The Joys of L.F.

[Calamity Jane]

As winter prepares to creep across the prairies I found myself sitting in the warmth the other day looking at my LF cameras as the snow streaked past my window and l realized (despite the frustrations with a certain company's "tintype developer") how much I have been enjoying my Large Format photography.

Starting with an eBay lens and a home-built 4x5 a couple of years ago, I have added a 4x5 Seroco, a 5x7 Conely, and a maybe-Kodak 8x10 (my favorite of the stable). I have built a new spacious darkroom custom tailored to my needs and flexible enough to adapt to any future requirements. I have added a Jobo CPA-2 and 3005 drum to do 8x10 E-6 and found it lightens the workload so much that I'll be running everything through it.

I have gone from 35mm (1969 to 1980) to 120 (1980 to 2003) to Large Format. I have gone from predominantly B&W to a mix of B&W, E-6 and moving more and more into "alternative processes". I have struggled with liquid emulsions and "tintypes" and am moving into wet plate collodion.

In the past couple of years, I have learned more than I did in the first 30 years! There have been more frustrations (with other people's chemicals) and fewer "keepers" coming out of the darkroom, fewer images being shot, but I am very VERY happy with the quality of those I do shoot. Even results of my "fake tintype" process are looking good and I am anxiously looking forward to doing collodion work.

Somehow, when I was shooting 35mm and 120, I never found the same levels of satisfaction as I find with sheet film and roll films never seemed to lend themselves to processes other than the conventional shoot, develop, and print workflow.

I look at my old Zeiss Icarex, my Rollei and my Pentax 645 and wonder if anything would ever prompt me to put film in them again?

Certainly Large Format opened up horizons for me that I had never considered before and I am thoroughly enjoying it! I never thought LF would be SOOOO different than roll film!

This forum and (most?) of the people in it have been a tremendous resource so I just wanted to say THANK YOU!

I'd be curious to know who among you have also found LF to be SOOO different from roll film photography that it has changed your outlook or attitude to photography in general?

Fall musings from the northern plains . . . . ;-)

[James E Galvin]

On a lark, I got a Calumet CC400 5 years ago. My 35mm stuff hasn't been used since. I shot a lot of 35mm, got some nice pics. But the first trip with the 4x5 got me invited to display in an art show. Never happened with my 35. I could probably do much better with the 35 now, but why bother? Being forced to slow down and think of the expense of a shot makes one try to make each shot count, no more take a couple rolls, at least one pic should be good! I haven't looked at 8x10 or larger - yet.

[Mike H.]

Calamity J., Just sitting here watching the Sahuaro grow in my back yard, wondering what kind of kick the jack rabbits get out of chasing my Shitzu around the yard, enjoying the fact that the temperatures will get down below 100 degrees this weekend, and frustrating over how much YOU accomplish in such a relatively short period of time. As for large format, for me it is the pathway toward creation of real B&W art. Digital (a tiny Sony DCS-T1 in my front left pocket) provides instant gratification. A new Leica M7 is providing me some flexibility. But, the LF ARCA-SWISS 4X5 is what I really feel gives me purpose. I, too, created a darkroom (much smaller and more obsessively arranged/organized/decorated than yours), but the process has taken me close to five years. And I've only used the one large format camera, one type of film (100TMax), one type of paper (Ilford MG Warmtone), and one set of chemicals (Kodak RS for film and Ilford Universal for paper). Your technical capabilities, flexibility of methods and sheer determination to expand, experiment and succeed amazes me. Keep up with the posts - they're very entertaining and more than a little motivational. And THANKS!

[Steve Feldman]

C'lam,

I know from where you speak.

For the past 34 years I've continuously been a member of adult education classes at either University Community Adult School (Uni High - my old high school) and Reseda Community Adult School.

I've taken auto mechanics and calligraphy at Uni and Sign Language and photography at Reseda. Cars have changed so much in the last 34 years that what I learned in 1971 doesn't apply on today's vehicles. I took calligraphy in hopes that it would improve my penmanship. It didn't.

In 1983, I lost my Kodak point and shoot 126-film camera. Used to love that thing and thought the photos from it were pretty good. Remember "flash cubes"? So, I bought a Minolta X-700 with a 50mm lens. Shot a roll on 'program' (don't laugh, it's where we all started out) and was amazed at how crappy (bet you though I was going to say "wonderful") most of the prints came out. So I actually read the manual (who said that guys don't read instructions?). Made a few adjustments to the way I shot and the next roll came out a bit better. Except that one came out, so I thought, really neat. I wanted to know why. That led me to Reseda Community Adult School and to Warren King.

After my first semester it was a wonder that I continued. But I did. Then I "advanced" into Warren's advanced class. Talk about intimidation! I could barely walk and chew gum with the likes of these elder statesmen. I still couldn't tell my f-stop from a hole in the ground. But, over the course of the next twenty-two years I learned. Sometimes I made fine art. Sometimes not. But it was the best learning experience of my life.

I, too, have gone from 35mm to 645 to 6x6 and now to 4x5. The equipment has gone from modern to ancient. I prefer the older technology. 4x5 makes you think, slow down, consider everything, think again. It's still magic watching a print come up in a tray. One of my friends says that 4x5 provides you the opportunity of shooting crap - with more information in the neg.

I make pictures for the pure joy of it. You'll see me out there (So. Calif. area). Usually with a B & J 4x5 view camera and a pack yak to carry all of the extra crap. I'm the tall old fart, balding and graying - camera in hand. Loaded with real film.

Oh - and please - Hold the pixels.

[Ralph Barker]

If I were in your shoes, CJ, with the cold paws of winter creeping across the Canadian plains, and the griz wandering down from the hills, I think I'd prefer a fleeting shot with the 35 than trying to capture the bear's true character on 8x10. ;-)

Interestingly, it was an 8x10 transparency of a tossed green salad with cherry tomatoes in a large glass bowl, reproduced on the glossy cover of a Technica journal I ran across in the '60s that inspired me to take up photography in a serious way. That salad was so real and tasty looking, I almost bit the cover of the magazine.

Although LF (4x5 and 8x10 in my case) is what I enjoy most, I still shoot 35mm extensively, and 120 to a much lesser degree. Every tool has its sweet spots, functionality-wise. In fact, the Leica rangefinder almost always tags along with the LF gear, documenting little things along the way. If I try to take the 8x10 out by itself, it seems to ask, "Where's Peewee?"

[David Starr]

I'm with you, Jane. In the few months I've been using 4x5, I really haven't had one shot I'd call a keeper, BUT I've enjoyed it and learned more from it, than the past several years with 35 & 6x7. Now, I'm kicking around the idea of getting an old Graphic for shooting hand held and using LF exclusively. Either that or a Mamiya 7 and dump the 35mm stuff.

[Janko Belaj]

Well Jane, I would say (with my poor english) "I know what you mean", but I will right now copy Dave's words (it seams to me that his english is better than mine): "I'm with you, Jane."
I started playing with photography some 28 years ago on my fathers 35mm rangefinder with fixed normal length lens. I went through several Prakticas, Nikons, some fine RFs to Bronica, Mamiya Universal, few Rolleis, and than..: BOOOOOM. Sinar. whoaw. I was still shooting some 120 and 35mm. Than I bought Tachihara 4x5 so I can carry it in the field. and finally decent digi. I have left my 35 and midium formats at home. Sinar in studio. Hassleblad only for "straight" shots on location. And today... what a pleasure..!
I'm on 8x10. You probably can remember my questions about going larger than 4x5... yes, I have gone larger... Several days ago I promised to myself I wont write about it until I make 1st print, but you "forced" me to confess... I'm on 8x10. And that IS PLEASURE! I have scans, I have contact prints (test kind on ordinary paper), but I'm waiting POP to made what I *think* I will *like*... we (yes, you too :)) will see.
In any way, thanks a LOT to ALL of you. To the whole our community... (although I sometimes don't understood what you are talking about, although sometimes I feel that my posts are invisible to others, I still feel that I'm an silent(?) member of this group and I know I have learn a lot. and I enjoy a LOT!)
Tnx from me too. ;-))

[Bruce E. Rathbun]

Sold my 501CM to fund an 8x20. Life has never been the same. Not only did large format change the way I feel about photography...the 8x20 changed the way I feel ab0ut life in general. Shooting panoramic forced a slower pace to capture images that were not a panoramic cliche. The last thing I want is to shoot images for postcards. Not a bad gig if you like that type of thing. Not my kettle of fish. On the dark side of the coin I find more shutterbugs using digital phd (push here dummy) cameras swarming around my tripod holes after I am done. They all laugh at how I "waste my time shooting film". Call me Mr. old fashioned if you like as long as I can drag my 8x20 wherever I go.

[Matt Magruder]

I have to echo Mr. Rathbuns comments and thoughts. I get alot of strange looks, whether it be setting up and shooting the camera, sitting there for an hour or so waiting, changing film holders in a tent, or just hauling around a huge camera. Lots of comments and questions about why I bother shooting film.
but after seeing that first 7x17 and 8x10 negatives under the green safe light and then out of the fixer was completely priceless for me and I was hooked. my bank account hates it and my social life has taken a hit... but its just plain love.

[Eric Leppanen]

Yup, Jane, I've been through a similar process. Initially shot 35mm for fine art prints, and didn't like it because larger prints were fuzzy. Bought a 6x7 and it was better but still fuzzy. Bought a 4x5 and for awhile it seemed like Shangri-La (sic) because the combination of comtemplative approach, perspective control, and high image quality allowed me to create "art" (or my attempts thereof!) in a way not previously possible. But eventually I concluded that very large prints (24x30" and larger) were still fuzzy. So I bought an 8x10 and so far have been very happy. Horrifically bad for the bank account, good for the soul.

My 35mm and DSLR cameras have been relegated to family shapshot duty (some family members feel that they photograph better with film, hence I've kept the 35mm film camera). I know its possible to create superb images with such "small format" gear, but I can't recall the last time I used them for artistic work.

[Jeff Genung]

I bought my wife a Holga the other day--The wife is the one that can sniff your darkroom and date your developer to within an hour or so, and I am the one with the "eye" for a good picture, but that Holga for 35 bux including shipping from BH, has really become a neat artistic little item.

I discovered many years ago that a new typewriter or later a new word processing program stimulated my creativity for many months as I wrote, but so to does a new camera or doo-dad. I refuse to "chase the magic bullet" most days but often I find renewed inspiration through the purchase of something new, or unique. As I tell the wife, the judicious use of a fifty dollar bill, be it on E-Bay, or the local bookstore, or for gas to drive somewhere new, can often pay itself back many times over.

[Calamity Jane]

Janko: Welcome to 8x10 ;-) I knew you'd like it.