Author Content to Follow Difficult Path

Photography, on its own, is difficult enough. There’s no need to make it any harder than it already is. But Kent Gunnufson enjoys putting himself in adverse photographic situations.

Gunnufson likes to shoot snow, especially if it’s sitting atop a Rocky Mountain peak. He’s also writing a book on ski photography and has published a book of his snow images called “Tracking the Snow-Shoe Itinerant.”

The book, published in 1981, follows the journey of John Dyer, a Methodist preacher who in 1861 discovered that he was going blind and set out to see the gold camps of the Rockies.

He walked from Minnesota to Colorado. When he got there, his sight improved and he decided to stay. Dyer spent his time exploring the mountain passes. “I lived and photographed the same areas he traveled,” Gunnufson said.

Gunnufson will be among the instructors at three workshops offered by Coastline Community College.

The workshops will be held at Camp Norris near Big Bear Lake. Accommodations include sleeping bags in heated cabins. There is a lodge and conference facility. “It’s a nice getaway,” he said.

Instructors for the fall workshop, Nov. 4 and 5, include Dan Gee, chairman of the Sierra Club’s Los Angeles Committee; Mike Morgan, a commercial photographer; Janet Shipper, a photo instructor at UCLA; Barbara White, an Orange County architectural photographer; Larry Tapper, a nature photographer, and Larry Vogel, a landscape photographer. (The cost for each workshop is $90. For more information, call (714) 241-6186.)

The fall workshop will stress color and shooting fall leaves. Geared for beginning and intermediate photographers, it will also cover the properties of light and how to use it to make better pictures.

The winter workshop, March 10 and 11, is designed for beginning and intermediate photographers who want to learn how to shoot pictures in a snow environment. Shooting in the snow can create some unique problems. Because the snow provides such a large white background, the light meter is usually fooled, producing underexposed negatives.

Gunnufson recommends using a spot meter to determine the highlights and shadow values. You then expose for the shadows. The opposite is true for slides. You need to expose for the highlight and let the shadows fall where they may.

Batteries should be a concern in cold weather. Batteries at 10 degrees may have only 10% of their power. A battery that is half spent is worthless at freezing.

Temperature change is another problem. Going from warm to cold isn’t a problem, but making the transition from cold to warm is. Condensation forms on the camera, the lens and even the film. One trick is to put the camera in an airtight plastic bag so that the moisture forms on the bag rather than the camera.

Cameras designed specifically for water prevent worries but don’t give you much flexibility.

“There are so many solutions to the different problems,” Gunnufson said. “That is one thing I like to stress. Your goal is the most important factor, so you can implement the correct solution.”

His spring workshop (dates to be announced) is geared toward intermediate and advanced photographers interested in learning the techniques to produce a high-quality black-and-white print.

“Once someone gets serious about photography and starts to really enjoy doing it, they will gravitate into black and white,” he said. “When people first get into photography, they think color is the way to go. I’ve heard phrases like: ‘That’s really nice; too bad it’s not in color.’ As they start developing an appreciation for (black and white), they like it.”

Both color and black-and-white photography have their strengths, he said, noting that color is particularly good for capturing reality. If you have the flexibility to use either color or black and white, you will always find a situation where you can take a picture.

The Photography Column, which runs Saturdays in Orange County Life, is intended to help the serious amateur and weekend shooter. Questions and ideas are encouraged. Write to: Robert Lachman, Photography Department, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.