I bought my first camera in 1978, a Rollei 35T, to take
pictures on climbing trips. The Rollei is a compact
rangefinder with good optics. Many images in the gallery
were taken with this camera, and a few have been published
in magazines. When I started to feel limited by the
Rollei's fixed lens and finicky meter, I moved on to other
cameras--SLR's with zoom lenses, sophisticated metering
systems, autowinders, and ultrasonic focusing. These tools
helped me improve my eye for composition and exposure, and
produced many of the images here.
Eventually, I grew dissatisfied with the quality of zoom
lenses and weary of the weight and bulk of SLR systems in
the backcountry. Around this time, Contax released their
G-series rangefinder. The G2 features high quality
interchangeable lenses on a body about half the size of a
typical SLR and perhaps twice the size of my old Rollei.
It's a compromise system--great for scenics, not so good
for following action--but one that suits my tastes.
I resisted moving to digital photography for many years,
but finally gave in for family trips. I chose a Canon
digital SLR, which is compact, good for shooting action,
and compatible with lenses from one of my older film
cameras. I now have two primary cameras, the Contax for
film photography and the Canon for digital. Increasingly,
I have found myself taking the digital camera on mountain
trips. Time will tell whether digital supplants film
entirely for me. That's certainly where the world of
photography seems to be heading.
Lowell Skoog
Photography
adds to my enjoyment of the outdoors, but it is hardly ever the
main goal of a trip. Usually, I'll pick a destination for its
own sake and then work photography around it, rather than
letting photography set the agenda. This attitude makes it
unlikely that I'll ever be a professional, and it has influenced
my choice of tools.