How to.....

[Thompsonr]

I have a lot of experience with 35mm, medium format and digital. I have been curious about large format for many years and have finally acquired Cambo Legend with 90/150/210 lens'. I have been using a loaned Cambo for several months but am not confident with my technique. I have several very basic questions;
1. what is a good solid procedure for proceding with (say) photographing architecture. Angle the camera, shift front and back, etc etc. My results on focus are not the best and find I go backwards and forwards with tilting the lens board and adjusting the focus (using the rail adjustments)
2. I'd like to do some long exposure work (à la David Burdeny, in Silvershotz, Vol 3 Ed7). How do you meter for long exposure.

Can anyone recommend good referance material for the above.

Many thanks
Ralph

[Leonard Evens]

"Using the View Camera" by Steve Simmons is a good starting point for beginners. "View Camera Technique" by Stroebel is encyclopedic. Jim Sone's "A User's Guide to the View Camera" is also very helpful. My public library has all three, so try yours first. You may not need to buy all of them, but it would probably be useful to own at least one.

This large format website (www.lfiphoto.info) has lots of helpful information on focusing and movements.

If you are having trouble focusing, try getting a loupe. Even a cheap magnifier will make quite a difference. But don't go beyond 4 X. If you srtill have trouble, you may need to replace your ground glass.

For architectural photography (and generally for all large view camera photography), rise/rall (and to a lesser extent sideways shifts) will be what you use most. They allow you to frame the scene the way you want it.

The purpose of tilts and swings is to place the plane of focus where it will do the most good. It is a mistake to think of such movements as "increasing depth of field". What they sometimes allow you to do is to place the DOf region where it will do the most good. Don't worry about such matters until you've mastered the basic mechanics of using your camera.

You should read about Scheimpflug's rule and the hinge rule. But let me briefly outline what you might do to use a tilt. Start by choosing a near and far point you want to be in focus. These will determine the tilt as follows. Start with a modest tilt. It is seldom necessary to go beyond 10 degrees. Focus on the far point and note where the standard is on the rail. Then focus on the near point and note whether you have to increase of decrease the distance from the lens to the ground glass (called the bellows extension) to do so. If you have to increase that distance, increase the tilt. If you have to decrease that distance, decrease the tilt. After few iterations, both near and far point should be simultaneously in focus.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

I will only add one more thing to Leonards good advice. If you can, place the camera where you will need the least amount of movements. Those pictures you see of View Cameras twisted into a pretzel are a myth, most good architectural photographers I know try to use the least amount of movements to take their shots......remember the KISS principle... :-)

Good luck and enjoy your new camera.

[steve simmons]

My only additional advice would be to

keep the camera level front to rear and left to right before doing anything else. This will make your life so much easier.


take a workshop. We are doing some architectural photo related seminars and workshops at the View Camera conference in Lousiville next week if you can make it.

steve simmons

[PViapiano]

Try to get a copy of View Camera Jan/Feb 2007 issue.

It has an article on movements by Doremus Scudder (a member of this forum and an incredible photographer) that is quintessential in its clarity and should be included the box of every view camera sold...it is that good.

[BrianShaw]

(snip) Those pictures you see of View Cameras twisted into a pretzel are a myth,...

This is very reassuring. In all of my days shooting LF I've never used any amount of dramatic movement. I occasionally thought I might need further education in view camera use!

[neil poulsen]

Here's a mainstream procedure one could use for architecture, or for any basic level shooting with large format cameras.

> Decide on camera placement.

> Level the camera. Bring all movements to default, center settings.

> Decide on vertical or horizontal orientation of the camera back.

> Compose image and do preliminary focus. Use rise (or rarely fall) to get the right framing. Might also need some shift. If needed, one can also raise the back.

> Critical focus camera using a loop intended for the purpose. You can use some other device like an enlarging lens, but a good 4x loop will do a better job.

> Take your light meter reading. Adjust aperture and shutter speed. Frequently, apertures are set at f16 or smaller for architectural photography to increase depth of field. It may be necessary to lengthen the exposure, but hopefully, the building isn't moving. (Run!)

> Insert film holder, remove darkslide.

> Check for the right moment and then expose film.

> Reinsert darkslide and remove film holder.

> Check focus to make sure that the focus didn't shift accidently while taking the photograph.

This really isn't much different than setting up basic photographs with a view camera. I think you are thinking in more complex terms than needed.

Architectural photography uses wide or ultra wide lenses, so the added depth of field most often makes it unnecessary for swings or tilts. On those occassions where swings or tilts are needed, Make small changes, checking focus top to bottom (tilt) or left to right (swing) as you go.

The references mentioned will help you decide which way to tilt or swing. When tilting, it will usually be forward tilting the front by a small amount. When swing is needed, adjust in a way that makes the front more parallel (not less parallel) with the plane (or flat surface) that you want in focus. It will usually only take a small adjustment, smaller than one might tend to think when starting.

I try to minimize the amount of swing that will be needed by rotating the camera (or positioning the camera) so that the back is more parallel to the desired plane of focus. Of course, this can throw off properly framing the image on the ground glass, so one can compensate by using some left or right shift. Placing or composing the camera where more shift is needed can be accompanied by a corresponding increase in distortion of the image by super wide-angle lenses. So, minimizing shift can help minimize this distortion. (If this paragraph sounds confusing, then ignore it!)

This is the general procedure that I use. Others may wish to add to this, especially if I've left something out.

[Thompsonr]

Whooow, what a great community. Thanks for all your fantastic advice.
I already picked up on Lousiville and all those highly relavant workshops but unfortunately I've a wedding shoot that weekend. Maybe the couple will have an argument and cancel the wedding:-)
The loupe through me for a loop but I found it on Adorama. Looks like a handy device.
Lots of great points, many thanks again
Ralph