No camera bags allowed at Hearst Castle--what do I do?

[tbm]

My mate and I want to visit Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California for the first time and I want to bring my M6 TTL and my 35, 50, and 90mm Summicrons, but they don't allow camera bags (and flash devices)! Damn them! Therefore, I can only enter with the M6 TTL and one of those lenses attached to it. If you've captured images there before, which lens would you recommend I attach to the camera? I also have the 21, 24, and 28 mm M lenses, by the way. Thanks!

Terry

 

[Gumby]

No need to damn them... I'm sure they have good reason to ban bags.

Why not consider one of those goofy-looking, but utilitarian, photo vests. Stuff the pockets with lenses, etc. Personally, I wouldn't fret because the tours tend to fly through the castle so fast that photography is limited to nothing more than a few quick snaps. It is a real pity because the place is very photogenic. For the exterior I'd use a 50, or maybe a 90... but that's just me.

 

[M. Valdemar]

Buy a picture postcard.

 

[Al Patterson]

I'd take the camera, the 35 and the 50. Put the extra lens in a pocket somewhere.

Or, you could just buy some postcards.

 

[rxmd]

Borrow a Tri-Elmar 😉

Stick a lens in your pocket and another in your mate's pocket and you're set.

 

[bhop73]

I wear cargo pants and stuff extra lenses in the pockets.

I was there a few years ago and the people in our group couldn't seem to understand what "no flash" meant. The tour guide repeated it nicely a few times, but about the 4th or 5th flash he got pretty visibly angry and banned any photography at all.. which in turn, made me mad since I wasn't one of the stupid people. Luckily it was near the end of the tour at that point and there were only a couple rooms left.. but still..

 

[sonwolf]

Definitely take a wide angle, at least a 28 or wider, if you want the big architectural magazine views. I do not remember which lens I used, when I took the tours many years ago. I do remember being constantly frustrated with my field of view being too narrow. The pool areas are huge. The castle facade and ground floor rooms are very tall and large. You will not have time or space to walk around to find the best angle or distance. Worse case scenario, you will need to crop some of the images.

 

[tbm]

I forgot to mention that almost all the time I use black and white film. Would using that be ridiculous for capturing images of the outdoor pools and statues?

 

[Burlap Jacket]

I would go wide. When I was there last summer I used the Voigtlander 21/4. Some of the interior spaces are kind of dim, so I would suggest fast film.

 

[splitimageview]

I agree with burlap. Wide.

B&W will work for the outside, IMHO. You won't find a b/w postcard, either. 🙂

 

[BillBingham2]

Go multiple times.

B2 (;->

 

[kdemas]

Having shot quite a bit there last summer I'd take the nice wide 35. Enjoy.

Kent

 

[wayneb]

Agree with Burlap Jacket - the interiors are very dim. Bring 400.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

The last time I was there (about a year ago) I carried a small camera bag with two lenses and the body - so I'm not sure where you're getting the idea you can't carry a camera bag.

In any case, at the minimum, take the 21.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

From the FAQ page on the website:

Is Photography allowed at Hearst Castle?

"While on tour, still and video photography is allowed for personal use only. We do not allow flash photography or tripods. Photography for personal enjoyment is encouraged. However, photographs taken on-site may not be used for commercial purposes, nor may they be published in any medium or format without prior written permission from the State of California. All commercial rights to use photographs taken on the premises are reserved by the State of California unless expressly granted otherwise in writing."

Nothing whatsoever about no camera bags. I have been there several times and I have always carried a small camera bag with a few lenses.

 

[RFOBD]

"Other Restrictions – Large, bulky backpacks, folding chairs, camera bags, etc. are not allowed due to the narrow hallways and numerous stairs. No food or drink is permitted on tours."

From: http://www.hearstcastle.com/contact/brochuretext.asp

I think you can take a small camera bag and be fine.

 

[nksyoon]

A waist pouch (fanny pack) might work too, or a small pouch which can be clipped to a belt loop.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Don't go.

Those restrictions mean you can't even put pics on the web.

I've driven past Hearst Castle many times, and never really been tempted to go in. It's a monument to megalomania, bad taste and excessive wealth, so I don't really have much interest in it.

Invest the entrance money in a copy of Umberto Eco's Travels in Hyperreality instead. You'll see why when you read it -- and you should laugh out loud in places. If you want bad taste, try the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo (Google it and do the virtual room tour), and of course Disneyland.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[tbm]

I'm more interested in architect Julia Morgan's contributions to the buildings than I am the interiors. I love her work! I read W.A. Swanberg's 555-page biography of Hearst when I was in high school in the 1960s and I've read it four more times since then, and it is a fascinating read! It was so tacky how Hearst's sons treated Marion Davies, Hearst's beloved mistress and full-time companion for over 30 years, with such immense hatred and disdain right after he died. I think the sons' attitudes were partly a mixture of misogyny which was so prevalent in American men in those days (the 1950s). My father was misogynistic as well and I hated that aspect of his personality.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I'm more interested in architect Julia Morgan's contributions to the buildings than I am the interiors.

So all you need, then, is a 'notepad'. I'd go for 35mm on the camera with a 21mm in your pocket.

Cheers,

R.