Mark -FUCKING- Coatsworth!!!

[David Gold]

For those of you who didn't know, Toronto area photographer extrordinaire and long time friend / website designer of Woods of Ypres, Mark Coatsworth has been packpacking accross the arctic all summer. No shit! See his blog:

http://www.markcoatsworth.com/arctic/

Here's a sample:
"78 degrees North, August 21st, 2006, I am in Svalbard.

This is the coldest, blackest, bleakest place… ever."

Fucking awesome, eh? I believe he comes home in a couple weeks. But seriously, go read about where he has been and what he has done...and what foreign beers he drank, and when he drank them! I'm sure he will come back with some of the most grim landscape photos we have ever seen.

 

[Trows]

Good read.

Can't wait to see the photos once they're out.

 

[Norman]

I read a lot of the blog, intense trip. Great photos to come for sure.

 

[Midnight In Winter]

I envy that man so much. I read a good portion of his blog. I wish I was fortunate enough to travel Scandinavia, or any part of the world for that matter. I'd love to see some pics.

He also sounds like he's having a great time:

"Last Tuesday, I tied on my old red bandana, and, with a Mauser 7.62 mm rifle in one hand and Hasselblad in the other, Waylon Jennings on my headphones and a knapsack full of bullets and whiskey, headed out to the barrens."

 

[AshDLS]

Fuck, it doesn't get much more cold, north or brutal than Svalbard, I've heard. I'm gonna go have a look at this blog, sounds interesting!

Man I really need to get to Northern Europe sometime.

 

[WrathChld]

Holy crap, thanks for the props guys!

It was a pretty wild summer. The Arctic is the wild west but in the extreme north. It's a tiny scattering of small communities separated by massive stretches of barren, mountainous, endless tundra, rivers, glaciers, rocks and giant ice sheets.

The biggest mistake was travelling up there in the summer. In winter, all the major landmasses (Siberia, Alaska, Nunavut, Greenland) are connected by thick sea ice. Rent yourself a bad-ass snowmobile and a shotgun and take on the northern fucking darkness!!

Dave, we should drink beer! Give me a call!

 

[Lionfrost]

Dave, we should drink beer! Give me a call!

We all should, man! Hell, I just finished a Kasteelbier so count me in.
I'm so going to read your blog, that's a guarantee. Are pics going to be featured on your website?

 

[WrathChld]

Lionfrost, you should join us! And... umm... bring all of your country's godly beer with you

As for the pictures, there's actually a very strong chance that most/all of my film got obliterated by the airport xray scanners I didn't realize they blast your check-in bags with much heavier scanners than the regular security points. I'll find out later today how much of it survived.

We all should, man! Hell, I just finished a Kasteelbier so count me in.
I'm so going to read your blog, that's a guarantee. Are pics going to be featured on your website?

 

[Lionfrost]

Lionfrost, you should join us! And... umm... bring all of your country's godly beer with you

Yeah, I would think you wouldn't invite me for my beautiful eyes.

As for the pictures, there's actually a very strong chance that most/all of my film got obliterated by the airport xray scanners I didn't realize they blast your check-in bags with much heavier scanners than the regular security points. I'll find out later today how much of it survived.

Oh man, that sucks. It's true though; the best thing you can do is carry your film in see through plastic containers inside a plastic freezer type bag, you know what I mean? Then again security was willing to do a manual check of these things say some ten years ago but I'm sure these days you could get down on your knees - to beg or whatever else - and it still wouldn't work.
You're not a digital photography guy then, are you Mark? (Duh, good thinking by yours truly.)

 

[WrathChld]

Yeah, I would think you wouldn't invite me for my beautiful eyes.

Nothing against your beautiful eyes, but you live in Beer Mecca! Beer Nirvana! It's cause for celebration in Canada every time that Rochefort or Orval or Mort Subite show up (briefly) on the shelves...

Oh man, that sucks. It's true though; the best thing you can do is carry your film in see through plastic containers inside a plastic freezer type bag, you know what I mean? Then again security was willing to do a manual check of these things say some ten years ago but I'm sure these days you could get down on your knees - to beg or whatever else - and it still wouldn't work.
You're not a digital photography guy then, are you Mark? (Duh, good thinking by yours truly.)

I got half the film back today and was EXTREMELY lucky... nothing is hurt. I feel 100 years younger right now.

And I do use a digital camera at home, but it wasn't right for a trip through the Arctic. When you're camping for weeks in barren tundra, there's nowhere to charge batteries or power up a laptop. Moreover, camera batteries freeze up in the extreme cold, so I needed to use older models that are fully mechnical (no electronics -- all moving parts). Finally, it's just easier lugging a bag of film instead of a computer, battery charger, voltage adapter, etc. etc.

 

[Marc]

It's cause for celebration in Canada every time that Rochefort or Orval or Mort Subite show up (briefly) on the shelves...

Don't forget Chimay... When I've $10 to spare, it goes on a 750ml Chimay Blue...

 

[Lionfrost]

Don't forget Chimay... When I've $10 to spare, it goes on a 750ml Chimay Blue...

Fine men with fine taste, I see. Although I'm not wild about Orval, myself. (He said, well aware of how spoiled he really is.)

 

[Lionfrost]

I got half the film back today and was EXTREMELY lucky... nothing is hurt. I feel 100 years younger right now.

Very good news, that is. (Damn, I'm starting to sound like Yoda...!)
Start posting, now!

Gotcha on the batteries and moving parts bit. Ever since I've had my D70 I've basically only taken it to places with lots of sand. Lots... But no snow nor ice. How un-grim of me.

 

[WrathChld]

Sand is actually much more dangerous for your D70 than anything else!! Don't let any get inside the camera...

All I have access to right now is a filthy budget scanner, but here's a shot from Svalbard (sorry for the lousy detail):

It was -2 degrees that day, in the middle of August.

 

[DeathBlade]

Thats reall cool! And it doesnt look that bad, if anything it looks "artsy" hehe.

 

[Lionfrost]

Sand is actually much more dangerous for your D70 than anything else!! Don't let any get inside the camera...

That's exactly how I feel about it. There was a guy in our party who used an "old school" camera and he's been known to just put it down in the sand while he was doing something else. When he told me that my jaw fell to the ground. When we were in the desert I even put the camera in a plastic bag *inside* the camera bag. Except for sand, there's lots of dust around, which is a pain as well.

It was -2 degrees that day, in the middle of August.

I'm jealous! Although August hasn't been that bad, but July was deadly! Temperature wise.

The picture is totally cool, even with the low quality scan. Deathblade is right, I actually get a retro feel from it.

 

[Midnight In Winter]

Sand is actually much more dangerous for your D70 than anything else!! Don't let any get inside the camera...

All I have access to right now is a filthy budget scanner, but here's a shot from Svalbard (sorry for the lousy detail):

It was -2 degrees that day, in the middle of August.

That's such a great picture

 

[Pale-Folklore]

yeah, great picture. it must have been BEAUTIFUL there!

 

[WrathChld]

Thanks guys! Yeah, I'm really happy with that shot. And Svalbard was actually totally beautiful, in a massive epic northern awesome sorta way.

Here's another one, which I am especially proud of...

ARCTIC FUCKING CANADA!!!

 

[Norman]

What kind of film were you using for that shot? It really brings out the blues.