Paris calling !

Hello, large-format photographers !

Since I am now back to my main turf, photography, I'll be having a few technical questions in need of answers ; I'll be posting them in the appropriate sub-forums.

I have been a freelance photographer since 1986 and have been doing portraits, fashion, advertising and other hip whatnots until 2000. I quit then because I didn't like what the business was turning into ; also because I wasn't as commercially successful as I previously had been :)

Dropped the agents and became a director of commercials and luxury corporate films but as time went by... I got bored and passed the age mark when hype becomes difficult to bear - make a few Armani films and you'll see what I mean.
So I quit, again, last year, and got back to my main course but this time far from all of the above : I only do architecture photography.

I have been working with 4x5" and 8x10" since the early 1990s, with Hasselblads on the side for most portraits. Before that, I had Nikon F2s and Leica R3s (?) aplenty but that all went rapidly.

Color-wise, I was doing 'chrome only and had a long and pricey phase centered on 8x10" Polaroid transfers.
Black & white-wise, I was printing myself on Kodak Elite paper, often with a strikingly crazy toning process which I had developed ; that process, alas, can't be done anymore as the Elite is gone and so are the Technical Pan film and many other great products.

I don't do digital and, yes, the clients I work for/with do accept the expenses of 6x9cm and 4x5" films, developments and scans, plus the delays related to the use of such products - lucky me !
However, I do use Photoshop, with much moderation, and now "print" on A2 Epson Velvet paper. Not as "sensual" as doing it hands-in-the-hot-dektol (I miss the smell mostly) but to be honest, it looks darn good !


My questions will mainly be related to the new 6x9cm format I must use and the reshaping of my old Norma.

You can see a minuscule portion of what I used to do and a small part of what I do now here.

Thanks for your patience,
ax.

Great portfolio and welcome to LFPF ;-)

Bienvenue au forum

Very nice work, Axel, and welcome!

Nice!

Axel, don't neglect the French LF forum www.galerie-photo.info. This forum is a little ambivalent about 6x9, the general consensus is that it is medium, not large, format and off-limits here. The French forum is more, um, flexible.

Dan,

Will see the french forum.
I reluctantly go "down" to 6x9cm but I have to. Reluctantly.

Most architects ask me to cover the building in everything ; expenses-wise, I can do it in 6x9cm only.
But I do keep 4x5" for the half-dozen or dozen obviously lyrical/beautiful/flagrant images.

Welcome Axel,

I hope you are able to find the information that you seek, there are many resources here.

-Daniel

Hello lads - long time no see !

A lot has changed since my first post here... more later on.
In the meantime, you can see the results of four years' work on my renewed website : axeldahl.com


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Beautiful work, Axel. Welcome back!