The Photographic Companion

August-September 2002

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Michelle Wiebe

Michelle practising her PC skills - the 'umbrella lift' - for husband Jim

All great photographs have one thing in common-the Photographer gets the credit! These hard working, talented individuals deserve much praise, but maybe someone else deserves a measure of recognition as well. Someone who totes and carries, shares early morning alarms, moves the branches spoiling a perfect shot, holds an umbrella over the camera. For these tasks and more the Photographer calls upon his or her PC: the Photographic Companion possibly the Photographer's most undervalued asset.

Some Photographers are lone wolves who don't work with a PC. There may be some other individuals considering becoming a PC. For me it's too late-I married a Photographer. This is how I know the PC's way of life.

Abnormal becomes normal in the strange world of the Photographer. Dawn is now a frantic struggle to get that shot in the fleeting morning light. Snug and warm by the shore of beautiful glacier-fed Floe Lake, my well-earned sleep is shattered by a 4:30 am alarm. Groaning, I crawl out of the tent to be greeted by the dark. Bear bell in one hand, flashlight in the other, I set out to the ridge top with my Photographer. It is disconcerting to behold bear sign, picked out in the feeble beam of a flashlight. Thank goodness none of the piles of bear scat steam in the cold mountain air. Uneasiness dissipates as the hike continues and the bear does not appear. The alpenglow does, and the Photographer gets some wonderful shots from the pass.

I have a theory that the chemicals from skin contact with film produce selective amnesia. My Photographer and I both remember our Floe Lake trip as one of our best. For him, it produced the "biggest" sale of his career, as one of the shots from that early morning is now displayed as a 20' by 8' mural at the Calgary International Airport. He remembers the lenses, film type, exposures, and thinks about how he could capture some even better images next time. He forgets that the hike was 10.5 kilometres long with a vertical gain of 715 metres. I remember with pain-etched detail the last mile of constant, killer switchbacks, and my pack so heavy I could barely lift it from the ground. I was wondering how my body would be recovered from such a place if I gave in to the urge to die right there on the trail. If the Photographer feels any pain it is forgotten by the time the tripod is set up.

At Burnett Bay on BC's Central Coast. Note the large Pelican case.

Lugging around a mountain of equipment causes much of the pain of photography.When on paddling trips, my Photographer's equipment is stored in a Pelican Case-big enough to double as a life raft. This case is too big for the compartments in our single kayaks, so instead it's strapped over the rear hatch cover-adding weight to the top of the boat.

We became intimately acquainted with this Pelican case on a 1300 km journey from Vancouver to Ketchikan, Alaska. My Photographer wanted to go on an expedition. Kayaking, he thought, was the mode of transportation for management of toting all that gear. No portaging and no backpacks- it will be easy! Twenty-foot tides showed the folly of that thought. Technically, carrying to and from these distant tide-lines may not be a portage. Practically, that was little consolation. And hauling gear in a backpack sure beats using dry bags.

In fact, when hiking, the backpack is an essential tool for the work of a PC. Not forexpensive camera gear- that is the jealously guarded privilege of the Photographer. The PC carries the practical, boring, heavy things: clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping mats (yes both of them), cutlery, dishes, pots, stove, fuel, and all the food.

Lone wolf Photographers may now see one benefit of a PC's attention. But how to go about finding a PC? A personal ad may help:

"Wanted: Photographic Companion. Looking for someone to share my hobby. Should be energetic, cheerful, and love the outdoors." A more accurate translation: "Wanted: Sherpa. Looking for someone to share my hobby (and help me carry my stuff). Should be energetic (able to carry lots of stuff), cheerful (doesn't complain when carrying all that stuff) and love the outdoors (likes to carry stuff outside)."

The PC has other functions beyond that of Sherpa. Environmentally sensitive landscape modification can be extremely valuableto the Photographer. Here is how it works: the shot is all lined up, looking good, and then the Photographer spots some mouldy leaf stuck in a corner, a branch hanging down where it isn't supposed to, an unattractive rock butting into a mossy bank shot. Off the PC goes, to do the dirty work. I have crossed creeks, crashed through thick forest, and lain on wet grass to reach down a creek bank to remove an offending piece of debris. To move a dead branch out of frame, I have stripped off my jeans and waded thighdeep through icy water into the middle of a swift flowing creek. Anything to make that good shot even better.

Michelle cooling off in one of British Columbia's many 'secret spots'.

Not all assistance a PC gives is out of frame. You may be asked to don your best red jacket and gaze wistfully across the waters of a lake. How about being comfortably relaxed in camp after a big days' paddling? The sun is setting. Up you get and back into the kayak. Paddle from left to right, right to left, out to the point, sit up straight and smile. A PC can paddle a long way and never leave the waters in front of camp.

Knowledge of your place within the Photographer's hierarchy is an absolute necessity to be a good PC. The shot always comes first, then equipment, then the Photographer-the PC comes last. With only one umbrella and a downpour, the umbrella gets held over the camera (and coincidentally the Photographer). It makes no difference that rivers of cold water are running down the PC's neck. After all, Cough and Cold medicine is much cheaper than a new camera.

Hopefully, as a consequence of talent, hard work, and luck, a fabulous photograph results. The PC may be of help in this situation too. While Photographers love taking photos, the business side of photography isn't nearly as much fun. There is paperwork to struggle with, framing to be done and prints to be delivered. While the PC takes care of the mundane tasks, the Photographer spends time planning the next excursion.

Why would anyone want to become a PC? I do not photograph the dawn from the ridge top as my Photographer does. However, I do experience dawn's peace and beauty from my own personal perspective, and then I have the added pleasure of seeing that dawnfrozen on film. I get to spend lots of time in fabulous places, sometimes helping, sometimes exploring, sometimes scouting for different angles. Always I am involved in the outdoor experience. It is good for the soul.

So next time, when gazing in admiration at a wonderful photograph, give due credit to the talent and the perseverance of the Photographer. But before moving on, take a moment to wonder if the image benefited from the work of a PC.

© Text by Michelle Wiebe (Backcountry PC). Photos by Jim Wiebe. Michelle and Jim live in Canmore, Alberta.
E:mail : jwphoto@telusplanet.net