Large Format by coincidence

Hi from Düsseldorf in Germany,
some years ago ,I began with photography and I knew nearly nothing about it.
I was making abstract paintings for years.In addition I wanted to make pictures of nature.
To make realistic paintings seems to boring for me.So I thought about making photos.
One day,by chance, I saw an article about field cameras,and I thought :That's it.
Some days later I made a visit to a camera shop and said : "A field camera please."
They could only offer new ones,except an used Sinar F 4x5 with an 150 Apo Symmar.
Price was o.K. and so I bought it.
I hadn't got a clue about about all that.Only the certainty that this was the right way for me,to photograph nature.
And it was.
I read some books and asked a friend who was making photos for a long time.
The first months I only took black and white polaroids.So I could directly see, what was wrong.Then I took polaroid 55 film and made my first negatives.

sanchi

I'm in the same boat, so to speak. I am getting started and am using P/N 55 film for starters. I will get some negative film and holders at some point but I want the immediate feedback for what I need to do to correct any problems. And I want the negatives as well.

Sanchi, I would gladly give away a new Sinar F if only I could make realistic paintings of nature things in exchange. Botanical illustrators are a rare species and highly demanded if good. In a certain sens they have much bigger artistic freedom and their art has never been entirely replaced by photography. Don't throw it away for a used Sinar F. I love the way you shopped for your camera - if you paint with the same heart, go for it!

Hi GPS,
You can learn that if you want.It's only technique and absolute concentration,although there are some humans that can do this from childhood on.
It will take you some years of work,and there are a lot of tricks to make it easier.That's one thing.
The other is:how to make art?
Most books about this topic are crap.They give no real insight into art.
Da Vinci said,study the nature.There you will find all the secrets.Just look;how does the nature make it?
If you have questions,I will try to answer them
sanchi

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sanchi heuser

Hi GPS,
You can learn that if you want.It's only technique and absolute concentration,although there are some humans that can do this from childhood on.
It will take you some years of work,and there are a lot of tricks to make it easier.That's one thing.
The other is:how to make art?
...sanchi

---

Would love to have your optimism about my capacity to learn the painting...:) That's why I started my photography - no luck with painting. And not enough time to learn it now... Anyway, I still enjoy botanical art exhibits whenever I can see them. The art part is yet another chapter. Chinese zen paintings, which I have in high regard, were my inspiration in some part of my photo production.

Large Format by coincidence...

3 years ago I set out to buy a digital camera like most people. I bought a photo magazine to read the camera reviews and noticed an article about midformat (6x6) still giving better quality than most semi professional digicameras at the time.

So I bought a used Yashica-mat on a fleamarket but did not know how it was supposed to work without an inbuilt lightmeter etc. So I went to the library to study midformat and stumbled on a paragraph mentioning something called 'large format' and all the things it could do. I was hooked...then bought an LF camera and lenses...found all the info on this web forum...

My first ever photo exhibition, with LF images only (wet darkroom & digital prints) was opened today June 15th.

Sanchi, sometimes coincidence can take you a long way. Be open and grateful for what it might bring you. Good luck!

Welcome from Fresno, Callifornia! :)

@ GPS :
that´s not optimism.There are some simple tricks, how to make it.It´s like learning a language.
For example,if you want to draw a human body exactly,you just see the body as a construction.Just watch at the different forms,for example,a knee has ,when the leg is stretched and when it is in a 90° angle.
This change is caused by a specific construction every human knee has.The elbow has another construction and therefor other changes of the form.
And so it is with every other part of the body.The basic construction is always the same,there are only individual differences and the differences between woman and men.
This is like a "grammar" of the body.
With the play of the different parts together it´s the same.
I guess learning chinese is much more difficult.

@ Chris:
Yes ,the 55 is a very good film and I was very dissapointed when I realised that production will be discontinued.The direct feedback gave me a strong kick.

@ Patrick:
I wish you a great sucess for your exhibition.
I´m indeed very grateful ,that fate released me from troughaway-cameras and for the moment in Paris when I suddenly knew: Hmm Hmm,maybee I need another camera.


@ John :
thanks for your reply.

sanchi