Building a Landscape Photography Truck

Here it is.


A Minor Setback by mark_mullen, on Flickr

Unfortunately that will be the last photo for a short while.

I set off yesterday morning, everything worked really well and it drove great.

I went first to the Lake District to recce a shot I had in mind. Leaving Kendal on a late night run up to Callander for my first overnight I suffered what feels like engine failure as I came up the A6 towards Shap.

I had 4 hours to kill whilst the RAC recovered me and as it was a beautiful cold crystal clear night I took the opportunity to get a photo of the Trooper under the Milky Way.

My team are working on the car, hopefully it won't be terminal and I'll soon be on my way again.

Not an ideal start to the trip but at the end of the day I've still got my health, my lovely girlfriend, my family and a good job so it isn't worth getting too upset over.
 
Shame about the breakdown, but if its any consolation the weather up here is atrocious so you're not missing much :p
 
Thanks Marie.

The prognosis on the truck isn't ideal, the engine has gone and will need a fresh one. As the rest of the truck was working out so well I am having a new engine put in it and it will ride once more!.

For the rest of this week I am going to resort to my trusty Alfa which has winter tyres on it anyway and stay in hotels (like normal people!!). I'm not going to let this little setback get in the way of getting the shots I want.

Thanks to everyone who has offered support on here and over Twitter this last few days, much appreciated.
 
This wouldn't have happened if you'd bought a VW Syncro camper as I'd suggested.

It would have broken down much earlier. :lol:
 
Great thread Mark - keep the news coming - with more pics please
 
Great project, enjoyed reading this thread.

Wish I had the time and money to do something like this myself!
 
Great idea. Shame about the engine hassle though. Is it a 3.0Ltr ? Quite fancy doing this to my landcruiser, as far as fitting out the inside. The outside modifications have already been done :) Just the ladder to go on the rear door, then onto the inside.
 
Loving this thread - good luck and congrats on the build but I feel I should point out that if you are planning on coming up to Scotland ......... while yes it does get a wee bit chillier than "down south", and definitely a lot wetter, but "expedition vehicle", "custom insulation", "sleeping bag good for -40", "eberspacer heater", more lights than Blackpool illuminations and a space blanket!!!! OMG
As for a couple of the comments like "Don't forget ample supplies of water and food" and "Don't forget medical supplies" it may come as quite a surprise for you to hear that quite recently we started to open these things called shops - amazing places where you can buy foody type stuffs among other things (I wont bother to mention they sell water too - but trust me when I say you DO NOT need to buy it up here!) - some have even specialised into selling pharmaceutical type things should you fall ill - we call them chemists!
If you have anything more serious or should be unlucky enough to have an accident we also have Doctors and if you were to be really unlucky theres these buildings we call them hospitals that have loads of Doctors and nurses inside that are always happy to help!!
Just for info - when looking at a map Scotland is the kinda jaggy looking lump of land that joins the North of England - you can see it on the weather report after the News - usually hiding under a rain symbol - it doens't reach up to the arctic circle and its definitely nowhere near the North Pole!!! I am so puzzled wondering how I've ever managed to get from A to B for the past 30 years.
The only things you need to bring are a pair of wellies and a wet suit and you'll be fine :)
 
weealien said:
Loving this thread - good luck and congrats on the build but I feel I should point out that if you are planning on coming up to Scotland ......... while yes it does get a wee bit chillier than "down south", and definitely a lot wetter, but "expedition vehicle", "custom insulation", "sleeping bag good for -40", "eberspacer heater", more lights than Blackpool illuminations and a space blanket!!!! OMG
As for a couple of the comments like "Don't forget ample supplies of water and food" and "Don't forget medical supplies" it may come as quite a surprise for you to hear that quite recently we started to open these things called shops - amazing places where you can buy foody type stuffs among other things (I wont bother to mention they sell water too - but trust me when I say you DO NOT need to buy it up here!) - some have even specialised into selling pharmaceutical type things should you fall ill - we call them chemists!
If you have anything more serious or should be unlucky enough to have an accident we also have Doctors and if you were to be really unlucky theres these buildings we call them hospitals that have loads of Doctors and nurses inside that are always happy to help!!
Just for info - when looking at a map Scotland is the kinda jaggy looking lump of land that joins the North of England - you can see it on the weather report after the News - usually hiding under a rain symbol - it doens't reach up to the arctic circle and its definitely nowhere near the North Pole!!! I am so puzzled wondering how I've ever managed to get from A to B for the past 30 years.
The only things you need to bring are a pair of wellies and a wet suit and you'll be fine :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. Some of the places I go are a good half an hour, 40 minutes, from a mobile signal, and if you've ever slept in a car overnight in cold weather you'll know how quickly they cool down.

Wild camping in the highlands in February is a little different to booking in at The Witchery for a nice cosy night.
 
weealien said:
Loving this thread - good luck and congrats on the build but I feel I should point out that if you are planning on coming up to Scotland ......... while yes it does get a wee bit chillier than "down south", and definitely a lot wetter, but "expedition vehicle", "custom insulation", "sleeping bag good for -40", "eberspacer heater", more lights than Blackpool illuminations and a space blanket!!!! OMG
As for a couple of the comments like "Don't forget ample supplies of water and food" and "Don't forget medical supplies" it may come as quite a surprise for you to hear that quite recently we started to open these things called shops - amazing places where you can buy foody type stuffs among other things (I wont bother to mention they sell water too - but trust me when I say you DO NOT need to buy it up here!) - some have even specialised into selling pharmaceutical type things should you fall ill - we call them chemists!
If you have anything more serious or should be unlucky enough to have an accident we also have Doctors and if you were to be really unlucky theres these buildings we call them hospitals that have loads of Doctors and nurses inside that are always happy to help!!
Just for info - when looking at a map Scotland is the kinda jaggy looking lump of land that joins the North of England - you can see it on the weather report after the News - usually hiding under a rain symbol - it doens't reach up to the arctic circle and its definitely nowhere near the North Pole!!! I am so puzzled wondering how I've ever managed to get from A to B for the past 30 years.
The only things you need to bring are a pair of wellies and a wet suit and you'll be fine :)
Click to expand...

Written with a sense of humour no doubt.

Insulated wellies though.

markmullen said:
Wild camping in the highlands in February is a little different to booking in at The Witchery for a nice cosy night.
Click to expand...

Wild camping in February is different to Summer and Autumn but it's just a case of being sensible with your kit.

Wild camping at high level on the winter mountains and travelling on foot is a challenge in terms of balancing weight with kit performance and safety but if you're staying near your vehicle and travelling on public roads then there's not really much to concern yourself with other than making sure your vehicle is OK in case of snow.
 
"Insulated wellies though" you mean you can get another sort??? And definitely with a sense of humour ;)
 
This is a Fascinating thread to follow ,great stuff..just had a look at your website mark and really love the recent Scotland photos , look forward to seeing more.:):)
 
I was out on a fruitless landscape trip to the North York Moors this afternoon and got a notification of a reply to this thread so thought I really ought to put up a photo of the truck now it is in use. It's not a pretty vehicle, but it works a treat, even through the snow on Blakey Ridge today I didn't need 4 wheel drive, the grip I get out of the Hankook winters that I fitted is astonishing.


My Landscape Photography Truck by mark_mullen, on Flickr
 
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