Search:

There has been a lot posted on this, but I'm still not sure what the nature of the 40% failure rate was? I.e., was the film never exposed, was there a light leak, does the clip get jammed, problems...

As I mentioned in my post, I got it from Brook's podcast. He claims that thanks to modern technology he now sees good portfolios that were made from images taken over a span of less than a week:
...

Brooks has mentioned in one of podcasts that recently he has been seeing (and publishing) more portfolios that were done in a relatively short period of time. This is largely because digitial...

The film should be placed in the slosher emultion side up. From the sound of your problem it seems they may have been placed emultion side down.

I actually got a decent image in about 50 MPH wind using this technique:

http://www.benjamincrane.com/CameraInCar.jpg

http://www.benjamincrane.com/CameraInCar2.jpg

About a year ago I ordered two custom cut mats from light impressions. It took several weeks just to get the mats and when they arrived one was damaged. They sent another at no charge but that one...

I put light tight plastic (the kind that photographic paper comes in) over the timer while I am loading the film into the trays. Once the tray is in the developer I cover the entire tray with a...

I use ribbed but I don't think it really matters. I suppose ribbed will use a bit more developer



I use 1200 cc



I put the slosher in a pre-soak then move the whole thing with the film...

My last two orders from light impressions have also been back ordered. Both the orders were shipped within about a week though. I plan to keep using them but will be sure to order materials in...

Several years ago I was in this same boat of having tried many different films and developers with few good results to show for it. Basically I got a lot of advice that I needed to use film X and...

I disagree with signatures of the front being associated with photographers who want to make their work look like paintings and and sell them at frame shops and art fairs. Ansel Adams, Edward...

I can get away with 1200 cc in an 11x14 try with 6 4x5 negatives in the slosher. Going to 1000 cc might be cutting it a bit tight but it likely depends on how thick your slosher is and how deep the...

I bought a Shen-Hao 4x5 about 4 years ago as my first large format camera. I chose it because I wasn't sure if 4x5 would be the format for me so I wanted to start with an inexpensive camera. ...

I've started storing developer in wine bottles using those caps that allow you to suck out the air. The developer seems to last much longer this way.

This thread about using a 35 mm or digital camera as a light meter for large format photography seems to come up often. I will have to admit that when I started with 4x5 I used a 35 mm camera for a...

The problem may be that your ground glass is not aligned properly. Thus the image may be in focus on the ground glass but not on the film plane because the film plane is in a different place. This...

Today I went to a show at the Los Angeles Center for Land Use Interpretation (www.clui.org). The subject of the show as antennas and debris basins in the San Gabriel Mountains. I was a bit...

I bought a pocket spot in November of 2005 and I really love it. I much prefer it to using a heavy, $5000 DSLR that will be obsolete in 5 years as a meter. I don't know what happened to the website...

Whenever I think that a subject has been completely explored, I'll see that rare photograph that can make the subject fresh again. There are certain subjects that tend to attract uninspired...

I also develop Tmax 400 in Tmax RS at 1+9 and 75 deg. However I tray process with aggitation 10 s every minute instead of using the drum. I am one of those people that exposes it at ISO 320. I...

I did go to a workshop where at the beginning we were asked to sign a form. It was something pretty basic saying we would be outside and we are aware of the dangers, responsible for our actions,...

I agree with previous posters who recommended Beumont Newhall's book. A couple of my favorites that haven't been mentioned:

Perpetual Mirage: Photographic Narratives of the Desert West by May...

A few months ago I came across Don Worth's Close to Infinity published by the Photography West Gallery in Carmel. This is a book well worth buying, the reproductions are amazing.

Some one once told me that if you have a point to make, make it with a photograph not a frame. I think this applies to mats also, so I agree with the point about using a white mat. But then there...

There is a spot in the Mojave Desert which I had thought for some time would be a good place to make a photograph. The only catch was that it had to be in the early morning for the light to be...

You are correct that I had the camera pointed north, and that the moon is not visible in the shot. I'm not sure what that thing that looks sort of like the moon is but I'm willing to accept that it...

(1): I have a 75 mm Rodenstock that I used to expose a sheet of Tmax 100 for 6 or so hours on night on Death Valley's racetrack about 2 years ago with the lens wide open (f/4.5). I also used a...

To answer John's question, the hike is quite strenuous. The first time I tried it I had to turn back before reaching the Half Dome, but this was in large part due to deteriorating weather...

I became interested in large format photography after seeing the work of masters such as Ansel Adams, John Sexton, Paul Caponigro, and others. When I was starting with the 4x5, I would often try to...

Was it Bernd and Hilla Becher?

BenjaminCrane.com

For my own work I prefer 11x14 for most of my prints. I think this size shows off the resolution of the 4x5 negative without loosing the intimacy that comes with printing larger. As a collector, it...

http://www.benjamincrane.com/AI/slides/Valve%20at%20Second%20Big%20Pine%20Lake.jpg

Reading this thread got my wife and I into a discussion on what my best image was. We were eventually able to...

I think most collectors, at least ones who are willing to pay more than a few hundred dollars for a print are savy enough to realize that a mediocre print by an little known photographer in an...

I Had a similar experience a few years ago. I heard a radio story about the 75th anniversary of the colapse of the St. Francis dam. The site is only a short drive from LA so I decided to head up...

Consider the pocket spot meter (www.meteredlight.com). It does not have a lighted spot, just a hole drilled through the metal case which should be visible in very low light situations. The...

I've noticed that in the past few months Ilford has started selling at least its MG IV fiber paper and perhaps all its paper with a slightly redesigned label. As far as I have see there is otherwise...

I use the Fuji 400 telephoto on my Shen Hao. I have it mounted on a top hat style lens board that gives me a 4-5 cm extra extension which comes in handy for near subjects.

Large format photographers I have met tend to fall into 2 categories - 1) those who are primarily interested in photographs, and 2) those who are interested in equipment. I don't think there is any...

I do keep a journal. I initially started doing it because I had seen journals my ancestors had written and I enjoyed reading them. Since I started doing large format photography (not quite 4 years...

I have a pair of custom made surgical loupes that I use for my day job (yes, I'm a surgeon). I have used them for spotting prints, but I find that they are not very useful for focusing the ground...