Rising Above the Crowd
I was watching Willard Van Dyke's documentary about Edward Weston last night (interesting, although it's a bit of a disappointment that Edward never speaks), which reminded me again that both Edward and Ansel, the twin saints of West-Coast landscape photography, had cars with platforms on the roofs, the better to rise above the crowds. A little poking around the internet then took me to this page, which, I believe, is the only instance I've seen of a car ad being pitched specifically to photographers.
When I was young I wanted a cherry-picker to drive around the country with. Now, being older and wiser (...and slower, fatter, lazier and less ambitious), I'd settle for a Mercedes Sprinter (a.k.a. Dodge Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter) with a ladder up the side. Fortunately for me, when I sold my old Mazda, the buyer didn't ask about all the rumples on the roof, caused by (yup) me climbing up there with a camera.
Posted by: MIKE JOHNSTON
Featured Comment by John: Willard Van Dyke!? That got me digging around in a print box. Here's a print by him done in 1937. The strange things one might find in a Milwaukee art gallery. Heck, anyone can own a Weston, but how many have a Van Dyke? ;-)
Featured Comment by Chris: Here's top UK landscape photographer David Noton standing on his LandRover Disco:
When I was young I wanted a cherry-picker to drive around the country with. Now, being older and wiser (...and slower, fatter, lazier and less ambitious), I'd settle for a Mercedes Sprinter (a.k.a. Dodge Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter) with a ladder up the side. Fortunately for me, when I sold my old Mazda, the buyer didn't ask about all the rumples on the roof, caused by (yup) me climbing up there with a camera.Posted by: MIKE JOHNSTON
Featured Comment by John: Willard Van Dyke!? That got me digging around in a print box. Here's a print by him done in 1937. The strange things one might find in a Milwaukee art gallery. Heck, anyone can own a Weston, but how many have a Van Dyke? ;-)
Featured Comment by Chris: Here's top UK landscape photographer David Noton standing on his LandRover Disco:
Please visit our NEW site at www.theonlinephotographer.com! | Unique contents © by the above-named poster 2007 | 5:02 PM
9 Comments:
You need one of these: http://mikesisk.com/gallery1/7.html
Several features of interest to photographers includes: an out-of-sight underfloor pass-through compartment for tripods (originally designed for skis); a large sun-roof/hatch up top; and a hidden compartment behind the rear seat big enough for several bags of camera equipment.
Not to mention 20+ mpg...
-Mike
I showed the Sportsmobile to my wife and told her I wanted it as my next camera accessory.
She said that when I die, she'll print a picture of one and burn it, so I can enjoy it in the afterlife.
Thanks, honey!
Not to be a buzzkill but I think that considering we're well in danger of wiping ourselves off the planet with global warming, it would be a lot more powerful and timely a discussion to be talking about how to take pictures standing on a backpack than talking about driving around some monstrosity for the sake of taking some pictures. Not that there isn't something great about photographs, but I think at some point each of us has to take some responsibility for the amount of fossil fuels we burn. It's too late to plead ignorance.
The Sprinter as sold in the US (e.g. only with the diesel engine) is rated by the EPA as a ULEV (ultra-low emissions vehicle) and, unlike many other diesel-engined vehicles, is even CARB-approved for sale in California. Plus, in my case, I buy mine a TerraPass to offset its carbon impact.
Unfortunately, in the US anyway, a landscape photographer really has no choice but to hit the road with their own vehicle if they expect to reach a variety of locations in a timely manner. And -- essentially -- hauling my own hotel room along has practical advantages.
My wife is puzzled why I want a truck. ;-)
I keep eyeing the smallest truck to pitch a tripod and to have a gas mileage equivalent to my wallet.
Funny this should come up now, just stood on the roof a car for the first time a couple weeks ago and wondered how many others had done so. The roof is still 'contoured', by the way..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryhazard/174308922/
...and of course for the Streetphoto type, be sure to add a rear rack for the Vespa
So, Mike, who did the conversion? It doesn't look like my Sprinter at all....
The conversion was done by Mercedes-Benz themselves -- or rather, their Westfalia division.
It's the american version of the James Cook Sprinter that until just recently was imported and sold in the US by Airstream.
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