reviewing form, composition, lighting and aesthetic appeal. If you have never seen a properly shot, properly composed Fuji Velvia transparency on a lightbox then you will not comprehend the level of intimacy between the photograph and photographer at this point (see sample below).

After months of planning and many countless days of care and attention, this is the moment when the fruits of your ‘fatherhood’ are laid before you – it really is a very paternal process!  Following a period of reflection, its now time to post the winning shots to my photographic labs (Created for Life) in Australia ready for scanning and printing. 

Although digital imaging will eventually lead to the extinction of this process, I do hope that some die-hards will keep the ephemeral magic of film alive for it has a mystery far beyond just 0’s and 1’s.

Jaspal