Going to Mexico.. What to take?

ibcrewin

ibcrewin

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I am going to Mexico next week and I wanted to know what film would you suggest.

I am definitely taking a few rolls of e100 vs since I bought a whole mess of it. It's expired, but I've tested a couple of rolls and am pretty happy with it.

My wife bought me some bw400cn for my b-day. But I'm thinking I should get some traditional B/w so I can make some prints on my own. I like FP4 and HP5+. The only reason I am hesitant is that I am thinking of using some XP2 so I can get it developed at a lab down in MEX.

What say you?
 
What to take?

1. Lots of black and white film, some fast, some slow.

2. Some color film. It's a colorful country.

3. Lomotil.
 
You haven't mentioned plenty of $$$ to line the pockets of any police officer you run into. And they are sure to find you.

Mexico recently installed another new president, which they do every six years. I've heard it said that every one of them leaves office a multi-millionaire. (That's probably why they only allow them one term!!) And every president promises to clean the place up and get it moving. Then six years later another one does the same thing. And for a while they thought Vicente Fox was a nice guy. He even could speak English.

To me, Mexico is a fifth rate outfit that needs to clean up its own act before it bitches about how the U. S. treats it. I can think of other places more worthy of tourist attention.
 
dll927 said:
You haven't mentioned plenty of $$$ to line the pockets of any police officer you run into. And they are sure to find you.

Mexico recently installed another new president, which they do every six years. I've heard it said that every one of them leaves office a multi-millionaire. (That's probably why they only allow them one term!!) And every president promises to clean the place up and get it moving. Then six years later another one does the same thing. And for a while they thought Vicente Fox was a nice guy. He even could speak English.

To me, Mexico is a fifth rate outfit that needs to clean up its own act before it bitches about how the U. S. treats it. I can think of other places more worthy of tourist attention.
Click to expand...


Wow, that sounds pretty bad. It sounds like something really bad happend to you. Can you share? What part of Mexico were you in?
 
tedwhite is right. It is very colorful, I went again this year for the mteenth time, and it was just as much fun as ever. I used Tri-X and some of the images were really different because everybody shoots digital color there. I shot plenty of color but the mix was nice. Here are some of my images from this year. Also, I used a small Konica C-35 which let me have a B&W camera with me at all times.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation.tcl?presentation_id=339277
 
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Ted's got it right. It is the land of sol y sombre--great for black and white and at the same time it is a riot of colors. It is a great country and it would probably be better to remember the old saying about people who live in glass houses before passing harsh judgment on it.
 
I couldn't disagree with dll927 more. While the national government may struggle with perennial corruption, the people are wonderful. I've been several times doing educational and documentary work and have never had a problem. Sure, payola expedites certain situations like group visa applications, but I've run into plenty of police officers and have never been extorted in any way - not to mention the way that dll927 indicates is normal. We even took some snaps of local police hamming it up with kids – no payment required or requested. Knowing a little Spanish helps – having a Mexican friend with you who can explain historical/cultural observations helps even more…

I recommend color film unless you are really dedicated to the B&W look. As others indicated a lot of the architecture uses bold colors. I shot a mixed bag of CN400 and Fuji Superia 400 last time I was there – wish I would have taken a more saturated film like Kodak 400UC or 400VC. C41 processing is available in most moderately sized towns if you want to process the negs and get prints quickly. Scan-to-CD services were only available in the larger shopping centers and supermarkets. If you are doing digital post-processing you can always convert to B&W if the subject fits.

Here are some of my gallery shots from the last visit.
 
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Awesome.. Thanks a lot guys! Your pictures are inspiring and I can't wait to share with you what I got when I get back! In the mean while, I've got some votes for 400VC/UC and some Tri-x.

I think I might have a roll of Sensia. Might have to dig that out.
 
Mexico is a wonderful country with great people. I've traveled there many times including a 5 week surf trip by car down the baja peninsula and then a car ferry over to Mazatlan and then down to Acapulco and many other trips. I just got back from Tulum a few weeks ago in fact.

On the driving trip, we were stopped and harassed a few times and had to pay some bribes but nothing too extreme. This was probably 10 years ago and we were very obvious targets with a big van with a row boat strapped to the roof. I've also been robbed while camping in northern baja. However neither of these experiences would keep from going back. In fact it's one of my favorite countries to visit in the world.

I would agree with the suggestion to bring some slow color film, preferably slide as it seems to capture colors more vividly and some Tri-X or similar. Have a look a Bresson's book on Mexico for inspiration.

Slower color films tend to produce more vivid colors than faster ones and there is plenty of sunshine there so take advantage of it.

I've shot Sensia there and it worked well. If you want print film Reala is always a good bet. The super saturated Fuji Velvia films tend to screw up skin colors so beware if you are mixing landscape and people shots on those.

My last trip I just brought my Ricoh GR-D and it did a nice job on color as well although I'm usually partial to film.

You might also try shooting some slide film and having it crossed processed to C-41. It produces wild colors and extreme contrast that is sometimes really fun but hit and miss. I find Kodak Elite Chrome cross processes better than Fuji which tends to accentuate the green cast common to cross processing.
 
Mexico is an astouding country, rich in traditions and culture. You'll have a great time. I'd suggest one b&w film and one color film, and two cameras. Standardizing on one ISO will let you concentrate on what you're doing, but that's just my approach.

On a side note, while RFF has members all around the globe, including many wonderful foks in the USA, it's sad to note that the few parrochial, intolerant posts on RFF, such as the one above, always seem to originate in North America; somewhere between Mexico and Canada.
 
Amen, Pablito. I lived in Mexico for 4 years, drove a nice car, lived in a nice neighborhood, worked with both the rich and the poorest of poor, traveled all over the country and passed back and forth across the border countless times. I was never harassed any more than on Main Street, USA, I never paid a single "bribe" nor was I asked to. I have many, many friends there and am highly offended at any one referring to them as "fifth rate" ... certainly a shameful attitude.

ibcrewin ~ While living there, I shot the same film I used in the States. There are professional photogs there who use and process all types of film. Depending on the size of the cities you visit, though you may have to ask around and hunt a little, you'll likely find a good photo shop/lab. Take what you like to shoot and have fun.
 
I've been to Mexico. ASA 100 is sufficient-very sunny and colorful. I've even shot with it under water. I've mentioned several times that xray machines in airports have not damaged any film that I traveled with, either exposed or not.
 
Mexico is an outstanding country for photography. If you've never been before you'll be overwhelmed by the photo opportunities just about everywhere you go.

I'd bring mostly color film as color is so much a part of Mexican life. Make sure to visit a local market and walk through the grocery section; it's a visual feast. Sit at the zocalo (main town plaza) for an hour or two and have your camera ready and plenty of film. Walk around and see the sights.

I've been visiting Mexico since 2004 and have had nothing but incredible experiences every time. The first time I traveled by bus from Austin, Tx and the other two times I rode a motorcycle throughout northern and central Mexico for several weeks. I stopped and asked police officers for directions frequently and NEVER had a problem. I was always treated more courteously than I would have been in the US.

As it's always the case be aware of your surroundings and keep your camera with you. As with the US, larger cities have crime problems but the smaller towns are very safe.

When you hear comments like the one described above, always ask if that's based on actual facts or hearsay; I bet it'll be the latter.

Here are some pictures from the last two trips:
http://www.ridetexas.com/mfa/mexico/
 
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CorreCaminos said:
When you hear comments like the one described above, always ask if that's based on actual facts or hearsay; I bet it'll be the latter.
http://www.ridetexas.com/mfa/mexico/2006
Click to expand...


I totally agree.. I knew a guy who hated Mexico, the Mexican police and the Mexican Government. Turns out he was a repo man and the boat his client need repo'ed was in MEX. It all became very clear why he didn't like them.
 
I don't think I'd carry a Billingham bag.... or anything else that even looks expensive there. Reportedly, the crime is worse than LA, NY, and Detroit combined. Maybe even carry a disposible camera instead of your nice stuff.
 
Wonderful towns/cities to walk around in that are colorful and have great architecture:

Guanajuato, Tasco, Cuernavaca, San Cristobal de las Casas, Alamos, Vera Cruz. Personally, I would stay the hell away from Mexico City, especially with a red-dot Leica and a fancy camera bag.

When I wander around I don't carry the expensive stuff. Rather, two beat-up black and brassy Pentax Spotmatics with a 28/3.5 on one and a 135/2.5 on the other. I know, they're not RF cameras, but they have some attractive attributes: They are CLA'd, work perfectly, the lenses are superb, and they have no resale value, thus unattractive to thieves.

Having said that, I wandered around Naco, Arizpe and Cananea recently with my Bessa R and a Gordy strap. The Bessa is light, small, unobtrusive, and fits into a jacket pocket so it's out of sight except when you're using it.

Ted
 
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