Don't ask what turned my brain in this direction. I honestly don't know.

But, I got to thinking yesterday and began pondering two issues. Here is the first:

What historical event would you most want to be able to photograph. It can be a single photograph or a something that would last a few years (like WWII or The Life of Buddha). Stay away from creation in whatever form you believe it happened but everything else is open. Whether or not photography was even invented yet is not an issue nor is practicality (so the Trinity Explosion from the base of the tower is fair game as well).

I came up with 3 (I couldn't decide on 1):

1. Jackie Robinson's rookie year in the Majors. The triumph and difficulites produced some profound moments and I would have loved to have been part of it.

2. The Eruption of Vesuvius and the resulting devestation on the Roman Civilization. The power of the eruption, the scenes of devestation, the emotions. It would have made a wonderful setting.

3. The eruption of Krakatoa. Immense power on a scale we can't even imagine.

The battle of Gettysburg, Lincolns assassination, Lincolns burial, the civil rights riots.

The immediate aftermath of the first neuclear bomb to leave images for future generations to so the absolute futility of war.

On the mmon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

With Karsh as he made the great portrait of Winston Churchill, two great men in their respective fields. Not a great historical moment in world terms but great for me.

..

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Mark in SD @ Feb 4 2003, 11:49 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

2. The Eruption of Vesuvius and the resulting devestation on the Roman Civilization. The power of the eruption, the scenes of devestation, the emotions. It would have made a wonderful setting.

</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Pompei? It's kind of a reach to call it devasting to Roman civilization.

How about sunrise/sunset taking one holder of the building of the pyramids. Each day until it's finished.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Robert @ Feb 4 2003, 02:28 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> </span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Mark in SD @ Feb 4 2003, 11:49 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

2.&nbsp; The Eruption of Vesuvius and the resulting devestation on the Roman Civilization.&nbsp; The power of the eruption, the scenes of devestation, the emotions.&nbsp; It would have made a wonderful setting.

</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Pompei? It's kind of a reach to call it devasting to Roman civilization.

How about sunrise/sunset taking one holder of the building of the pyramids. Each day until it's finished. </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
It wasn't just Pompeii. Herculaneum (sp?) and the entire bay of Naples was affected. This was a thriving trade port and a popular retreat for the Romans. The eruption did have ripple effects that affected the core of the empire. Most major natural disasters has such effects back then.

However, I meant more of "how such an event affected the people of Roman times as opposed to how Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Pinatubo (sp?) affected modern people".

I would go with the Roswell Crash Site! http://apug.org/forum/html/emoticons/alien.gif

Photograph the dinosaurs!!!

Christ. He has come to mean so many things to so many people, and his name is used in the most far-fetched of circumstances. I would love to see a simple, well lit, straightforward 8x10 contract print portait of his face, up close and with all the wrinkles and freckles. After walking for forty days and forty nights in the desert, he must have some nice weathering...

dgh

Moses and the parting of the red sea....must have been an awsome sight, perfect for the 12x20.

The building of the pyriamids in Egypt.

An Aztec sacrifice...probably with a 35 mm and a long a$$ telefoto.

Jorge, ....It is obvious that you are O.K. with the poor israelites facing the prospect of learning how to swim en masse...but let a guy getting a shave get nicked a little and you turn squeamish...I don't know about you sometimes....

Now see, there you go Donald, focusing on the bad.....ye of no faith! what , you are telling me you would have doubted Moses? Then again I see your point, would have been kind of a bad hair day if God had changed his mind while they were in the middle...But still would have made a great pic....probably would have gotten two great sheets out of the deal....Saddly with my luck probably would not have taken with me the longer focal lenght or someone would have talked me into going with them to take more pics on the other side.....

Then if I am going to pull a Witkin I want it to be the real thing and with full color....the Aztec sacrifice would be the only time I would use color film...or one of those 8 frame per second digital gizmos.....

You could always have hooked a motor drive to your 12X20 so that you could have captured the sacrifice in all of it's detail...you really wouldn't mind carrying a little more weight would you??I figure a half horse motor would power the drive just fine. I figure that we could get one of the film companies to pay for the R&D on that project...considering how it would pick up film sales in this down economy.

There may be humans doing this very thing we are discussing in this thread. A lot of people speculate that "ufo's" are really earthlings 1,000's of years from now traveling back in time to study their primative selves. Pretty far fetched but who knows!

Interesting concept...I don't know that I have encountered that before.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (dnmilikan @ Feb 9 2003, 09:36 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> You could always have hooked a motor drive to your 12X20 so that you could have captured the sacrifice in all of it's detail...you really wouldn't mind carrying a little more weight would you??I figure a half horse motor would power the drive just fine. I figure that we could get one of the film companies to pay for the R&amp;D on that project...considering how it would pick up film sales in this down economy. </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Actually the motor drive or the film cassette for the 12x20 is not what would have worried me, probably could find a way to do it. What would have been the killer is the 100000000 mm lens I would have to carry, since I do not plan on getting "that" close to the action. Probably would have weight about a ton...of we would want the lens MC and of modern design with extra covering....

Jorge,
I understand!!!By way of information, in the event you wear that beast of a camera out...they have a Folmer and Schwing 12X20 with 44 inches of extension up for sale on Ebay as we speak. That should get you up to about 1100 mm. Will that work? Just to keep you appreciative of your climate down that way, we are at 33 degrees and freezing rain here tonight.

Well, Glenn wants $4400 for the camera on his site and the reserve he put is 80% of that so that makes it about $3600 for the camera. Although very nice, I rather wait for a new Canham or Lotus at that price. Last time I saw a Lotus on e bay it went for $3500 and it was almost new. I think Glenn is not being realistic on his price.

Now for the 1100 mm, that would not work unless you want to be part of the ceremony......

Yep...here we had clear blue skies.....beleive me I do appreciate it, had the opportunity to do a job in Wisconsin in winter.....

To add to my previous post, since the original question is about a historical event, I would photograph the the beginning of the end of the dinosaurs, their extinction to be more accurate.

The seeding of earth by aliens (or would that be our ancestors?) or the documentation of Lewis and Clark's little outing into the wilds of north America come to mind, but every post so far sounds intriguing.

The very beginning of the universe. Might as well think big.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (SteveGangi @ Feb 11 2003, 01:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> The very beginning of the universe. Might as well think big. </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
I think you win the award for most difficulty finding developer...

Ahh, but think of the notoriety he will gain by developing the first packaged developer. "Gangi's" packaged in Red...And talk about a "Rapid fix"...

Well I was already there and took a picture. It was at the birth of my first daughter. Great shot of her on her mothers stomach, with mom slightly sitting up looking at her new baby. Unfortunately "mom" developed a severe mental illness and destroyed about 20 years of my photographic work, including that negative. I had given a copy to the doctor who had it up in his office for years until his retirement. I wish I could track him down so I could make a copy of it.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Mark in SD @ Feb 11 2003, 01:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> </span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I think you win the award for most difficulty finding developer... </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
They hadn't invented D76 yet, so I guess I would have to use Polaroids http://apug.org/forum/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif