Re: funny questions about your LF camera
I've gotten the "what a beautiful antique camera, how old is it" question countless times with my cherry and brass Tachihara. I love telling people that it's only a few years old.
My favorite questions have come when using my hasselblads in the field. While photographing some students at the local college one day, one of the girls asked me what I was doing with the lever after every exposure. "You mean the winding lever? I'm advancing the film." "Oh", she replied, "I know cameras used to shoot film, but I didn't know you have to wind it yourself."
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
I have a Cambo monorail and am still pretty new at it, but I've been asked a few times, "Are you surveying for the gas company?"
I frequently get asked if I can still can film (no matter the camera). They don't seem surprised that you can, but pleased that I do it and that I develop my own, too.
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
This morning at breakfast in a hotel, I pulled out my 40 year old wood Ikeda Anba 4x5 to show a friend, and a guy at the next table said "Wow! Is it digital?"
Has nothing to do with photography, but I had an old Victrola in storage in the states and a few years ago picked it up and brought it back to Indonesia. When my kids saw the records they said "Look! Giant CDs!"
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
I have two favourites ...
The first was last year whilst taking a picture of Yosemite Falls. A boy said to me "hey, that's upside down". I said - "oh no" and quickly rotated the back through 180. He exclaimed "it's still upside down" ... at which point he and his family and I all had a happy discussion about how it all worked.
A couple of years ago I was photographing inside Wells Cathedral in England at the same time as scenes were being shot for an episode of "Midsomer Murders" a very popular TV detective here in the UK. John Nettles who stars in it came up to me and asked me what I was doing. I couldn't resist the answer "taking photographs". Well, he really could have come up with a more imaginative question.
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robert A. Zeichner
While photographing in the Smokies, I was approached by a couple of boys who asked if my Deardorff was a "cowboy camera".
Which is how I will describe my 'dorff to inqusitive minds from now until eternity.
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
Those of us in the Texas Church Project appeared on TV in 2007. We spent a day in with the host and film crew of the show as they first followed us around while we photographed churches. The crew took quite an interest in the large format cameras – especially the 7x17 – and the fact that we all use film. We were fascinated by their high tech video gear, and they were fascinated with 20 minute exposures and wooden tripods.
It's all relative, though. If you don't wish to be bothered while photographing, you need a distraction. My wife is an painter. We go out together on "image making" trips where I take cameras and she takes her pochade box ( http://www.dickblick.com/products/gu...d-accessories/ ) and it doesn't matter what I'm doing - everybody is standing around watching her paint dry. :p
Re: funny questions about you LF camera
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kirk Gittings
For some reason this only happened when I was in Canada working on my graduate degree in the early eighties, but it happened many times, "What are you doing, shooting postcards?
Ha! I had that question once when I was shooting with my 14x17. I said "yes, really BIG postcards!"
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robert A. Zeichner
While photographing in the Smokies, I was approached by a couple of boys who asked if my Deardorff was a "cowboy camera".
"Is that a real camera or is it a Sears camera?" I am waiting for a Zappa fan to ask me that!
It would be fun to attach a hand crank to the side of my 8x10...like the old movie cameras. Then with my head under the cloth and "cranking" the camera, listen to the comments of people.
Vaughn
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
"What birds are you photographing with that?".
Re: funny questions about your LF camera
A couple of years ago, I was at a park setting up a shot when a guy walked up to the side of my 11x14, leaned over the bellows and took a picture, mimicking my shot with a lower end looking dslr, with no regard as he bumped my camera.
Then he looked at me and said "See how easy it is!"
He walked back to his wife and said loudly "some people will never embrace technology". She replied, "shush, some people are just afraid, don't be rude."
I shook my head and repositioned my camera ranting about #$%&# lack of respect for peoples property and space...They walked away very quickly!