Camera-care

[DM]

Hello out there,
First-timer wanting to know...what is going to happen to my camera once I use out on the playa.
Everyone talks about the magical powers of the super-fine dust being able to get inside anything and everything, hence the question.
Should I not even bother bringing it? Bring a disposable instead?
Any words of wisdom are appreciated.
David

[Icepack]

I am a complete amateur, so not exactly words of a pro here, but I had good luck with my disposable cameras last year. I wasn't worried about them being stolen, or ruined by sand, and the pictures came out great. Plus the cost wasn't anymore than film.

[manowar]

There are probably a large number of good reasons not bring an expensive camera out to the Playa and you'll probably hear about them. That being said, I took a cheaper digital camera out last year and had no problems beyond dust buildup on the lens that was easily fixed by some lens paper. If you're someone who takes lots of pictures, bring a cheaper camera out. If you don't usually take a lot but want one just in case, definately think about disposables.

[poeticphoto]

I have a $300+ digital that I kept wondering if I should bring. I get sudden urges sometimes when I see things at the right angle and I just HAVE to get a shot of them. I figured that at BM I would be ruinning into things like that every 2 mins. but after reading these threads and other advice I've decided just to buy disposables. I've heard of people bringing their professional and pricy cameras, but almost always they have them cleaned afterwards. That's just not something I want to spend $100 on. Although I'd love to have my fuji hanging around my neck throughout the event I think it would cause more trouble than it'd be worth. It would add to the things I'd feel the need to keep safe: no direct sunlight for long periods, no dust storms, no dropping it, etc. Also, I'd have to bring tons of batteries for mine since it seems to drain them extremely fast. I think I'll be more than happy with just the disposables and I'll probably get some digital disposables too so no loss there. Whatever your decision, hope you get some nice shots.

[DM]

Well.....sad! I was hoping to hear that someone would say - Dave man! Dont worry. The dust is no matter, its all good, bring the expensive dig cam. But alas, I think you guys are all right. Disposable is just a lot less hassle and worry.

I am still keeping the lookout open for someone to give us the golden angle on this issue.

On the batteries draining tip with dig-cams. I just bought a rechargeable battery thingie for digcams. Costed $30 and comes with 4 rechargers good for up to 1,000 charges. Good buy. I got the one made by Monster.
And I am figuring out how to bring some cheap solar power out there so I can recharge easily.

Peace

[Dork]

I had no problems with my $300 digital camera last year. I did not need to clean it afterwards and have taken several hundred pictures since. I kept it in a heavy duty zip lock bag at the event. I only removed it at the last possible moment and put it back in immediately after use. I was careful to not allow any dust to get in the bag while opening/closing. My camera has a lense that goes back in its shell when turned off so dust on the lense didn't become a big issue.

I know it was a risk, though. One drop from any distance could have been enough to fatally choke it with dust. I did take a number of pictures perched on top of the Thunderdome and trying to pull the camera out while balancing on the bars scared the hell out of me.

I'll bring it back next year but probably won't haul it around as much. Pictures of the major pieces of art get posted pretty quickly as it is, and they're usually better than the ones I manage to take. I will take more pictures of my camp, though. Those were my favorites.

[III]

i'll throw in the usual alternative/rant:

burning man is about the immediate experience. using a camera takes you out of that experience. the pictures generally fail to provide context for that immediate experience. couple that with the "don't take anything you can't afford to have destroyed (including your wallet, your car, and your relationships)" rule, and you've got a good arguyment for leaving it at home.

but that's more an idea to plant in the back of your head than an absolute dictate. a close step to that is to take the camera, but keep it in a ziploc bag or two, and keep that in a big tupperware container inside your car, and only take it out for those brief moments when there's no wind or dust, and go take pictures of all those things that you saw earlier that you want pictures of.

[robotland]

We were there for the whole week last year, and I set aside one day for getting pics of art pieces and structures that intrigued me. I'm glad that I did, since a visual helps A LOT when you're trying to explain Burning Man to people, but the camera turns into an anchor if you're dragging it around all the time. You also run the risk of having some snotty Burnier-Than-Thou type call you a tourist, like I did. Hurt my feelings. It's good to take shots of your camp and such, but you can find pictures of almost everything else somewhere online if not in the BM gallery. I was amazed at the size of some of the artifacts that I've only seen pictures of though I was practically on top of them- tribute to the vastness that is BRC.....

[Crankful]

I agree that you need to get out from behind the lens to really live the event but I would not have the touchstone that my pics give me to get to the next BM if I didn't shot some... brought my Sony 707 and had some problems with the flash picking up the dust in some night shots but all in all I am glad to have brought my "good" equipment.....I compressed air cleaned everything when I got back and it seems to be working fine...it also is cool to have a pic in the gallery.

[talisen]

Burnier-Than-Thou

Now that is going into my lexicon[/b]

[dragonfly Jafe]

I like the digital flexibility - take all the photos you want, erase the ones that do not work out, dump the good ones to a computer and go for more! That being said, last year my digi "died" after 6 photos (apparently the dust, although I was VERY careful with it).

I plan to bring a digi again this year, but will have some back-up disposables so I won't lose ALL photo capability if (when) it dies again.

One thing no one else mentioned - most digital cameras are also video cameras (at least for 30 seconds or so). Video cameras are highly regulated at BM (pass required w/ signed agreement) - if your digital camera can take video's, technically you should register it as a video camera.

YMMV - Jafe

[robotland]

erase the ones that do not work out

There seem to be a lot of Burning Man Pix sites where people have forgotten this step and posted EVERYTHING, including the duplicates and lens cap shots.....

[manowar]

We were there for the whole week last year, and I set aside one day for getting pics of art pieces and structures that intrigued me. I'm glad that I did, since a visual helps A LOT when you're trying to explain Burning Man to people, but the camera turns into an anchor if you're dragging it around all the time. You also run the risk of having some snotty Burnier-Than-Thou type call you a tourist, like I did. .....

Yeah that's a great idea. I think I'll try something similar this year. Bring my digital again and use it once or twice when I'm specifically riding around to see the installations, but also bring a disposable that I can carry around the rest of the time. That way I get the advantages of having it, but only have to worry about it for a few hours. I had two people Burnier-Than-Thou me last year as well about having a camera last year as well. There was one guy who was really being loud and obnoxious about it. I saw him again the next day and he was busy taking pictures of himself and his friends at the man, so don't take anyone too seriously out there. The way I figure it is: time spent behind the camera does not count as participation, but no one said you had to participate all the time. As for batteries, I also went the rechargable route and just plugged the charger into my car at night.

[theCryptofishist]

erase the ones that do not work out

There seem to be a lot of Burning Man Pix sites where people have forgotten this step and posted EVERYTHING, including the duplicates and lens cap shots.....

Selectivity is unimportant. Raw experience is the only value.







(Am I Burnier than anyone yet?)

[serendipity]

i am crazy about my fancy-ass camera and about taking pictures, as you seem to be, so i would say bring yer "good equipment" as well as a few disposables and take precautions as others have suggested (ziploc bags, lens paper, locking it in your car when not in use - don't forget to mylar your windows so you don't cook the thing - and only taking it out for photo trips, oh yah, and not dropping it from the top of whatever you climb). my photos that i got with my bigger lenses are the ones i most cherish when i am counting down the days til the next burn. my first year i did not bring the good camera and i regretted it every day. definately leave it at camp most of the time and just take it out for photo-op bike rides. that way you spend less time looking, more time being. just be warned that dust, falling from great heights, and the occasional theif could mean the end of your camera.
see you on the playa!

[vic]

I took my cool pix (nikon) in '02 and '03. This is a low-end digital, about $300, with 3x zoom lens. I taped up every hole and opening that I could, and kept it in the stock soft case when not shooting. This kept the dust out for the most part. I expect that the moving parts on the zoom lens will age faster with the playa dust in there, but it's still working OK at this point. The playa dust is fine, but a tightly woven cloth bag will keep it out.

Having said all of this, unless you are a compulsive photographer like me, I think you will do OK with no camera, or with a single-use camera. Take a few photos of your camp mates and let it go at that. There are plenty of great photos on the web site to show others about Burning Man if you really want to. Taking photos, which I love, does take you out of the action. Some of my best moments have been when I put the camera away.

[DM]

bring the expensive cam or disposable bring the expensive cam or disposable bring the expensive cam or disposable bring the expensive cam or disposable bring the expensive cam or disposable

Extra care, yes, that should work. Taping up all extra holes. Bagging up as much as possible. Protecting car from extreme heat. Good-ahh shtuff!


Mr. III - Great comment. You speak in a paradoxical tongue yet still you seem to be able to function well. Thats a sign of intelligence.

[III]

>>intelligence

either that, or just painful amounts of experience.

[billvaxman]

I agree with the sentiment that you shouldn't bring anything to the Playa that it will kill you to lose. (well.. except maybe your car... I'm pretty attached to that, especially around the time to go home).

Having said that, I going to be bringing a ton of camera equipment this year. I'll bring my digital again ($300+), plus my ancient reliable SLR, a backup SLR, and some disposables as a back up plan.

Why? Because later in the year I can lose myself in those pictures when the real world is getting on my case in a big way. I post em. I share em. I use em to remember things.

I don't carry a camera everywhere... I set aside certain times to go "photo hunting". The digital is my main camera... and there is dust in it that will NEVER come out. I'm frankly amazed it's still working. This will it's 3rd year there. (NOTE: I've also carried a laptop out there to back up the pictures ... wow.. let's live dangerously.. javascript:emoticon(':lol:') )

The SLR's are going to be used for timelapse photo's... I've experimented with this the past two years and the results are so cool that I'm going to devote alot more to it this year. Time exposure brings out the colors at night SOOOO much better than regular photo's... It helps when your trying to tell people how magic the whole thing is when you can show them a picture like this...

... of center camp... And it takes me back...

The disposibles will be backups... and more likely gifted by the end of the week to people who want em.

Should any of the equipment be completely destroyed... I'll say darn, but it won't be the end of my life.. or even make my experience that much of a negative. It's what I've accepted can happen when you go there... things come.. things go.. oh well.

And as far as people who say they are Burnier-than-thou if they see me with a camera... I don't need to justify my level of participation to anyone.
I have an art project where (last year) I gave out 1,000 hand made pendants.... I work the Human Carcass Wash (work it, not just join it), and I volunteer at PlayaInfo. Someone wants to give me shit, well, it says more about them than it does about me. I'd just smile, gift em, and leave...

I am SOOO looking forward to this year... [/img]

[DM]

Amazing photo!!!!!!!
Beautiful!!!!!

I CANT WAIT!!!

To each his own huh! Totally agree with ya.

[III]

>>except maybe your car

not even that, in my experience.

[Eric]

Well.....sad! I was hoping to hear that someone would say - Dave man! Dont worry. The dust is no matter, its all good, bring the expensive dig cam.

Dave man! Don't worry....etc.

I brought my $800+ Nikon set-up out last year. Worried about it, built a special zip-lock "shield" to carry it in- only the lens outside the bag which was only unzipped to change film- yep, I use Real Film (Oooooooooooh- film snob!)
Guess what- it started acting funky by Thursday anyway(I had arrived Monday night) and by Friday it was dead. Couldn't focus, just tried to real hard and made noises. Worrying about it would have been a waste of time- there's no camera shop out there- so I just went off and played without it.
Got off the playa and about a month later discovered that a toggle I never use accidently got ...um... toggled? and that was the only problem.

This year I'm bring the same damn camera again, but without the baggy when I'm using it (it was a pain in the ass). I'm even bringing a back-up of the exact same camera (that one will be sealed so tight it could be dunked in water and stay safe), and my old manual-but amazing OM4, which I've had for 20 years now. Why bring a crappy camera instead of the one you love. Take reasonable precautions and you'll be fine.

Also- as others have said- Put The Camera Down!. Don't carry it with you always- just bring it out at times. I'm a photographer- I work at clubs and the thing is always on me. Putting it down enabled me to experience Burning Man like I never could have with it around my neck.

[DM]

Eric - YOU SHUTTERSLUT!
That sounds so great I just had to say it.

I was at the beach today, lucky enough to enjoy some beautiful spring weather. Had my camera with me and well, I took pictures. A LOT OF PICTURES. I just didnt fucking stop! Eric, I too am a shutterslut. I admit it!

If I bring my camera to BM, it will never leave my arms. This I think is bad.

And since I have limited will-power or need to work on it a lot - I think that I must pass on bringing it.

This is a personal thing. I guess I just couldn't handle it.

I must choose the disposable. I must choose the disposable. I must choose the disposable. I must choose the disposable.

[robotland]

Anyone have a recommendation on a "nearly disposable" digital camera? Prices are falling like lead bluejays, but many are crap at any price....I have a GOOD digicam that I'd like to avoid having as a Siamese twin, but want the ability to catch an image of any miraculous things encountered at the periphery of our amazing city....

[Dork]

Digital cameras come up on http://techbargains.com/ ever now and then for under $100. They're usually cheapies with poor lenses and no optical zoom, but they'll work.

Another option would be shop around for a nice used one. Lots of people are dumping their old 1-2 MP cameras in favor of ultra high res ones. 1MP is still pretty good if you just want to post the pictures on a webpage.

[Mr. Fixit]

DM,

You have gotten sum great feedback on your camera question. Thanx for asking, you are already PARTICIPATING in Burning Man, and you haven’t even arrived yet! There have been sum on-target bits of wisdom from folks who know what they are talking about.

In my humble opinion, yer digital camera will be just fine after the experience. Been takin' my $1000 Sony Digital Still Camera every year since Burning Man 1999. No problems. I also take my $1000 Sony Digital Video Camera, (always register yer video camera upon arrival) and I have had no problems at all. In fact, I severely abuse both of them by just throwing them on the deck of my Art Car and the dust piles up on them. Gotta blow the dust off just to use them. No fancy plastic bags fer me. I have never had either one of them cleaned since I bought them and they both still work just fine. Maybe I have been lucky so far, but my Digital shit has 4+ years of playa dust on the outside & on the inside, yet they still give me excellent pictures/video. I am a little worried about the video camera because when I open the door to change the video tape I can see white playa dust all over the innards, but she still works great!!! It has been looking like that inside since 1999 so I guess it is OK.

As always, please respect the personal space and privacy of our fellow Burners in Black Rock City. Only photograph naked people with their prior permission. I think they will respect you and your intensions if you introduce yourself, state your true feelings at that very moment and establish recognition of the person as a person and fellow Burner.

Burning Man is many things including an amazing Community. In the very special Community of Burning Man, I believe we have the rare opportunity to truly connect with our fellow Burners, even if only briefly. If you can't open yourself up to another person enough to ask permission, then you don't deserve to have the picture.

Cameras and their use at Burning Man is sometimes a difficult issue, but if you use common sense and don’t get caught up in just snapping pictures, you will have an amazing experience and you will have the pictures to remember it by. Also, please respect any No-Camera zones you may encounter.

I believe that personal use of a Still or Video camera can help to freeze time, locking precious moments for later retrieval and enjoyment. Therefore, I am very selective about the few pictures I take.

Most of the truly fantastic parts of the Burning Man experience can’t be captured on film. Hopefully, your Burning Man experience will be built upon your PARTICIPATION; not focused on your pictures.

As a Virgin Burner, please contemplate what you can CONTRIBUTE to Burning Man, not just what you can capture in pictures. In my personal experience, I have gotten far more rewards from volunteering, participating, communicating, and INDULGING in Burning Man than I could ever hope to capture in 10,000 pictures.

Welcome to our Community. Please don't think that my preaching is an assumption that you are an idiot and ya don't know how to behave. My advice is intended to inform, not to denigrate. After all, ya said you were a first-timer! Oh, by the way, I don't know shit...

Burning Man could change your mind; it could change your life! But not if you are just changing your film.

Mr. Fixit

[III]

>>Only photograph naked people with their prior permission

dressed people, as well, please.

[DM]

Mr. Fixit,

Thank you for the kind words. Very much appreciated.

I plan to contribute immensely to burning man. My cousins and several friends have been going for years and telling me it is an amazing experience. I cant wait to see for myself.

Camera - I think you have been lucky.
Honestly, I do. Some people have that -THING- which makes them not applicable to the normal rules. You seem to have it.
I dont know. I want to bring it. I want to shoot. However I want to have a camera at the end. See - those extra thoughts........they are normally not there with me, but all the cautions raised bring them out.

We shall still see. In the end, pleasant desires always win over caution so - it'll probably come. I will bring a disposable no matter what. I can easily picture times where the cam can simply not hang around my neck.

Understood about respecting people. I will easily apply that.

Thanks

[Tapestry]

I've been taking pictures long enough to regret not having a camera on me when I really needed one. Last year, I took my 35mm camera, and used it when I went around camp taking pictures. When I was just hanging out with friends, I carried my little pocket digital camera. That way, I was always covered. HINT: The playa dust does get everywhere, but you can help keep it at bay with a $5 can of compresed air from any computer store. A quick spray every time you change film and your camera will be fine.

[Zane5100]

DM,

Good question, and there have been good answers to this question.

I've taken my cameras every year (2 35mm bodies and a 6x6 TLR) and I've found that:

1) Dust does get into everything--Tupperware® and Ziplocs® not withstanding. Prepare to have them cleaned when you get back if needed.
2) If you want good pictures, it helps to have good equipment--but it's your skill that makes the picture.
3) Please, please, please be respectful of the people you are photographing. You will be capturing a moment and that image will now live outside of the context that you took it in. Sometimes that's okay--sometimes it can very intrusive and some people will NOT be okay with that.
4) Focusing on taking pictures will remove you from the moment--and you are having to baby-sit this chunk of expensive machinery from the forces of the playa that seem bent on destroying it (or at least hiding it from you forever). Sometimes that can really cut into spontaneity of the moment.
5) You will find sharing your pictures with friends/family that haven't been to be a weird experience (the context thing really applies here). They will probably not "get" what it is you're trying to capture, so take the shots that matter to you (trying to share Burning Man through pictures is like trying to teach a cat to whistle).

As to taking video, the above applies to an even greater degree, and the sense of separation is even more magnified.

...just my $.02 worth.