Most Important Thing you Learned?

[Lucas M]

It has been approximately exactly one year now since I first took my first picture with my 4x5 view camera. Thankfully, I think I have improved somewhat since then. One of the most important things I have learned is that I do not need to stop down to f32 for every picture. That has helped tremendously. At first I was just all about detail detail detail but now I realize that f32 isn't necessarily helping. Diffraction. And there is the fun of low DOF and movements but I have just started touching those more now.
My second most important thing I learned is to always check that your lens is closed and ready before taking the picture.
What about you?

[Toyon]

Early on, a professional photographer told me that just because something was interesting or beautiful didn't mean that it would make a good picture. That forced me to think about what makes a good photograph and to see things differently.

[Walter Calahan]

Show up early.

[Tony Karnezis]

Stop chasing the magic bullet: use whatever gear you have and just make some photos.

[Toyon]

Actually I've found a few magic bullets, so keep looking.

[bdeacon]

Nearly every scene looks spectacular on the groundglass. Only a few look equally spectacular on film.

[Brian Ellis]

Work hard.

You didn't ask but I'll volunteer - the effects of diffraction aren't noticeable at f32 with 4x5 film unless you're making gigantic prints. I don't mean to suggest that photographing everything at f32 as a matter of course was a good idea, it wasn't, but not because of diffraction.

[Tom Duffy]

Early on I learned not to put my film holders down in front of the tripod. Inevitably, you back up a few steps with the tripod, forget the film holders are there and take a spectacular picture with your film holders in the foreground.

Another thing I've learned, or rather had pointed out to me, was that my extensive history with 35mm had affected the way I composed. Large format can be far more inclusive of a scene. I still like to use a slight telephoto as my normal lens, but a slight wide angle might be a better choice.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

It is ok to tilt your tripod head 90º so you can screw in your camera more comfortably, there is no law that says you have to keep it horizontal. Going on your toes to set your aperture and speed might be good exercise for a ballet dancer, me, I rather turn the scale to the side. Be patient, but take the shot....don't spend 2 years "waiting for the light"...if you do, you might find a parking lot where you wanted to take the shot. Read the book "the next step" by Al Weber....good advice without the artsy BS.

Good luck.

[CG]

I'll go ya one or two better: shoot and shoot and shoot.

And when it doesn't come out, go back and shoot yet again. Keep incrementally improving your approach till it works. I have gone back to a place many times to get it right.

C

[SamReeves]

Show up early.

LOL! Sage advice, 'specially for places like Yosemite. :D

What I've learned most in nearly a decade of doing 4x5 is to not worry. Just get out there and do it. Too much emphasis is made of measurements and calculations of large format. Lots of people get intimidated as a result and then don't want to try large format.

[Fred Braakman]

Hi,
I've been shooting LF for about 2 years, and I continue to learn from each outing. I agree that we need to shoot and shoot. Not only the shooting part, but I find that printing also has a long learning curve.
There are many "little things" that show up after each time out, that I should have accounted for, but didn't. Like the wind; use an umbrella to protect the camera from vibration, probably this has made the biggest difference for me so far.

Fred

[Mark Sawyer]

Buy the best tripod you can.

Wear sunscreen.

Women will only break your heart.

Jim has all the good lenses.

[walter23]

What about you?

It's okay to go out and not take a single photograph, or to set up an decide not to shoot.

That's the most important thing I've learned.

[Daniel_Buck]

I have found that if I keep looking for a photo that I know is there but can't seem to find what I'm looking for, sometimes it's just not the right time to take it. Move on and I'll quickly find another photo somewhere else! I can always come back to the location and have a fresh look at it another day! (perhaps in different light) Dwell on something to long, and it's kind of forced, and not as good as it could be.

At least that seems to be true for me.

[Ole Tjugen]

Taking pictures is not difficult, seeing which pictures to take - is.

The best way to develop a "personal style" is to keep taking the pictures you like, and be pleasantly srprised when someone recognises the style you didn't know you had.

You can have too many lenses, but I'm not there yet. Bringing four different 150mm lenses can sometimes be a good idea if they're different enough to matter; bringing four different 300mm lenses is too heavy to contemplate.

[Marcus Carlsson]

That you should listen to your heart. If someone else think your images are bad, just ignore them. As long as you feel happy the images are as they should be.

/ Marcus

[Bruce Barlow]

Spend ten days in the field photographing for each day you spend in the darkroom printing. That way, you'll only print the very best.

Proof sheets are like wine. With aging, many images turn to vinegar, only a few become Grand Cru. Never print new images within a month of making them.

Once you've set up to make a picture, look behind you to see if there's a better one there. Often there is, so make both.

Film is cheap, the opportunity is dear.

Polaroid is the greatest learning tool ever invented, and if you do the math it isn't really that much more expensive than negatives/chemical/paper/paper chemicals.

Develop a habit to make one picture a day as an exercise in seeing. Make it your best, and do it every day. Friend Richard Ritter hung a show in a gallery of the best of his one-a-days, so they don't need to be "junk" pictures.

Define projects, do them, and complete them. They can be subjects, technical things, learning exercises - doesn't matter. Define what, how, why, how many, when, and what happens when it's done. The completion part is probably the most valuable thing about them, especially for those of us who have congenital trouble completing things in life.

The best lessons are unexpected, and happen all the time if we're open to them.

[Michael Graves]

"Lightly used" means average to poor condition.

"Great bokeh" means "crappy lens"

Jobo processors are really the way to go.

Life is too short to argue about every little detail.

[poco]

The first few of these are variations on a theme:

-- Never assume you'll be able to come back later for a shot. Something about the scene or conditions will have changed.

-- If you do go back and something about the scene or conditions has changed, don't let disappointment over that blind you from what you DO find.

-- Always ask yourself what is unique about any particular day and spend some film documenting it. If you head out when it's clear and arrive when it's foggy, blow some film on the fog instead of keeping all your powder dry, waiting for it to lift.

-- Take the obvious shot. "Walk the scene" looking to improve things, sure, but first take the shot that attracted you to the place to start with.

-- Know your equipment inside out. Get to the point where you never have to swap the 150 for the 180 after looking at the ground glass. There'll come a shot when you don't have time for it.

-- Don't let the difficulty of a shot affect your judgment of the outcome. Usually it's the easier, more intuitive shots that are most successful as they're less "forced."

[Ash]

Every good photo I see is when there's no camera on my person.

[Chuck Pere]

When something catches your eye photograph it and think about it later. Helps get your mind into the flow. In B&W printing sharpness runs a poor second to the right tonal touch. Always pull the darkslide facing the lens not the one facing the glass.

[paulr]

there's a time for thinking and a time for not thinking. the best artists have an excellent off-switch.

[Ash]

there's a time for thinking and a time for not thinking. the best artists have an excellent off-switch.


There's a switch? I still need to turn my brain on! :eek:

[Scott Davis]

Never accept your own status quo. Don't allow yourself to settle into a rut. There is a difference between a workflow and a rut. Knowing the difference is key to success.

[Patrik Roseen]

there's a time for thinking and a time for not thinking. the best artists have an excellent off-switch.

The time of complete sharpness and f32 was alot easier than that which follows with learning and creative thinking. Now there are so many decisions to be made, and so many creative alternatives for each subject both while photographing and printing.
Have I found the 'off-switch' when I finally decide to fire the shutter?

[Frank Petronio]

Ask the pretty girl to pose anyway.

[Bruce Watson]

Nearly every scene looks spectacular on the groundglass. Only a few look equally spectacular on film.

And only a few of these make spectacular prints.

[Bruce Watson]

Once you've set up to make a picture, look behind you to see if there's a better one there. Often there is, so make both.

Absolutely! Some of my best photographs are made this way.

[adrian tyler]

trust you instincts-

[darr]

I can get my vision from just one lens.

[paulr]

Never accept your own status quo. Don't allow yourself to settle into a rut. There is a difference between a workflow and a rut. Knowing the difference is key to success.


Time to get out of this rut and back into my groove!
--Homer Simpson

[Alan Davenport]

f/32 and be there.

[Ken Lee]

In the West, the word "transcendent " is taken to mean beyond this world. In the East, it means beyond thought.

[MenacingTourist]

Define projects, do them, and complete them. They can be subjects, technical things, learning exercises - doesn't matter. Define what, how, why, how many, when, and what happens when it's done. The completion part is probably the most valuable thing about them, especially for those of us who have congenital trouble completing things in life.

Great advice.
I've found that the amount of learning is cumulative with this kind of thing. You end up with knowledge you never expected.

[David Karp]

. . . Jim has all the good lenses.

Which Jim, Galli or Andracki?

And how many people on this forum have not purchased something from one or the other (or both) of them? :)

[jetcode]

- timing is everything -

[JW Dewdney]

Well - after at least 25 years on LF - I'd say - DON'T be too concerned about falling into ruts - like shooting everything at f/32 or f/128. You'll come out of it when you're good and ready. NEVER do things just because everyone else is doing them - or if you feel like it's the 'thing' to do. These are learning experiences - don't be afraid of them. Just don't be afraid to mix it up every now and then... be open to different approaches also.

The most valuable thing I learned? Don't get stuck behind the camera. By this I mean expose yourself to a lot of different work and try to figure out what makes it tick. Think about the images you want to make. This is harder than you would think. Think about them - and then MAKE them. It doesn't hurt to keep a little journal - where you can jot down new ideas every morning over your coffee, so you can never run out of ideas. Revisit old ones too. Anyway- that's probably more than my 2 cents.

[Vaughn]

The best lesson I learned early on is that I am not photographing things, but the light reflecting off of them. Just about everyone has seen an old building, trees, the ocean, mountains, people, etc. It is the light and how one uses it that will make, or break, a photograph. (The exceptions to this seem to be photos of one's kids or of naked bodies.)

The best time to photograph in the redwoods (and most forests) tends to be 10am to 2pm on overcast days. But it is still nice to get there early and stay late to enjoy the Place...and find images that are the exception to the above 10 to 2 rule.

Don't set your camera bag and/or holders behind you as you work with the camera -- one can easily step back and step on them.

[Bruce Watson]

The most important thing I've learned is that I'm going to make plenty of mistakes. Frustrating, yes. But learning opportunities also.

Interestingly I've found as the years go by I tend to burn less film but I make more good photographs. My "hit rate" has improved. I like to think that I've learned from experience to burn less film on scenes that I've learned won't work. Whatever the reason, it's been interesting to me to watch it happen.

[DOYLE THOMAS]

There are Photographs almost everywhere almost all the time. The better you understand what you are looking for the more you will find.

Doyle

[John Berry]

I always spend a little time looking at a prospect with one eye closed. Things that look good in binocular view lose it in mono. Saves time setting up to discover it on the ground glass.

[photographs42]

I learned long ago that when I go to THE place to photograph THE thing, it almost never works out, but sometimes I find some fascinating stuff along the way.

Jerome

[Don Wallace]

Stop chasing the magic bullet: use whatever gear you have and just make some photos.


Bingo, Tony. That is the most important thing I have learned. Here are a few more.

Keep notes.
I have learned immeasurably from looking at my notes before and after developing the negative. You can learn from what you observed in terms of light, contrast, etc.

Keep track.
Far too many times, I have forgot to turn around the dark slide and wasted film. I have got too excited at a particular moment and re-used holders I just put in the "exposed" bunch in my backpack. Maybe most of you have more presence of mind than I do - I confess to a bit of ADD - but I really really have to be meticulous in my methods in order to stay organized and focused.

Also, if a sheet is exposed but not developed yet, and you need that filmholder, make sure you keep track of what you put in boxes to keep in the fridge. Once you lose track, there is of course no way of figuring out what the hell is what.

Don't chase the light
Most of the time, you cannot respond to rapidly-changing light conditions. It isn't like smaller formats. You can't observe some unique yet passing phenomenon and leap from the car to capture it. At least, I sure can't. I know Ansel Adams did. Good for him. When I can do that, I will let you know. But as someone else said, you can get there early and anticipate the light.

[David_Senesac]

Before I regularly used my view camera, I had shot 35mm many years and 6x7 a few years both of which had spot metering. Both used typical automatic exposure sensors one merely adjusts compensation for. With a view camera I needed to use the digital exposure meter I'd bought and decided to use it in a non-traditional way that just read EV levels in order to simplify the perception of light levels. The most important thing I learned was how to expose a single sheet of the pricy to buy and develop film and get it to come out right most of the time without bracketing. Actually I have to believe I've been rather quite lucky as most of my difficult low light shots the last couple years were nailed. Certainly the most difficult task for a view camera landscape photographer. ...David

[John Powers]

Show up early.


Show up!

When you see the perfect picture, take it. Then walk all around that subject as much as the terrain will let you and see if there was a better picture there. Take that. Imagine how it will look with the sun at a different angle. Take a compass in your kit. Figure out what time it will be when the sun is hitting the subject from that more interesting angle and come back. As Bruce suggested look around for that other interesting picture. Teach yourself to see. Shoot with a friend who sees differently from you and compare ideas.

John

[vann webb]

Keep trying even when things are going badly. Disappointment is part of photography, even when you get better at it. Like baseball, if you are really cooking, your success rate is still a fairly low percentage. Over time, your definition of success changes, and you see things differently. Don't judge yourself too harshly. To be really good at anything, you have to be willing to be really bad at it first.

[RDKirk]

Have a camera with you. Any camera. The camera you have with you is 1000% better than one you don't have with you.

[Leonard Metcalf]

Tighten up all your bits before shutting the lens...

Double check everything.

Enjoy the process and the view.

Relax.

Work out where the camera will go before setting up the tripod, get the tripod set up so that it is secure.

Record and evaluate what your doing until you can predict your results.

Start with one film / developer / printer / paper combination

[JPlomley]

Get a backpack from Photobackpacker. You'll hike further, see more, and experience much less discomfort navigating difficult terrain.

[Ben Chase]

Imagine how it will look with the sun at a different angle. Take a compass in your kit. Figure out what time it will be when the sun is hitting the subject from that more interesting angle and come back.
John

For landscape work, if I were to emphasize a point, this would be the one. Knowing where the sun will be at a particular time and what will be in shadow is incredibly invaluable. If you have a topographic map of a particular area you are shooting - STUDY IT. You can see potential opportunities just based on the direction of the light.

[Gary L. Quay]

I often have my wife along during treks through the wilderness, or while shooting a sunrise or sunset. I always rush things because I don't want to keep her waiting, and many times, I 've shot all my film before the sunset really gets spectacular, or I've packed up before the right light hits a waterfall. I learned recently what I should have known all along: she wants me to get the best shot, and she is happy to wait with me until it happens.

Second: when shooting on the beach, keep a close eye on the waves.

--Gary

[Christopher Breitenstein]

In the past year the most important thing I have learned is that your subject is the least important component when composing a photograph. Focusing on line, light, and form, rather just putting something pretty in front of my camera, has allowed me to produce photographs that are far better far more frequently then before.

[Kirk Gittings]

Practice setting up your camera until it is second nature. Light is relentless and does not pause for you to set up.

[domenico Foschi]

To do whatever your instinct tells you, even if that means to break all the rules you have learned.

[Photobackpacker]

In the dark:
A little disorganization in the darkroom is CHAOS when the lights go out.

4X5 sheet film has a 10:1 glide ratio and always lands emultion side down.

The little screen that lights up on your cell phone when it rings will definitely fog the masterpiece you are unloading from the holder.

Bruce
www.photobackpacker.com

[mdd99]

Go with the flow. Make the most of whatever the conditions are (e.g., windy, stormy, cloudy) and use them to your advantage. That's where the fun is: creativity.

[lostcoyote]

In the dark:
4X5 sheet film has a 10:1 glide ratio and always lands emultion side down.


LOL

==

Beware of those sneaker waves.
They can suck your equipment right back out to sea.

[jetcode]

Stop chasing the magic bullet: use whatever gear you have and just make some photos.

how's that new Chamonix 4x5 and 240mm Germinar working out? :):):)

[jetcode]

1) don't drive off until you've setup a shot in your driveway
2) scout, scout, scout, learn the light to know what's best
3) use a film cutout card to find the image first, every angle, high and low, wide and long
4) expose when you have something worth recording
5) be ready and wait for the moment

[cpeterson]

The most important thing I've learned in the last year is that photographers shouldn't ignore centuries of art history just because the world largely treats photos as somehow separate from other visual art mediums.

[Hollis]

Film is cheap, locations are plentiful and when the magic hits you, be ready to take advantage of it.

[Hollis]

Sorry, that should read 'relatively cheap'.

[Capocheny]

Don't get caught up in all the details (mathematical calculations, measuring this, measuring that.)

Get to know your camera and the ground glass extremely well... it'll serve you in good stead!

Lastly, shoot, shoot, shoot!

And... have fun!

Cheers

[domenico Foschi]

If you cannot find anything interesting to shoot, the problem is not the place itself but you.

[Duane Polcou]

Light is generally categorized as "hard" or "soft" when in fact light presents itself in infinite variations. You have to want to see the difference between open shade, a leaden overcast, the mixture of sunlight screened by thin cirrus and the fill provided by
some bright object nearby, etc. etc. Once you start noticing and perhaps even anticipating these subtle changes, and seeing an improvement in your vision as it translates onto film, you will begin to wonder why you utterly WASTED so much time on useless techno-geek nonsense.

[jenn wilson]

be prepared and resourceful

be willing to experiment with everything you can (film, paper, developers, etc.)...not to find a magic bullet, but to learn. that sort of willingness will keep you inspired and working.

[neil poulsen]

Putting the principle into practice: Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights.

[kev curry]

Some of the most useful things I've learned is the value of making and using a little cardboard viewing card for discovering compositions....I'm lost without this, and also just as important for me was discovering how to make a great little scale/dial that wraps around the focusing knob of the camera to quickly and easily determining the optimum shooting aperture for the scene....no more time wasted messing with a tape or ruler. Lastly.......... when magic happens breath deeply and relax:)
kev

[Daniel Grenier]

Fine Art Photography is of NO interest to 99.99% of the population.

The .01% is other photographers. It took me disproportionate amount of time to come to that eye-opening realisation.

[Keith Pitman]

Don't forget to put the film in your pack when you leave home!

[Ed Richards]

While I do refer to the notes I take on each shot after I have processed the film, I realized that the real value is that they reduce my screw-ups a lot. Begin by numbering your holders so can keep track of them with the notes. If I have just noted a 25R filter, for example, I am more likely to remember to put it on the camera. It also makes it easier to avoid double exposures, even if I have not properly reversed the dark slide. (You can always put it back in the camera and flip it.) An old Fred Picker trick that has been mentioned before also helps - dry fire the shutter before you pull the dark slide to make sure you have closed the preview lever.

[rwyoung]

Read the book "the next step" by Al Weber....good advice without the artsy BS.

Good luck.

Jorge - I need to walk through the rest of this thread but a quick detour to Amazon.com and I couldn't find this book. Do you have it handy and if so, can you post the ISBN if it has one? Thanks.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Just because they say you can't do it does not mean you can't! You can build a camera or two ( 8x20 and 11x14) with hand tools and put them on your back!

Just because there is some wind does not mean you can't find a big rock!

Love my B&W viewing filter!

Learn to see! Enjoy the entire process and share the knowledge!

Jim

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Jorge - I need to walk through the rest of this thread but a quick detour to Amazon.com and I couldn't find this book. Do you have it handy and if so, can you post the ISBN if it has one? Thanks.

The book is sold directly by Weber, it is not on Amazon. Here is his info, e mail him or call him and you can get the book from him.



Al Weber
145 Boyd Way
Carmel, CA 93923

phone: 831.624.5963

fax: who needs one?

email: weber@stare.net

[Colin Graham]

Don't talk about religion, art or pyro here.

[darr]

Don't talk about religion, art or pyro here.
Amen! :)

[rwyoung]

The book is sold directly by Weber, it is not on Amazon. Here is his info, e mail him or call him and you can get the book from him.



Email sent. Thank you Jorge.

[Texian]

Shoot what you can't help but shoot.

Shoot some more.

Take the time you need.

Less is more applies as much to filling your camera bag as it does to the shot itself.
---Ed

[David Karp]

All the lenses that I have are fine. Other than the 300mm Nikkor M, none of them are in that group of "must have" lenses or "classics." Nevertheless, all of them are probably "better" than the lenses used to take various masterpieces of photography. My three element Caltar II-E was used to make my all-time favorite photo of mine. This realization has saved me lots of money over the years. (Or perhaps it has made me feel that way, with all of the used lenses I ended up buying!)

For example, do you think any of us could tell a photo taken with my single coated 240mm Fujinon A with a scratch on the rear of the front set of elements from a new multicoated version with no scratches? I can't.

[Stephen Willard]

I have learned are three parts to a great photograph. They are the technical craft, the composition, and the visual drama (or artist rendering) of the image. Most of my best selling images have all three aspects in spades. However, I do have several best selling images that are technically marginal but are well composed and visually striking.

Thus, I have learned to sacrifice technical execution to get something that is well composed and exhibits strong visual drama if time is critical. I will rough in camera movements and compensate with larger DOF (f64), and even guess at the exposure and then increase the exposure by one stop to make sure I get all detail when the scene is momentary in nature. My success rate with this type of shooting is one in ten, and when I get it right, I have leaned it can be a grand slam or like a jolt one gets from a double shot of tequila.

[mdd99]

Never sell anything.

[jb7]

Here's something I learned just last week-
Alway check that the high quality 2' cable release
attached to your camera mounted, mint condition Nikkor M 300
isn't caught in the car door before you walk briskly away-

joseph

[johnwnyc]

- Shoot a lot, in bursts. Be spontaneous. Then, take time off from shooting.
- Always create some objective distance from your work. If you have to, wait a month (or longer) before developing your film. Good editing is 50% of good photography.
- Develop your own film.

(Garry Winogrand was a big influence on me.)

[Robbie Shymanski]

The sun and clear days are not your friend.

Always ask questions, especially of those who know more than you. Knowledge and opportunity will usually follow.

Have a ladder available.

Don't pass up on equipment.