How to photograph in LF, with specific aim of stitching

[Jon Warwick]

As an assumption, let's say one can get good quality prints up to 50"x40" made from drum-scanned 5x4 negatives.

To make MUCH bigger prints, I was considering experimenting with the option of taking (say) 2 or more photos of a scene. Then, I'd get all of those 5x4 negatives drum-scanned, and stitched together in Photoshop or equivalent software. Clearly. this route is not cheap due to the obvious fact that it entails multiple drum scans and requires getting an operator with the correct knowledge to stitch the images together, but presumably it would allow one to produce quite HUGE photos of good image quality (ie, low grain and good resolution) if done correctly?

I'm starting at the "front-end" of the process here (ie, how to "photograph" a scene with A LARGE FORMAT CAMERA, with the idea in mind of stitching at a later stage).

If (say) you wanted to create a very long panoramic photo of 100" x 40" (so, two 5x4 negatives stitched together at their short ends), I presume you take the first shot .... but then what? Do you pick up the camera and walk to one side of the scene so that you shoot the 2nd negative "straight on" again; or do you just pan the camera around to photograph whatever is to the left or right of that first scene (but that presumably distorts the angle compared to the first image, no?)

Many thanks for any thoughts if you have experience of doing this (or know of good resources that I can study to learn about the part of the process that involves the photographing itself). If this can be tied in to think about doing with with a large format camera, mainly involving front rise for my type of work, that would be much appreciated.

[MIke Sherck]

Make sure that your tripod head is level, then just pan. The key is to have the tripod head level.

Mike

[Bruce Watson]

As an assumption, let's say one can get good quality prints up to 50"x40" made from drum-scanned 5x4 negatives.

To make MUCH bigger prints, I was considering experimenting with the option of taking (say) 2 or more photos of a scene. Then, I'd get all of those 5x4 negatives drum-scanned, and stitched together in Photoshop or equivalent software. Clearly. this route is not cheap due to the obvious fact that it entails multiple drum scans and requires getting an operator with the correct knowledge to stitch the images together, but presumably it would allow one to produce quite HUGE photos of good image quality (ie, low grain and good resolution) if done correctly?

I'm starting at the "front-end" of the process here (ie, how to "photograph" a scene with A LARGE FORMAT CAMERA, with the idea in mind of stitching at a later stage).

If (say) you wanted to create a very long panoramic photo of 100" x 40" (so, two 5x4 negatives stitched together at their short ends), I presume you take the first shot .... but then what? Do you pick up the camera and walk to one side of the scene so that you shoot the next negative "straight on" again; or do you just pan the camera around to photograph whatever is to the left or right of that first scene (but that presumably distorts the angle compared to the first image, no?)

Many thanks for any thoughts if you have experience of doing this (or know of good resources that I can study to learn about the part of the process that involves the photographing itself). If this can be tied in to think about doing with with a large format camera, mainly involving front rise for my type of work, that would be much appreciated.

The "easy" way to do that is with a 4x10 camera of course. ;-)

If you want to stitch, keep the same tripod location. Either use shifts (shift right for first shot, left for second for example), or pan. Ideally your pan would be around the rear nodal point of the lens. Current stitching software is pretty good about making up for small deficiencies though, so using the pan on your tripod head is probably sufficient.

Think also about file size. Working on and then transporting really big files may be a challenge for you. IIRC, a DVDROM is good for about 4.7GBs, which you might easily exceed, for example.

[drew.saunders]

Some cameras, such as the Ebony 45S (http://www.ebonycamera.com/cam/main.45S.html) are specifically set up with enough rear shift, in this case 60mm left or right, to let you do just what you're asking about. Since the long dimension of 4x5 film is about 121mm, you can shoot one with the back all the way to the left, and another with the back all the way to the right and have just enough overlap to make stitching slightly more convenient.

Of course, if you wanted to stitch 4 together to mimic an 8x10, then you have to do precise tripod rise (not many cameras would have enough front/rear rise/fall to make it work without the tripod's help), to the point where an actual 8x10 camera might be easier.

Drew

[D. Bryant]

Many thanks for any thoughts if you have experience of doing this

Do you have a flatbed scanner to scan sheet film? If so, start out with that to make proofs to get a feel for the process and save money on drum scans.

I've used all 3 methods mentioned (shifting the front standard, rotating the camera and moving the camera). Each has it's own pitfalls.

If you shift the front standard then I typically will make three exposures. One with no shift, and then a right and left shift.

If I rotate the camera then I make sure that the tripod and camera will be level through the entire arc of rotation, this can be difficult to do. I also only shoot with the back in vertical or portrait mode. As mentioned, try centering the vertical axis of rotation on the rear nodal point of the lens. Given that you can't determine that easily then I usually try placing the physical center of the lens on that axis.

Make sure that you exam the focus and depth of field in the frames farthest from the camera. Set the aperture for those frames and leave it there. If you have to adjust tilts then do so but they may not be the same for all frames or needed in all frames. Make sure each frame has at least 20% overlap from frame to frame to help the stitching software produce accurate joins. Exposure calculation should be based on the need for preserving shadow detail balanced against the EV values of the highlights. Contrasty light can be difficult. I've found that a reduced SBR of ambient light to easiest to expose for and you may wish to consider shooting with color negative film to increase the latitude of your exposures. Keep all of the exposures the same and make sure all of the film receives the same development.

Moving the camera is the most difficult approach and one I tend to avoid. To do this properly one needs to make sure that the camera remains at a constant height and the camera is moved in a straight line.

I also would recommend that you avoid using wide angle lenses. I find my favorite lens for this kind of photography to be a 150 mm Symmar S.

I'm sure I could go on but the best advice I can share is to go out and start shooting and be prepared to have some failures.

Have fun,

Don Bryant

[Noeyedear]

I think a bigger problem might be in matching scans. I bet it is easier and probably cheaper to shoot it as a panoramic in the first place if you intend doing a lot, or 10x8 and crop to fit.

Kevin.

[D. Bryant]

I think a bigger problem might be in matching scans. I bet it is easier and probably cheaper to shoot it as a panoramic in the first place if you intend doing a lot, or 10x8 and crop to fit.

Kevin.

Not necessarily. Stitching with a 4x5 can provide a different aspect ratio that can alter the way one sees final pictures in their head. In short it's just different than working with a larger format like 8x10.

Carrying a light weight 4x5 is quite a bit easier than coping with larger cameras. I don't contest the fact that an 8x10 is a powerful instrument but using one is not the exact equivalent to stitching with a 4x5 or shooting with a 4x10 for the matter.

Don Bryant

[Lenny Eiger]

As an assumption, let's say one can get good quality prints up to 50"x40" made from drum-scanned 5x4 negatives.

To make MUCH bigger prints, I was considering experimenting with the option of taking (say) 2 or more photos of a scene. Then, I'd get all of those 5x4 negatives drum-scanned, and stitched together in Photoshop or equivalent software. Clearly. this route is not cheap due to the obvious fact that it entails multiple drum scans and requires getting an operator with the correct knowledge to stitch the images together, but presumably it would allow one to produce quite HUGE photos of good image quality (ie, low grain and good resolution) if done correctly?

I'm starting at the "front-end" of the process here (ie, how to "photograph" a scene with A LARGE FORMAT CAMERA, with the idea in mind of stitching at a later stage).

If (say) you wanted to create a very long panoramic photo of 100" x 40" (so, two 5x4 negatives stitched together at their short ends), I presume you take the first shot .... but then what? Do you pick up the camera and walk to one side of the scene so that you shoot the 2nd negative "straight on" again; or do you just pan the camera around to photograph whatever is to the left or right of that first scene (but that presumably distorts the angle compared to the first image, no?)


John,

I could make you a scan of a 4x5 at 8000ppi (about a 6Gig file). That's 40,000 pixels along the long edge. That's 400 dpi at 100 inches... from just one... Of course if you want the aspect ratio to be panorama, you could also stitch two of them together.

Lenny